Anton Diffring
Encyclopedia
Anton Diffring born Alfred Pollack, was a German
actor
.
. Very little is known about his life and his reasons for leaving Germany just before the war (Although it was mentioned in the Audio Commentary for Silver Nemesis
that he left Germany in 1936 as he was not enamoured of fascism and further that he was homosexual). He was best known in the English-speaking world for his portrayal of German
officers, and mainly similarly sinister roles, in films such as Where Eagles Dare
(1968), and The Heroes of Telemark
(1965).
Diffring played the role of the match commentator, in Escape to Victory
(1981). He also starred in the film Operation Daybreak
(1975) as the SS officer Reinhard Heydrich
.
In 1969, for a change, he 'switched sides' playing the role of a British officer in Uccidete Rommel! an Italian-produced war drama.
He starred in the horror films The Man Who Could Cheat Death
(1959) and Circus of Horrors
(1960). He also worked in quite a number of international
films, such as Fahrenheit 451
(1966) directed by François Truffaut
.
His final performance was again as a Nazi character, for the BBC
in the 1988 Doctor Who
serial Silver Nemesis
, in which he agreed to appear because the recording coincided with the Wimbledon Championships
which he wanted to watch. Working up to his death, he died in his home at Châteauneuf-Grasse in the south of France.
According to an interview taken with German co-actor Arthur Brauss in 2002 at the Terrorverlag, Diffring died of AIDS.
, but in her web biography of Anton Diffring, Susan Edwards says that he died of cancer.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Biography
Diffring (b. Anton de Vient or Alfred Pollack) was born in KoblenzKoblenz
Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
. Very little is known about his life and his reasons for leaving Germany just before the war (Although it was mentioned in the Audio Commentary for Silver Nemesis
Silver Nemesis
Silver Nemesis was the 25th anniversary serial of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast in the UK in three weekly parts from 23 November 1988, to 7 December 1988....
that he left Germany in 1936 as he was not enamoured of fascism and further that he was homosexual). He was best known in the English-speaking world for his portrayal of German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
officers, and mainly similarly sinister roles, in films such as Where Eagles Dare
Where Eagles Dare
Where Eagles Dare is a 1968 World War II action-adventure spy film starring Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood and Mary Ure. It was directed by Brian G. Hutton and shot on location in Upper Austria and Bavaria....
(1968), and The Heroes of Telemark
The Heroes of Telemark
The Heroes of Telemark is a 1965 war film directed by Anthony Mann based on the true story of the Norwegian heavy water sabotage during World War II...
(1965).
Diffring played the role of the match commentator, in Escape to Victory
Escape to Victory
Escape to Victory, known simply as Victory in North America, is a 1981 film about Allied prisoners of war who are interned in a German prison camp during World War II...
(1981). He also starred in the film Operation Daybreak
Operation Daybreak
Operation Daybreak is a 1975 World War II film based on the true story of the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich in Prague - starring Anthony Andrews, Timothy Bottoms and Martin Shaw. It was directed by Lewis Gilbert and shot mostly on location in Prague. It was adapted from the book Seven Men...
(1975) as the SS officer Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich , also known as The Hangman, was a high-ranking German Nazi official.He was SS-Obergruppenführer and General der Polizei, chief of the Reich Main Security Office and Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia...
.
In 1969, for a change, he 'switched sides' playing the role of a British officer in Uccidete Rommel! an Italian-produced war drama.
He starred in the horror films The Man Who Could Cheat Death
The Man Who Could Cheat Death
The Man Who Could Cheat Death is a 1959 British Hammer Film directed by Terence Fisher and starring Anton Diffring and Christopher Lee. It was based on the play The Man in Half Moon Street by Barré Lyndon which had been previously filmed in 1945....
(1959) and Circus of Horrors
Circus of Horrors
Circus of Horrors is a 1960 British horror film directed by Sidney Hayers. It starred Anton Diffring, Yvonne Monlaur, Erika Remberg, Kenneth Griffith, Jane Hylton, Conrad Phillips, Yvonne Romain and Donald Pleasence....
(1960). He also worked in quite a number of international
International
----International mostly means something that involves more than one country. The term international as a word means involvement of, interaction between or encompassing more than one nation, or generally beyond national boundaries...
films, such as Fahrenheit 451
Fahrenheit 451 (1966 film)
Fahrenheit 451 is a 1966 film directed by François Truffaut, in his first colour film as well as his only English-language film. It is based on the novel of the same name by Ray Bradbury....
