Editing Gert Fröbe

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{short description|German actor (1913–1988)}}
{{Infobox person
| name         = Gert Fröbe
| image        = Gert Fröbe (1965).jpg
| caption      = Fröbe at the premiere of ''[[Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines]]'' in 1965
| birth_name   = Karl Gerhart Fröbe
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1913|2|25|df=y}}
| birth_place  = Oberplanitz (near [[Zwickau]]), Kingdom of Saxony, German Empire
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|1988|09|05|1913|02|25|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[Munich]], West Germany
| occupation   = Stage and Film Actor
| years_active = 1930s–1944, 1948-1987
| spouse = {{nowrap|Karin Kuderer-Pistorius (1970–?)<br />Beate Bach (1962–1968)<br />Hannelore Görtz (1953–1959)<br />Tatjana Iwanow<br />Clara Peter}}
| children = 2
}}

'''Karl Gerhart''' "'''Gert'''" '''Fröbe''' ({{IPA|de|ˈɡɛɐ̯t ˈfʁøːbə|lang|De-Gert Fröbe.ogg}}; 25 February 1913 – 5 September 1988) was a German actor. He was known in English-speaking countries for his work as [[Auric Goldfinger|the title character]] in the [[James Bond]] film ''[[Goldfinger (film)|Goldfinger]]'', as Peachum in ''[[The Threepenny Opera]]'', as Baron Bomburst in ''[[Chitty Chitty Bang Bang]]'', as Hotzenplotz in ''[[The Robber Hotzenplotz]]'', General [[Dietrich von Choltitz]] in ''[[Is Paris Burning? (film)|Is Paris Burning?]]'', as Colonel Manfred von Holstein in ''[[Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines]]'', and as  Inspector Bauer in [[Ingmar Bergman]]'s ''[[The Serpent's Egg (film)|The Serpent's Egg]]''.

Fröbe was a three-time [[German Film Award]] nominee, twice for Best Leading Actor and once for Best Supporting Actor. In 1978, he won an honorary award for "outstanding individual contributions to the German cinema over the years."

== Early life and education ==
Fröbe was born in Oberplanitz, today part of [[Zwickau]]. He was initially a violinist, but he abandoned it for [[Kabarett]] and [[theatre]] work.<ref name="In 1935, he studied acting with [[Erich Ponto]].latobit">{{cite news|last=Fokart|first=Burt A.|date=7 September 1988|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-09-07-mn-1578-story.html|title=Gert Frobe, 75; Portrayed Goldfinger in Bond Movie|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>

He joined the [[Nazi Party]] in 1934 at the age of 21 and left in 1937, before the outbreak of the [[World War II|Second World War]].<ref>{{cite web|website=kultiversum.de|date=2 February 2010|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306121533/http://www.kultiversum.de/TV-Film-Themen/Gert-Froebe-Hotzenplotz-und-Pickelhaube.html|title=Hotzenplotz und Pickelhaube|language=de}}</ref> After his party membership became known after the war, Israel banned Fröbe's films until Mario Blumenau, a Jewish survivor, revealed just eight weeks later that his life and his mother's were probably saved when Fröbe hid them from the Nazis in his basement.<ref name="nytobit">{{cite news |date=6 September 1988 |title=Gert Frobe, an Actor, Dies at 75 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/09/06/obituaries/gert-frobe-an-actor-dies-at-75.html |access-date=18 July 2020 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref>

In September 1944, theatres in [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] were closed down and Fröbe was drafted into the [[German Army (1935–1945)|German Army]], where he served until the end of the war.<ref name="In 1935, he studied acting with [[Erich Ponto]].latobit" />

== Career ==
Fröbe gained fame in one of the first German films made after the War, called ''[[Berliner Ballade]]'' (''The Ballad of Berlin'', 1948). His character's name, "Otto Normalverbraucher" ({{lit}} Otto Average Consumer), became the German term equivalent to "Average Joe".<ref>{{cite book|url={{Google books|plainurl=yes|id=C8QnAQAAIAAJ}}|title=Deutsches Bühnen-Jahrbuch|access-date=25 August 2011}}</ref>

He was cast as the villain in the Swiss-West German-Spanish film ''[[Es geschah am hellichten Tag]]'' (''It Happened in Broad Daylight'', 1958), with the original screenplay written by [[Friedrich Dürrenmatt]]. His role as a [[serial killer]] of children drew the attention of the producers of the [[James Bond]] movie ''[[Goldfinger (film)|Goldfinger]]'' (1964) and he was chosen to play one of the best remembered villains of the series, gold tycoon [[Auric Goldfinger]]. He later remarked, "The ridiculous thing is that since I played Goldfinger in the James Bond film there are some people who still insist on seeing me as a cold, ruthless villain – a man without laughs."<ref>{{cite web |last=Battersby |first=Matilda |title='No, Mr Bond, I Expect You to Die': Showdown Between Goldfinger and Sean Connery Voted Greatest James Bond Moment |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/no-mr-bond-i-expect-you-to-die-showdown-between-goldfinger-and-sean-connery-voted-greatest-james-8435196.html |website=[[The Independent]] |access-date=14 July 2019 |date=2 January 2013}}</ref> 

