Actor and director who brought dark good looks and a commanding presence to his roles
Austrian by birth, Swiss by circumstance and international by reputation, Maximilian Schell, who has died aged 83, was a distinguished actor, director, writer and producer. However, he will be best remembered as an actor, especially for his Oscar-winning performance in Stanley Kramer's Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) – an early highlight among scores of television and movie appearances. He also directed opera, worked tirelessly in the theatre and made six feature films, including Marlene (1984) - a tantalising portrait of Dietrich, his co-star in Judgment, who is heard being interviewed but not seen, except in movie extracts.
Schell courted controversy and much of his work, including The Pedestrian (1973), dealt with the second world war, its attendant crimes and the notion of collective guilt. In 1990, when he was offered a special award for his contributions to German film, he refused to accept it.
Austrian by birth, Swiss by circumstance and international by reputation, Maximilian Schell, who has died aged 83, was a distinguished actor, director, writer and producer. However, he will be best remembered as an actor, especially for his Oscar-winning performance in Stanley Kramer's Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) – an early highlight among scores of television and movie appearances. He also directed opera, worked tirelessly in the theatre and made six feature films, including Marlene (1984) - a tantalising portrait of Dietrich, his co-star in Judgment, who is heard being interviewed but not seen, except in movie extracts.
Schell courted controversy and much of his work, including The Pedestrian (1973), dealt with the second world war, its attendant crimes and the notion of collective guilt. In 1990, when he was offered a special award for his contributions to German film, he refused to accept it.
- 2/3/2014
- by Brian Baxter
- The Guardian - Film News
Oscar-winning actor Maximilian Schell has died at the age of 83.
The actor and director passed away overnight at a hospital in Innsbruck, Austria following a "sudden and serious illness", his agent Patricia Baumbauer confirmed to the Austria Press Agency.
Schell - who was a fugitive from Adolf Hitler - won an Oscar for his performance in Judgment at Nuremberg, in which he played a defence attorney. The 1961 film was only his second role in Hollywood.
He also starred as Dr Hans Reinhardt in Disney's The Black Hole in 1979, and scored two further Oscar nominations for his roles in The Man in the Glass Booth and Julia.
As well as acting and directing, Schell was a highly successful concert pianist and conductor, performing with orchestras in Berlin and Vienna.
Schell is survived by his daughter Nastassja Schell, from his 20-year marriage to Natalya Andreychenko.
Watch Maximilian Schell win an Academy Award...
The actor and director passed away overnight at a hospital in Innsbruck, Austria following a "sudden and serious illness", his agent Patricia Baumbauer confirmed to the Austria Press Agency.
Schell - who was a fugitive from Adolf Hitler - won an Oscar for his performance in Judgment at Nuremberg, in which he played a defence attorney. The 1961 film was only his second role in Hollywood.
He also starred as Dr Hans Reinhardt in Disney's The Black Hole in 1979, and scored two further Oscar nominations for his roles in The Man in the Glass Booth and Julia.
As well as acting and directing, Schell was a highly successful concert pianist and conductor, performing with orchestras in Berlin and Vienna.
Schell is survived by his daughter Nastassja Schell, from his 20-year marriage to Natalya Andreychenko.
Watch Maximilian Schell win an Academy Award...
- 2/1/2014
- Digital Spy
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