(1966) directed by François Truffaut
François Truffaut
François Roland Truffaut was an influential film critic and filmmaker and one of the founders of the French New Wave. In a film career lasting over a quarter of a century, he remains an icon of the French film industry. He was also a screenwriter, producer, and actor working on over twenty-five...
.
His final performance was again as a Nazi character, for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in the 1988 Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
serial Silver Nemesis
Silver Nemesis
Silver Nemesis was the 25th anniversary serial of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast in the UK in three weekly parts from 23 November 1988, to 7 December 1988....
, in which he agreed to appear because the recording coincided with the Wimbledon Championships
1988 Wimbledon Championships
The 1988 Wimbledon Championships was a tennis tournament played on :grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon in London in England...
which he wanted to watch. Working up to his death, he died in his home at Châteauneuf-Grasse in the south of France.
According to an interview taken with German co-actor Arthur Brauss in 2002 at the Terrorverlag, Diffring died of AIDS.
, but in her web biography of Anton Diffring, Susan Edwards says that he died of cancer.
Filmography
- Convoy (1940) .... U-Boat officer
- Neutral Port (1940) .... Sailor
- Highly DangerousHighly DangerousHighly Dangerous is a 1950 British spy film starring Margaret Lockwood as a British entomologist trying to stop a biological attack with the help of an American journalist played by Dane Clark. The screenplay was written by Eric Ambler.-Cast:...
(1950) .... Officer At Station Check Point - State SecretState SecretState Secret is a 1950 British drama film directed by Sidney Gilliat and starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Jack Hawkins, Glynis Johns and Herbert Lom. It was released in the United States under the title The Great Manhunt.-Cast:...
(1950) .... State Police Officer at Theatre - Hotel SaharaHotel SaharaHotel Sahara is a 1951 British comedy film directed by Ken Annakin and starring Yvonne De Carlo, Peter Ustinov and David Tomlinson.-Cast:* Yvonne De Carlo as Yasmin Pallas* Peter Ustinov as Emad* David Tomlinson as Captain Puffin Cheyne...
(1951) .... German soldier - Appointment with VenusAppointment with Venus (film)Appointment with Venus is a 1951 film adaptation of the Jerrard Tickell novel of the same name. It was directed by Ralph Thomas, produced by Betty E. Box and its screenplay was written by the novelist Nicholas Phipps...
(1951) .... German soldier - Song of ParisSong of ParisSong of Paris is a 1952 British comedy film directed by John Guillermin and starring Dennis Price, Anne Vernon and Hermione Baddeley. It is also known as Bachelor in Paris.-Cast:* Dennis Price as Matthew Ibbetson* Anne Vernon as Clementine...
(1952) .... Renoir - The Woman's Angle (1952) .... Peasant
- The Red BeretThe Red BeretThe Red Beret is a 1953 British made Technicolor war film starring Alan Ladd, Leo Genn and Susan Stephen. It deals with the Parachute Regiment during the Second World War. It is notable as the first film made by Warwick Films with many of the crew working on various Warwick Films and Albert R....
(1953) .... The Pole - Park Plaza 605Park Plaza 605Park Plaza 605 is a 1953 British crime film. A B movie, it starred Tom Conway, Eva Bartok and Sid James. It was based on the Norman Conquest series of novels by Berkeley Gray, the film sees a private investigator summoned to room 605 of the Park Plaza Hotel to meet a mysterious foreign blonde...
(1953) .... Gregor - Never Let Me Go (1953) .... Hotel Desk Clerk
- Albert R.N. (1953) .... Captain Schultz
- Operation DiplomatOperation Diplomat (film)-Cast:* Guy Rolfe as Dr. Fenton* Lisa Daniely as Lisa Durand* Patricia Dainton as Sister Rogers* Sydney Tafler as Wade* Ballard Berkeley as Inspector Austin* Anton Diffring as Shroder...
(1953) .... Shroder - BetrayedBetrayed (1954 film)Betrayed is a 1954 war drama film made by MGM. It was directed by Gottfried Reinhardt, from a screenplay by Ronald Millar and George Froeschel. The music score was by Walter Goehr and Bronislau Kaper, the cinematography by Freddie Young....
