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Helmut Berger
Blond, blue-eyed, high-cheekboned lead who first gained attention in Luchino Visconti's "The Damned" (1969), playing the disturbed heir of a prominent German industrial family caught up in the rise of fascism. Berger went on to become an international star, often playing tortured or twisted characters in films such as "Ludwig" (1973, again directed by Visconti) and "The Romantic Englishmwoman" (1975). Most of his roles in the 1980s were in German productions. Berger had a small role in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather, Part III" (1990) and reprised his portrayal of the Bavarian king in "Ludwig 1881" (1993). Helmut Berger died on May 19, 2023 in Salzburg, Austria at the age of 78.