[[File:Gert Fröbe in 1965.png|thumb|Fröbe in 1965]]
Fröbe made several appearances in all-star casts in the 1960s, including the films ''[[The Longest Day (film)|The Longest Day]]'' (1962), ''[[Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines]]'' (1965), ''[[Is Paris Burning? (film)|Is Paris Burning?]]'' (1966),''[[Triple Cross (1966 film)|Triple Cross]]'' (1966), ''[[Chitty Chitty Bang Bang]]'' (1968), and ''[[Monte Carlo or Bust]]'' (1969).

During the 1980s, Fröbe was a spokesman in [[Mercedes Benz W123]] commercials, helping to promote the [[coupé]] and the [[sedan (automobile)|sedan]].

== Death ==
Fröbe died in [[Munich]] in September 1988 at age 75 from a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]].<ref name="nytobit" /> He was buried at the Waldfriedhof cemetery in [[Icking]].

== Filmography ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Language
! class="unsortable"|Notes
|-
|rowspan=2| 1948
| ''{{Interlanguage link multi|Der Herr vom andern Stern|de}}'' || Extra || German || Uncredited
|-
| ''[[The Berliner (film)|The Berliner]]'' || Otto Normalverbraucher || German ||
|-
| 1949 || ''[[After the Rain Comes Sunshine]]'' || Konstantin || German ||
|-
| 1951 || ''[[Decision Before Dawn]]'' || German Corporal || English ||Uncredited
|-
| 1952 || ''[[The Day Before the Wedding]]'' || Rundfunkreporter || German ||
|-
|rowspan=6| 1953
| ''[[Man on a Tightrope]]'' || Police Agent || English ||Uncredited
|-
| ''[[Salto Mortale (1953 film)|Salto Mortale]]'' || Jan || German ||
|-
| ''[[A Heart Plays False]]'' || Briefüberbringer || German ||
|-
| ''[[The Postponed Wedding Night (1953 film)|The Postponed Wedding Night]]'' || Gondoliere || German ||
|-
| ''[[Arlette Conquers Paris]]'' || Manager Edmond Duval || German ||
|-
| ''[[Wedding in Transit]]'' || Herr Mengwasser || German ||
|-
|rowspan=6| 1954
| ''[[The Little Town Will Go to Sleep]]'' || Oskar Blume || German ||
|-
| ''[[Daybreak (1954 film)|Daybreak]]'' || Bit part || German ||
|-
| ''[[The Hunter's Cross]]'' || Kobbe || German ||
|-
| ''[[They Were So Young]]'' || Lobos || English ||
|-
| ''[[A Double Life (1954 film)|A Double Life]]'' || Mittelmeier || German ||
|-
| ''[[The Eternal Waltz]]'' || Gawriloff || German ||
|-
|rowspan=6| 1955
| ''[[Special Delivery (1955 film)|Special Delivery]]'' || Olaf || English ||
|-
| ''[[The Dark Star (1955 film)|The Dark Star]]'' || Deltorri || German ||
|-
| ''[[I Know What I'm Living For]]'' || Pfeifer, Inspektor Jugendfürsorge || German ||
|-
| ''[[Mr. Arkadin]]'' || Munich Detective || English ||
|-
| ''[[The Heroes Are Tired (film)|The Heroes Are Tired]]'' || Hermann || French ||
|-
| ''[[The Forest House in Tyrol]]'' || Bäuerle, Kaufmann || German ||
|-
|rowspan=3| 1956
| ''[[The Girl from Flanders]]'' || Rittmeister Kupfer || German ||
|-
| ''{{Interlanguage link multi|Ein Herz schlägt für Erika|de}}'' || Heubacher || German ||
|-
| ''[[Winter in the Woods (1956 film)|Winter in the Woods]]'' || Gerstenberg || German ||
|-
|rowspan=6| 1957
| ''[[Typhoon Over Nagasaki]]'' || Ritter || French ||
|-
| ''[[The Girl and the Legend]]'' || Mr. Gillis || German ||
|-
| ''[[He Who Must Die]]'' || Patriarcheos || French ||
|-
| ''[[The Mad Bomberg (1957 film)|The Mad Bomberg]]'' || Kommerzienrat Gustav-Eberhard Mühlberg || German ||
|-
| ''[[Charming Boys]]'' || Edmond Petersen || French ||
|-
| ''[[The Heart of St. Pauli]]'' || Jabowski || German ||