(1954) .... Captain Von Stanger - The Sea Shall Not Have ThemThe Sea Shall Not Have ThemThe Sea Shall Not Have Them is a 1954 British war film starring Michael Redgrave, Dirk Bogarde and Anthony Steel. It was directed by Lewis Gilbert and is based on the 1953 novel by John Harris, set during the Second World War. Musical soundtrack by composer Malcolm Arnold.A British aircraft is...
(1954) .... German Pilot - The Colditz StoryThe Colditz StoryThe Colditz Story is a 1955 prisoner of war film starring John Mills and Eric Portman and directed by Guy Hamilton.It is based on the book written by P.R...
(1955) .... Fischer - I Am a CameraI Am a CameraI Am a Camera is a 1951 Broadway play inspired by Christopher Isherwood's novel Goodbye to Berlin which is part of The Berlin Stories...
(1955) .... Fritz Wendel - Doublecross (1956) .... Dmitri Krassin
- The Black TentThe Black TentThe Black Tent is a 1956 British war film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring Donald Sinden, Anthony Steel, Anna Maria Sandri, André Morell and Donald Pleasence. It is set in North Africa, during the Second World War and was filmed on location in Libya.-Plot:During the British retreat...
(1956) .... Senior Nazi Officer - Reach for the SkyReach for the SkyReach for the Sky is a 1956 British biographical film of aviator Douglas Bader, based on the 1954 biography of the same name by Paul Brickhill. The film stars Kenneth More and was directed by Lewis Gilbert. It won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film of 1956.-Plot:In 1928, Douglas Bader, a...
(1956) .... German Stabsfeldwebel - House of Secrets (1956) .... Anton Luaderbach
- The Traitor (1957) .... Joseph Brezina
- The Crooked Sky (1957) .... Fraser
- Lady of Vengeance (1957) .... Karnak
- Seven ThundersSeven Thunders (film)Seven Thunders is a 1957 World War II film about two British escaped prisoners of war.-Plot:...
(1957) .... Colonel Trautman - A Question of AdulteryA Question of AdulteryA Question of Adultery is a 1958 film directed by Don Chaffey. It stars Julie London and Anthony Steel.-Cast:*Julie London as Mary Loring*Anthony Steel as Mark Loring*Basil Sydney as Sir John Loring*Donald Houston as Mr. Jacobus...
(1958) .... Carl Dieter - Mark of the Phoenix (1958) .... Inspector Schell
- The Man Who Could Cheat DeathThe Man Who Could Cheat DeathThe Man Who Could Cheat Death is a 1959 British Hammer Film directed by Terence Fisher and starring Anton Diffring and Christopher Lee. It was based on the play The Man in Half Moon Street by Barré Lyndon which had been previously filmed in 1945....
(1959) .... Dr. Georges Bonnet - Circus of HorrorsCircus of HorrorsCircus of Horrors is a 1960 British horror film directed by Sidney Hayers. It starred Anton Diffring, Yvonne Monlaur, Erika Remberg, Kenneth Griffith, Jane Hylton, Conrad Phillips, Yvonne Romain and Donald Pleasence....
(1960) .... Dr. Schuler - Enter Inspector DuvalEnter Inspector DuvalEnter Inspector Duval is a 1961 British crime film directed by Max Varnel and starring Anton Diffring, Diane Hart and Mark Singleton. A French policeman, Inspector Duval, is brought to London to help his British colleagues crack a case...
(1961) .... Inspector Duval - Vorsicht Mr. Dodd! (1964) .... Howard
- Lana - Königin der Amazonen (1964) .... Professor Van Vries
- Operation CrossbowOperation Crossbow (film)Operation Crossbow is a British 1965 spy thriller and World War II film, made from a story from Duilio Coletti and Vittoriano Petrilli and filmed at MGM-British Studios...
(1965) .... German Soldier - Shots in Threequarter Time (1965) .... Burger
- The Heroes of TelemarkThe Heroes of TelemarkThe Heroes of Telemark is a 1965 war film directed by Anthony Mann based on the true story of the Norwegian heavy water sabotage during World War II...
(1965) .... Major Frick - The Blue MaxThe Blue MaxThe Blue Max is an 1966 British war film about a German fighter pilot on the Western Front during World War I. It was directed by John Guillermin, stars George Peppard, James Mason and Ursula Andress, and features Karl Michael Vogler and Jeremy Kemp. The screenplay was written by David Pursall,...
