Franz Eichberger (* 31 July 1919 in

Puchberg am Schneeberg Puchberg am Schneeberg is a town in the south-eastern part of Lower Austria with approximately 2650 inhabitants. It is situated about 80 Kilometres from Vienna. The highest point of Puchberg is the Schneeberg with 2076 m, the highest mountain of ...

; † 29 May 1991) was an

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

Actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

Biography

Franz Eichberger came to the film industry through

Leni Riefenstahl Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl (; 22 August 1902 – 8 September 2003) was a German film director, photographer and actress known for her role in producing Nazi propaganda. A talented swimmer and an artist, Riefenstahl also became in ...

. The director was searching for a suitable actor for the role of the young shepherd Pedro in her film adaptation of the opera ''Tiefland''. In her

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

, she writes that she noticed the then 20-year-old Austrian at the 1939 Kandahar Ski Race in St. Anton am Arlberg, and he visually matched her vision for the film character. After the war, however, an article in the magazine ''Revue'' claimed, Riefenstahl made 2,000 ''

Gebirgsjäger ''Gebirgsjäger'' () are the light infantry part of the alpine or mountain troops (''Gebirgstruppe'') of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The word '' Jäger'' (meaning "hunter" or "huntsman") is a characteristic term used for light infantry in ...

'' walk by in front of her multiple times to choose a suitable actor. Riefenstahl strongly denied this claim and insisted on her version of events, which was confirmed by Eichberger and her former assistant

Harald Reinl Harald Reinl (8 July 1908 in Bad Ischl, Austria – 9 October 1986 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain) was an Austrian film director. He is known for the films he made based on Edgar Wallace and Karl May books (see Karl May movies and Edgar Walla ...

in sworn statements. However, an article from the early 1940s stated that the director had chosen an actor from among the mountain troops. Originally a medic, Eichberger was assigned by the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

as a ski instructor in the

Arlberg Arlberg () is a massif between Vorarlberg and Tyrol in Austria. The highest peak is the Valluga at . The name ''Arlberg'' derives from the tradition of the "Arlenburg", who are said to have once established themselves on the Tyrolean side of the A ...

area. Although he was extremely shy initially, screen tests confirmed his acting talent. However, there were issues with his dialect, so he received language lessons at a

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

acting school.Leni Riefenstahl: ''Memoiren.'' Köln 2000, Seite 360 After the war, Eichberger received further role offers. In 1947, he appeared in the Austrian-French co-production '' Wintermelodie''. Later, he worked with notable directors such as

Georg Wilhelm Pabst Georg Wilhelm Pabst (25 August 1885 – 29 May 1967) was an Austrian film director and screenwriter. He started as an actor and theater director, before becoming one of the most influential German-language filmmakers during the Weimar Republic. ...

( ''Der Prozeß'', ''

Geheimnisvolle Tiefe ''Mysterious Shadows'' (german: Geheimnisvolle Tiefe) is a 1949 Austrian drama film directed by G. W. Pabst and starring Paul Hubschmid, Ilse Werner, and Elfe Gerhart.Rentschler p.284 It was shown at the Venice Film Festival. It was shot at the ...

'') and

Helmut Käutner Helmut Käutner (25 March 1908 – 20 April 1980) was a German film director active mainly in the 1940s and 1950s. He entered the film industry at the end of the Weimar Republic and released his first films as a director in Nazi Germany. Käu ...

(''

Die letzte Brücke ''The Last Bridge'' (german: Die Letzte Brücke) is a 1954 Austrian-Yugoslavian war drama film directed by Helmut Käutner and starring Maria Schell, Bernhard Wicki and Barbara Rütting.Von Dassanowsky p.157 It tells the story of a German n ...

''), but mostly in smaller supporting roles. Only in the adaptation of

Adalbert Stifter Adalbert Stifter (; 23 October 1805 – 28 January 1868) was an Austrian writer, poet, painter, and pedagogue. He was notable for the vivid natural landscapes depicted in his writing and has long been popular in the German-speaking world, while ...

's work, ''

Bergkristall ''Rock Crystal'' (german: Bergkristall; 1845) is a novella by Austrian writer Adalbert Stifter, about two children who become lost in a snowstorm in the Alps on Christmas Eve. It influenced Thomas Mann. Mann called Stifter "one of the most extr ...

'' (1949), was he entrusted with a leading role. After ''

Ich heirate Herrn Direktor ''I'm Marrying the Director'' (German: ''Ich heirate Herrn Direktor'') is a 1960 Austrian comedy film directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner and starring Heidelinde Weis, Gerhard Riedmann and Hans Söhnker.Bock & Bergfelder p.252 It was shot at the Sch ...

'' (1960), Eichberger ended his film career.

Filmography

* 1947: ''Wintermelodie'' (''Les amours de Blanche Neige'') * 1948: ''Der Prozeß'' * 1949: G''eheimnisvolle Tiefe'' as Bergführer Nino * 1949: ''Bergkristall'' * 1954: ''Tiefland'' as Pedro * 1954: ''

'' as a ''Gebirgsjäger'' * 1955: '' Die Sennerin von St. Kathrein'' as Otto * 1959: '' 12 Mädchen und 1 Mann'' as Revierinspektor * 1960: ''

'' as Polizist

References

External links

*
Franz Eichberger bei filmportal.de
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eichberger, Franz 1919 births 1991 deaths People from Neunkirchen District, Austria Austrian male actors