|-
|rowspan=7| 1958
| ''[[Not Delivered]]'' || Hans || French ||
|-
| ''[[Nasser Asphalt]]'' || Jupp || German ||
|-
| ''[[It Happened in Broad Daylight]]'' || Schrott || German ||
|-
| ''[[Rosemary (1958 film)|Rosemary]]'' || Willy Bruster || German ||
|-
| ''{{Interlanguage link multi|Grabenplatz 17|de}}'' || Titu Goritsch || German ||
|-
| ''[[The Crammer]]'' || Freddy Blei || German ||
|-
| ''{{ill|The Girl with the Cat Eyes|de|Das Mädchen mit den Katzenaugen}}'' || Tessmann || German ||
|-
|rowspan=9| 1959
| ''[[Nick Knatterton's Adventure]]'' || Hugo || German ||
|-
| ''[[Prisoner of the Volga]]'' || Professor || English ||
|-
| ''{{Interlanguage link multi|Douze heures d'horloge|fr}}'' || Blanche || French ||
|-
| ''[[Jons und Erdme]]'' || Smailus || German ||
|-
| ''[[The Forests Sing Forever]]'' || Dag || German ||
|-
| ''[[Menschen im Hotel]]'' || Preysing || German ||
|-
| ''[[The Day the Rains Came (film)|The Day the Rains Came]]'' || Doctor Albert Maurer || German ||
|-
| ''{{Interlanguage link multi|Der Schatz vom Toplitzsee|de}}'' || Johannes Grohmann || German ||
|-
| ''[[Old Heidelberg (1959 film)|Old Heidelberg]]'' || Doctor Jüttner || German ||
|-
|rowspan=6| 1960
| ''[[The High Life (1960 film)|The High Life]]'' || Doctor Kölling || German ||
|-
| ''{{ill|Le Bois des amants|fr}}'' || The General || French ||
|-
| ''{{ill|Headquarters State Secret|de|Soldatensender Calais (Film)}}'' || Der Chef || German ||
|-
| ''[[The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse]]'' || Inspector Kras || German ||
|-
| ''[[Until Money Departs You]]'' || Jupp Grapsch || German ||
|-
| ''{{Interlanguage link multi|Crook and the Cross|de|Der Gauner und der liebe Gott}}'' || Paul Wittkowski || German ||
|-
|rowspan=4| 1961
| ''[[The Green Archer (1961 film)|The Green Archer]]'' || Abel Bellamy || German ||
|-
| ''[[Via Mala (1961 film)|Via Mala]]'' || Jonas Lauretz || German ||
|-
| ''[[The Return of Doctor Mabuse]]''&nbsp;<ref group="note">Also known as ''The Phantom Fiend''.</ref> || Kommissar Lohmann || German || {{smaller|USA screening in 1966}}
|-
| ''[[Auf Wiedersehen (film)|Auf Wiedersehen]]'' || Angelo Pirrone || German ||
|-
|rowspan=3| 1962
| ''[[Redhead (1962 film)|Redhead]]'' || Kramer || German ||
|-
| ''[[The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1962 film)|The Testament of Dr. Mabuse]]'' || Kommissar Lohmann || German ||
|-
| ''[[The Longest Day (film)|The Longest Day]]'' || Sgt. Kaffeekanne || English ||
|-
|rowspan=4| 1963
| ''[[Enough Rope (film)|Enough Rope]]'' || Melchior Kimmel || French ||
|-
| ''{{Interlanguage link multi|Heute kündigt mir mein Mann|de}}'' || Alfred Paulsen || German ||
|-
| ''{{Interlanguage link multi|Three Penny Opera (1963 film)|de|3=Die Dreigroschenoper (1963)|lt=Three Penny Opera}}'' || Peachum || German ||
|-
| ''[[Peau de banane|Banana Peel]]'' || Raymond Lachard || French ||
|-
|rowspan=4| 1964
| ''[[Greed in the Sun]]'' || Castigliano || French ||
|-
| ''[[Tonio Kröger (film)|Tonio Kröger]]'' || Policeman Peterson || German ||
|-
| ''[[Backfire (1964 film)|Backfire]]'' || Karl Fehrman || French ||
|-
| ''[[Goldfinger (film)|Goldfinger]]'' || [[Auric Goldfinger]] || English ||{{Smaller|Dubbed into English by [[Michael Collins (English actor)|Michael Collins]].}}
|-
|rowspan=3| 1965
| ''[[A High Wind in Jamaica (film)|A High Wind in Jamaica]]'' || Dutch Captain || English ||
|-
| ''[[Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines]]'' || Colonel Manfred von Holstein || English ||
|-
| ''[[Who Wants to Sleep?]]'' || Emil Claasen || German ||
|-
|rowspan=4| 1966
| ''[[The Upper Hand (film)|The Upper Hand]]'' || Walter || French ||
|-
| ''{{ill|Ganovenehre|de|3=Ganovenehre (1966)|lt=Ganovenehre}}'' || Importen-Paul || German ||
|-
| ''[[Is Paris Burning? (film)|Is Paris Burning?]]'' || [[Dietrich von Choltitz|General Dietrich von Choltitz]] || English ||
