Norbert Grupe (born August 25, 1940 – March 10, 2004), better known outside Germany by his stage name Wilhelm von Homburg, was a German boxer, actor, and professional wrestler known for his villainous supporting roles in various high-profile films of the 1980s and 1990s, including Vigo the Carpathian in ''

Ghostbusters II ''GhostbustersII'' is a 1989 American Supernatural fiction, supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. The film stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Ramis, Rick Moranis ...

'', the henchman James in '' Die Hard,'' and Souteneur in Werner Herzog's ''

Stroszek ''Stroszek'' is a 1977 German tragicomedy film directed by Werner Herzog and starring Bruno S., Eva Mattes, and Clemens Scheitz. Written specifically for Bruno S., the film was shot in Plainfield, Wisconsin, and North Carolina. Most of the lead ...

.''

Early life

Norbert Grupe was born in Berlin on August 25, 1940. He was the son of Richard Grupe (1915 - August 5, 1988), who worked as a baker in Nazi Germany, and later become both a championship-winning boxer and a local policeman who worked at the

Buchenwald concentration camp Buchenwald (; literally 'beech forest') was a Nazi concentration camp established on hill near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within Germany's 1937 borders. Many actual or su ...

. Richard would later say of this period, "I was never a Nazi. I never joined the party. I was not in the Hitler Youth...I was a pastryman...I have no much luck with the Jewish people. But I never hated them. Never hated them. I'm very sorry for what Hitler did to the Jewish people." After the war, Richard boxed professionally from 1946 to 1952, earning a record of 26 wins (20 by knockout), 8 losses, and 6 draws. He then toured Europe as a wrestler. Later, Richard's first wife gave birth to Grupe's brother Winfried. Richard's second wife Ursula, much younger and closer in age to Grupe himself, gave birth to Grupe's sister, Rona. Ursula left the family five years later. According to Rona, Grupe exhibited a bitter jealousy toward Winfried, because Winfried's mother was a daily presence for him, whereas Grupe's absent mother would not even speak to him.

Career

Early work and professional wrestling

In his youth, Grupe worked as a meatpacker, stevedore, butcher, longshoreman, and a waiter. By the time he finished school, Grupe, who had begun trainining in boxing at age 10, had won several amateur boxing matches. Around 1960, Richard emigrated to the United States to further wrestling career, and Grupe, who stood at 6'3" and 227 pounds by this time, would soon follow, spending time at California's notable Venice weight pen, where he became acquainted with future film star

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...

. The father and son duo would don Viking costumes, with which they were billed as the tag-team by the name of The Vikings, wrestling at the Los Angeles Coliseum and

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

. They subsequently changed their name to the Von Homburg Brothers, under which they performed as

heels The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerte ...

for less than a hundred dollars a night in total. Grupe thought his last name sounded too much like the word '' groupie'', and changed it to Prince Wilhelm von Homburg. He sometimes wore a monocle and German eagle. He would later regret using it in Hollywood, saying, "In an industry that was ruled by the Jews, it was really dumb to call myself 'von Homburg.' Who do they think that is? A Nazi nobleman." After their wrestling partnership ended, the father and son grew estranged.

Boxing career and early acting roles

Von Homburg switched careers to boxing in 1962, employing the showmanship and the boastful, cocky persona he had developed as a wrestler. He won 16 of 21 professional fights in the U.S., fighting throughout California as a light heavyweight before traveling across the U.S. and then his native Germany where his he wore fur coats, smoked cigars, and taunted referees and crowds in a way that stunned the normally sedate German boxing world. One reporter for ''

Der Spiegel ''Der Spiegel'' (, lit. ''"The Mirror"'') is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of 695,100 copies, it was the largest such publication in Europe in 2011. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...

'' ranked Von Homburg as seventh in the world. He grew his blonde hair over his ears, for which he was nicknamed the "Beatle Boxer." Von Homburg got his first championship match in 1966 against Piero del Papa for the

EBU The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; french: Union européenne de radio-télévision, links=no, UER) is an alliance of public service media organisations whose countries are within the European Broadcasting Area or who are members of the Co ...