(1966) .... Holbach - Fahrenheit 451Fahrenheit 451 (1966 film)Fahrenheit 451 is a 1966 film directed by François Truffaut, in his first colour film as well as his only English-language film. It is based on the novel of the same name by Ray Bradbury....
(1966) .... Fabian - The Double ManThe Double Man (1967 film)The Double Man is a 1967 British spy film which was directed by Franklin Schaffner and based on the novel Legacy of a Spy by writer Henry Maxfield.-Cast:* Yul Brynner as Dan Slater / Kalmar* Britt Ekland as Gina* Clive Revill as Frank Wheatley...
(1967) .... Berthold - CounterpointCounterpoint (1968 film)Counterpoint is an 1968 epic war film starring Charlton Heston, Maximilian Schell, and Leslie Nielsen. It is based on the novel The General by Alan Sillitoe.-Plot:...
(1968) .... Colonel Arndt
- Where Eagles DareWhere Eagles DareWhere Eagles Dare is a 1968 World War II action-adventure spy film starring Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood and Mary Ure. It was directed by Brian G. Hutton and shot on location in Upper Austria and Bavaria....
(1968) .... Colonel Kramer - Man on HorsebackMan on HorsebackMan on Horseback is a 1969 German drama film directed by Volker Schlöndorff based on a novel by Heinrich Von Kleist. It was entered into the 1969 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* David Warner - Michael Kohlhaas* Anna Karina - Elisabeth Kohlhaas...
(1969) .... Kurfürst - Uccidete Rommel (1969) .... Captain Richard Howell
- L'iguana dalla lingua di fuoco (1971) .... Ambassador Sobiesky
- The Day the Clown CriedThe Day the Clown CriedThe Day the Clown Cried is an unfinished and unreleased 1972 film directed by and starring Jerry Lewis. It is based on a script of the same name by Joan O'Brien, who had co-written the original script with Charles Denton 10 years previously. The film was met with controversy regarding its premise...
(1972) .... Captain Curt Runkel - Der Stoff, aus dem die Träume sind (1972)
- Little Mother (1973) .... The Cardinal
- Hexen geschändet und zu Tode gequält (1973) .... Balthasar von Ross
- La morte negli occhi del gatto (1973) .... Dr. Franz
- Sutjeska (1973) .... General Alexander Lohr
- Tony Arzenta (1973) .... Grunwald
- Shatter (1974) .... Hans Leber
- The Beast Must DieThe Beast Must Die (film)The Beast Must Die is a 1974 horror film directed by Paul Annett. The screenplay was written by Michael Winder, based on the short story "There Shall Be No Darkness" by James Blish...
(1974) .... Pavel - Borsalino & Co.Borsalino & Co.Borsalino & Co. is a 1974 French action film directed by Jacques Deray and starring Alain Delon, Riccardo Cucciolla and Daniel Ivernel. It is the sequel to the 1970 film Borsalino.-Partial cast:* Alain Delon - Roch Siffredi...
(1974) - Die Antwort kennt nur der Wind (1974) .... John Keelwood
- Operation DaybreakOperation DaybreakOperation Daybreak is a 1975 World War II film based on the true story of the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich in Prague - starring Anthony Andrews, Timothy Bottoms and Martin Shaw. It was directed by Lewis Gilbert and shot mostly on location in Prague. It was adapted from the book Seven Men...
(1975) .... Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich - Potato Fritz (1976) .... Lieutnant Slade
- The Swiss ConspiracyThe Swiss ConspiracyThe Swiss Conspiracy is a 1976 action film starring David Janssen, Senta Berger and Elke Sommer, directed by Jack Arnold. It was co-produced between Germany and the United States.-Plot summary:...
(1976) .... Franz Benninger - Die Liebesbriefe einer portugiesischen Nonne (1977) .... Old Priest
- Vanessa (1977) .... Cooper
- Waldrausch (1977)
- L'imprécateur (1977) .... Ronson
- Valentino (1977) .... Baron Long
- Les Indiens sont encore loinLes Indiens sont encore loinLes Indiens sont encore loin is a 1977 Swiss drama film directed by Patricia Moraz.-Cast:* Isabelle Huppert - Jenny* Christine Pascal - Lise* Mathieu Carrière - Matthias* Chil Boiscuille - Guillaume* Nicole Garcia - Anna...