|-
| ''[[Triple Cross (1966 film)|Triple Cross]]'' || Colonel Steinhager || English ||
|-
|rowspan=2| 1967
| ''[[I Killed Rasputin]]'' || [[Grigori Rasputin]] || English ||
|-
| ''[[Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon]]'' || Professor von Bulow || English ||
|-
|rowspan=2| 1968
| ''[[Darling Caroline (1968 film)|Darling Caroline]]'' || Doctor Belhomme || French ||
|-
| ''[[Chitty Chitty Bang Bang]]'' || [[Baron Bomburst]] || English ||
|-
| 1969
| ''[[Monte Carlo or Bust]]''&nbsp;<ref group="note">Also known as ''Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies''.</ref> || Willi Schickel{{\}}Horst Muller || English ||
|-
| 1971
| ''[[$ (film)|$]]'' || Mr. Kessel || English ||
|-
| 1972
| ''[[Ludwig (film)|Ludwig]]'' || Father Hoffmann || English ||
|-
|rowspan=3| 1974
| ''{{Interlanguage link multi|The Robber Hotzenplotz (1974 film)|de|3=Der Räuber Hotzenplotz (1974)|lt=The Robber Hotzenplotz}}'' || [[The Robber Hotzenplotz|Hotzenplotz]] || German ||
|-
| ''[[And Then There Were None (1974 film)|And Then There Were None]]'' || Wilhelm Blore || English || {{smaller|Dubbed into English by [[Robert Rietti]].}}
|-
| ''[[Nuits Rouges]]'' || Commissaire Sorbier || French ||
|-
| 1975
| ''{{Interlanguage link multi|Docteur Justice (1975 film)|fr|3=Docteur Justice (film)|lt=Docteur Justice}}'' || Max Orwall || French ||
|-
| 1976
| ''[[Death Rite]]'' || Vestar || French ||
|-
|rowspan=3| 1977
| ''{{Interlanguage link multi|Das Gesetz des Clans|de}}'' || Philip Brown || German ||
|-
| ''[[The Serpent's Egg (film)|The Serpent's Egg]]'' || Inspector Bauer || English ||
|-
| ''{{Interlanguage link multi|Death or Freedom (film)|de|3=Tod oder Freiheit|lt=Death or Freedom}}'' || Graf von Buttlar || German ||
|-
| rowspan=2| 1978
| ''[[The Rider on the White Horse (1978 film)|The Rider on the White Horse]]'' || Tede Volkerts || German ||
|-
| ''{{Interlanguage link multi|Der Tiefstapler|de}}'' || Felix von Korn || German ||
|-
| 1979
| ''[[Bloodline (1979 film)|Bloodline]]'' || Inspector Max Hornung || English ||
|-
| 1980
| ''[[The Umbrella Coup]]'' || Otto Krampe ("Whale") || French ||
|-
| 1981
| ''[[The Falcon (film)|The Falcon]]'' || [[Vratko Nemanjić|Jug Bogdan]] || Serbo-Croatian||
|-
| 1983
| ''{{ill|The Abduction of the Sabine Women (1983 film)|de|3=Der Raub der Sabinerinnen (1983)|lt=The Abduction of the Sabine Women}}'' || Emanuel Striese || German || TV film
|-
| 1986–1987
| ''[[The Little Vampire (TV series)|The Little Vampire]]'' || Detective Gurrmeyer || German || TV series, 13 episodes
|}

== Notes ==
<references group="note" />

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* {{IMDb name|2085}}

{{s-start}}
!colspan="3" style="background:#C1D8FF;"| James Bond
|-
{{s-bef | before=[[Joseph Wiseman]]<br />[[Dr. No (film)|Dr. No]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Title role|Titular Character Actor]] | years=1964}}
{{s-aft | after=[[Christopher Lee]]<br /><small>[[The Man with the Golden Gun (film)|TMWTGG]]</small>}}
{{s-bef | before=[[Lotte Lenya]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[List of James Bond villains|Villain Actor]] | years=1964}}
{{s-aft | after=[[Adolfo Celi]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frobe, Gert}}
[[Category:1913 births]]
[[Category:1988 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century German male actors]]
[[Category:Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]]
[[Category:German Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:German male film actors]]
[[Category:German male television actors]]
[[Category:German resistance members]]
[[Category:Nazi Party members]]
[[Category:People from Zwickau]]
[[Category:German people who rescued Jews during the Holocaust]]
[[Category:Deaths from coronary thrombosis]]
[[Category:Male actors from Saxony]]