He was born on 29 May 1944 as Helmut Steinberger in Salzburg,
Austria.
His father was a prisoner in the Russian army for three years, and came
back at when Berger was three years old.
He hated his father. Because, his father was severe by using the violence,
but his mother loved him blindly.
His parents wanted this only child to succeeded in the hotel business,
but he wanted to be an actor.
Therefore he opposed to his parents, so be changed the school many times.
He was finally sent to the hotel professional school near Swiss border.
After graduation, he was forced to help his family's hotel business, but
his hate for his father had continued, so he ran away to London in after
a year.
At 18 years old, working as a waiter in a restaurant, Berger went to the
actor's school, and entered the small theater.
But he hoped to become the international actor in the future, so he learned
Italian in Perugia university, and learned play in Rome, and further English
and French.
In 1964, when 21 years old, he met Visconti for the first time in Italy.
At that time Visconti was making the movie : "VAGHE STELLE DELL'ORSA".
This encounter was the begining of definite influence of Berger's life.
At the first encounter, Berger was watching the location of Visconti. It
was very cold day, so in the end he was trembling by coldness. At that
time, an assistant gave Berger a muffler of cashimere to were, by ask of
Visconti.
Then, next day Visconti invited Berger to the lunch.
Three months after Berger and Visconti had the relation of love in the
house of Visconti in Rome.
By this love relation, Berger became to act in the movies of Visconti,
playing the small part at first in"THE WITCHES", then the impressive
part in "THE DAMNED", the leading part in "LUDWIG",
and then played the important role in "CONVERSATION PEACE".
He was said that he was the only one who won a Visconti's favor. Really,
Berger's features as "demoniac", "insanity " and "sexual
perversion" were what Visconti found in him and realized in the movies.
But there came the time they had to part away. Besides, their last terms
were very unfortunate.
On 24 July 1972, when Visconti broke down from cerebral thrombosis, Berger
stayed in Paris to take the movie of "LES VORACES", And on 17
March 1976 when Visconti died, Berger was on the airplane for Rio where
Visconti encouraged him to go.
After then Berger's life corrupted, indulged in drug and alcohol, and on
17 March in 1977, the day just one year later of Visconti's death, he tried
to suicide by sleeping drug, though he was helped fortunately.
His dissolute life with drug and alcohol lasted for a long time, but at
last he could stop it. He recovered again his career as an actor, appearing
on screen and TV.
The recent big topics of Helmut Berger is his autobiography "Ich"
published on August in 1998, which occured the really big sensation over
the world.
| Visconti was the benefactor who had extracted more than 100% of
my makings from me who were only a nervous boy trembling in front of the
camera. He was not only the benefactor but also the great patron, the teacher
in arts, and my lover. |
Helmut Berger believes that the relation with Luchino Visconti over 12years
was the life of marriage, so he grieves that he has become widow at 32years
old.
Berger thinks his own life in two parts, one is the days with Visconti,
and another is the days of "Visconti's widow".
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