Peter van Eyck(1911-1969)
- Actor
- Additional Crew
With his whitish blond crew-cut, slow, menacing drawl and Germanic
manner, Van Eyck was destined to be typecast as stereotypically
scowling, arrogant Nazi officers. This was ironic, because being an
avowed anti-fascist, he had left Germany in 1931 -- two years before
Adolf Hitler came to power. The son of an
aristocratic Prussian land owner, his father had intended him to embark
on a military career. Instead, Peter spent his education in Berlin,
where he trained as a musician.
In 1937, Van Eyck arrived in New York via Havana, Cuba, and became
acquainted with the composer
Aaron Copland. This led to a
collaboration, as well as solo efforts, as composer and lyricist on a
variety of songs for revue and cabaret. He also moonlighted as a
pianist in bars and nightclubs. Around this time, he also began to work
as a stage manager and arranger for
Irving Berlin. Not afraid to try
any job that came along, he tried his hand at driving a truck, and
this, somehow, led him to Hollywood where he became a protege of the
director Billy Wilder. Wilder prompted him
to appear in front of the cameras. In 1943, Peter began a career in
films, by this time as a naturalized American citizen. For the
remainder of the decade, he had little to do but re-enact basically the
same part of German officers and Gestapo henchmen in films like
Five Graves to Cairo (1943)
and Address Unknown (1944).
After the war, Van Eyck returned to Germany, where he was ironically
cast as an American officer in
Hallo, Fräulein! (1949). He also
appeared in the comedy
Royal Children (1950) ,with
Jenny Jugo), as yet another American. One of
his best ever performances as an actor was in the role of Bimba, in
Henri-Georges Clouzot's high
octane thriller
The Wages of Fear (1953).
Van Eyck played one of a group of daredevil truck drivers traversing an
impenetrable South American jungle with a deadly load of nitroglycerin.
There were other good roles: as the womanising Frenchman Fribert in
Rosemary (1958);
a police inspector investigating a famous murder in
Dr. Crippen lebt (1958),aka
'Dr.Crippen lives'); a starring role as Paul Decker, who attempts the
perfect murder of his wife in
The Snorkel (1958); and one of two
industrialist brothers in
'Helmut Kautner''s
The Rest Is Silence (1959).
In the 1960's, Peter Van Eyck appeared increasingly in unmemorable
international co-productions. Having settled in Switzerland and
maintaining a residence in Paris, he was ideally placed to alternate
between French, English and German film roles. He was seen in three
potboilers about the master criminal Dr. Mabuse, which were extremely
popular in Germany. His best roles during this period were as the East
German intelligence officer Mundt, who is the target of
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965);
and as Colonel General von Brock in the absorbing war drama
The Bridge at Remagen (1969),
which was also his last film. Van Eyck died near Zurich in July,1969,
of septicemia, just short of his 58th birthday.
manner, Van Eyck was destined to be typecast as stereotypically
scowling, arrogant Nazi officers. This was ironic, because being an
avowed anti-fascist, he had left Germany in 1931 -- two years before
Adolf Hitler came to power. The son of an
aristocratic Prussian land owner, his father had intended him to embark
on a military career. Instead, Peter spent his education in Berlin,
where he trained as a musician.
In 1937, Van Eyck arrived in New York via Havana, Cuba, and became
acquainted with the composer
Aaron Copland. This led to a
collaboration, as well as solo efforts, as composer and lyricist on a
variety of songs for revue and cabaret. He also moonlighted as a
pianist in bars and nightclubs. Around this time, he also began to work
as a stage manager and arranger for
Irving Berlin. Not afraid to try
any job that came along, he tried his hand at driving a truck, and
this, somehow, led him to Hollywood where he became a protege of the
director Billy Wilder. Wilder prompted him
to appear in front of the cameras. In 1943, Peter began a career in
films, by this time as a naturalized American citizen. For the
remainder of the decade, he had little to do but re-enact basically the
same part of German officers and Gestapo henchmen in films like
Five Graves to Cairo (1943)
and Address Unknown (1944).
After the war, Van Eyck returned to Germany, where he was ironically
cast as an American officer in
Hallo, Fräulein! (1949). He also
appeared in the comedy
Royal Children (1950) ,with
Jenny Jugo), as yet another American. One of
his best ever performances as an actor was in the role of Bimba, in
Henri-Georges Clouzot's high
octane thriller
The Wages of Fear (1953).
Van Eyck played one of a group of daredevil truck drivers traversing an
impenetrable South American jungle with a deadly load of nitroglycerin.
There were other good roles: as the womanising Frenchman Fribert in
Rosemary (1958);
a police inspector investigating a famous murder in
Dr. Crippen lebt (1958),aka
'Dr.Crippen lives'); a starring role as Paul Decker, who attempts the
perfect murder of his wife in
The Snorkel (1958); and one of two
industrialist brothers in
'Helmut Kautner''s
The Rest Is Silence (1959).
In the 1960's, Peter Van Eyck appeared increasingly in unmemorable
international co-productions. Having settled in Switzerland and
maintaining a residence in Paris, he was ideally placed to alternate
between French, English and German film roles. He was seen in three
potboilers about the master criminal Dr. Mabuse, which were extremely
popular in Germany. His best roles during this period were as the East
German intelligence officer Mundt, who is the target of
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965);
and as Colonel General von Brock in the absorbing war drama
The Bridge at Remagen (1969),
which was also his last film. Van Eyck died near Zurich in July,1969,
of septicemia, just short of his 58th birthday.