RIP.
German actor Hardy Kruger has passed away in the US aged 93.
The actor starred in a string of English-language adventure and war movies during his career, with literary agent Peter Kaefferlein confirming he has died.
Saying he died “suddenly and unexpectedly” on Wednesday in California, Hardy was with his third wife American-born writer Anita Park in their home when he passed.
Kruger was best known for the 1957 British movie The One That Got Away where he played a German fighter pilot who makes an attempt to escape from the Allies and succeeds in World War Two.
Due to his good look and charm, as well as him really deserting the Nazi army at the end of the war helped Hardy bag roles like this during a time when Germans were looked down upon abroad.
He then became passionate about the fight against racism and the education of young people throughout the rest of his life.
“The fight against racism and the education of young people was his personal mission in life,” Kruger’s agent said in a statement. “His warmth, his joy for life and his unshakable sense of justice made him unforgettable.”
Hardy also starred in A Bridge Too Far in 1977 and The Wild Geese in 1978 but in his later years focused more on creating making travel films for German television, writing books and the occasional stage performance.
He first got into acting when he attended an elite Nazi boarding school and appeared in the propaganda film Junge Adler in 1944, which only opened his eyes to the horrors of Germany’s dictatorship.
Hardy appeared in international blockbusters throughout the 60s and 70s, starring alongside John Wayne in the safari movie Hatari in 1962 and The Flight Of The Phoenix in 1965 alongside James Stewart, Richard Attenborough and Peter Finch.