(1977) .... Le professeur d'allemand - Son of Hitler (1978) .... Gernheim
- Das Einhorn (1978) .... Blomich
- Io sono mia (1978) .... Padre di Suna
- Der Durchdreher (1979) .... Glorias erster Mann
- TuskTusk (film)Tusk is a 1980 film directed by cult film-maker Alejandro Jodorowsky and written by Nicholas Niciphor about a young English girl and an Indian elephant who share a common destiny...
(1980) .... John Morrison - Escape to VictoryEscape to VictoryEscape to Victory, known simply as Victory in North America, is a 1981 film about Allied prisoners of war who are interned in a German prison camp during World War II...
(1981) .... German - The Commentators - Der Schnüffler (1983) .... Colonel Henderson
- S.A.S. à San SalvadorS.A.S. à San SalvadorS.A.S. à San Salvador is a French-German film adaptation of Gérard de Villiers' novel of the same name, directed by Raoul Coutard...
(1983) .... Peter Reynolds - Marie Ward - Zwischen Galgen und Glorie (1985) .... Kardinal Millini
- Operation Dead End (1986) .... Prof. Lang
- WahnfriedWahnfried (film)Wahnfried is a 1986 German-French drama film directed by Peter Patzak about the life of Richard Wagner. It was screened out of competition at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Otto Sander - Richard Wagner* Tatja Seibt - Cosima Wagner...
(1986) .... Franz LisztFranz LisztFranz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age... - Der Sommer des Samurai (1986) .... Wintrich
- FacelessFaceless (film)Faceless is a 1988 French slasher film directed by Jesús Franco. The film is about Dr. Flamand and his assistant Nathalie who lure unsuspecting victims to use their skin to perform plastic surgery on the doctor's disfigured sister - a plot reminiscent of Franco's first film, Gritos en la noche...
(1987) .... Dr. Karl Heinz Moser - Anna (1988) .... George Mamoulian
Selected television appearances
- FlambardsFlambards (TV series)Flambards was a television series of 13 episodes which was broadcast in the United Kingdom in 1979 and in the United States in 1980. The series was based on the three Flambards novels of English author K. M...
.... Mr. Dermot (5 episodes, 1979) - Der Alte .... Leo Steglitz (1 episode, 1980)
- Arsène Lupin joue et perd (1980) TV mini-series .... Guillaume II
- Ein Winter auf Mallorca (1982) (TV) .... Konsul Fleury
- The Winds of WarThe Winds of WarThe Winds of War is Herman Wouk's second book about World War II, the first being The Caine Mutiny . Published in 1971, it was followed up seven years later by War and Remembrance; originally conceived as one volume, Wouk decided to break it in two when he realized it took nearly 1000 pages just to...
.... Joachim von Ribbentrop (4 episodes, 1983) - Der Besuch (1984) (TV) .... Crozier
- Weltuntergang (1984) (TV)
- Opération O.P.E.N. .... Beejlab (1 episode, 1984)
- The Masks of DeathThe Masks of DeathThe Masks of Death is a Sherlock Holmes film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Peter Cushing as the sleuth and John Mills as Doctor Watson.-Synopsis:...
(1984) (TV) .... Graf Udo Von Felseck of Purbridge Manor - Messieurs les jurés .... Karl Düren (1 episode, 1985)
- Jane HorneyJane Horney"Jane" Ebba Charlotta Horney , was a Swedish woman, believed to have spied in Denmark for the benefit of Nazi Germany, and to have been killed by the Danish resistance movement on a fishing boat at Øresund, but it has never been confirmed for which nation she actually worked...
(1985) TV mini-series .... Adm. Wilhelm Canaris - DerrickDerrick (TV series)Derrick is a German TV series produced by Telenova Film und Fernsehproduktion in association with ZDF, ORF and SRG between 1974 and 1998 about Detective Chief Inspector Stephan Derrick and his loyal assistant Inspector Harry Klein , who solve murder cases in Munich and surroundings Derrick is a...
.... Alfred Bandera / ... (3 episodes, 1981–1987) - Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
serial "Silver NemesisSilver NemesisSilver Nemesis was the 25th anniversary serial of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast in the UK in three weekly parts from 23 November 1988, to 7 December 1988....
" .... De Flores (3 episodes, 1988)