Regional Light Heavyweight title in Berlin. Homburg was disqualified in the eleventh round, after having knocked out Del Papa, because the referee declared a subtle head movement by Von Homburg to have been an illegal headbutt. The match would haunt Von Homburg for the rest of his life, and he was blame it on bias on the part of the referee, saying, "I was the best thing German boxing had back then, and then I had a 70-year-old Frenchman as the referee. We all know what the Germans did to his parents and his sister." Throughout his boxing career, von Homburg appeared in bit roles in various films and television shows, usually billed as Wilhelm von Homburg. In "The Promoter", the April 25, 1964 episode of ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character ...

'' for example, he played a boxer named Otto who is offered a large bribe to throw a fight. After losing his next three fights, von Homburg retired from boxing in 1970 at age 30, and went to live in St. Pauli Kiez, a

red-light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light districts are particu ...

of Hamburg, developing a reputation in that area's underground, where he associated with pimps and Hells Angels, and had engaged in a number of affairs with both men and women. He also used drugs and alcohol to excess.

Acting

After spending some years in prison, von Homburg attempted to pursue an acting career in earnest. German director Werner Herzog, who had seen him box in his youth, cast him as a bullying pimp in his 1977 film ''

''. Herzog commented, "The Prince was so clear and intelligent and radiated, at the same time, a feeling of danger that absolutely terrified me. He was almost like a German Mike Tyson." A decade later, Von Homburg was cast as James, one of Hans Gruber's henchmen in the 1988 action thriller '' Die Hard'', who dies after Bruce Willis' character detonates plastic explosives down an elevator shaft. Von Homburg's biggest role came at age 50, when he was cast as the primary villain in the 1989 comedy sequel ''

'', playing Vigo the Carpathian, a despotic sorcerer whose soul is released from a medieval painting. The character's full name was Vigo Von Homburg Deutschendorf, which paid homage to the name he had chosen as a performer. The film was released less than a year after Von Homburg's father Richard died, though he had not reconciled with his father or sister. His last major role was as Charles Macum Diggs, a vegetative ex-boxer in '' Diggstown'', which was a commercial flop.

Later life and death

Von Homburg spent the last years of his life effectively homeless, alternating between sleeping at a YMCA, in the homes of friends, or in his van. He developed

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...

, and following its metastasis to his pelvis, spine, and brain, he went to the home of his friend Walter Staudinger, where he spent his final days.

Professional boxing record

, - , align="center" colspan=8, 30 Wins (24 knockouts, 6 decisions), 11 Losses (2 knockouts, 8 decisions, 1 DQ), 6 Draws , - , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Result , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Record , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Opponent , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Type , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Round , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Date , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Location , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Notes , -align=center , Loss , , align=left, Rüdiger Schmidtke , PTS , 10 , December 11, 1970 , align=left, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Jürgen Blin , PTS , 10 , December 12, 1969 , align=left, Sporthalle, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Rüdiger Schmidtke , PTS , 10 , November 14, 1969 , align=left, Festhalle Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Hesse , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

Oscar Bonavena Oscar Natalio "Ringo" Bonavena (September 25, 1942 – May 22, 1976) was an Argentine heavyweight professional boxer with a career record of 58 wins, 9 losses and 1 draw. A rugged, wild-swinging puncher, he was nicknamed "Ringo" because of his Bea ...

, TKO , 3 , June 20, 1969 , align=left, Sportpalast, Schoeneberg, Berlin , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Giulio Rinaldi , TKO , 7 , April 2, 1969 , align=left, Sportpalast, Schoeneberg, Berlin , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Giulio Rinaldi , PTS , 10 , February 14, 1969 , align=left, Ernst Merck Halle, Hamburg , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Giulio Rinaldi , TKO , 5 , January 3, 1969 , align=left, Sportpalast, Schoeneberg, Berlin , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

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, PTS , 10 , November 8, 1968 , align=left, Ernst Merck Halle, Hamburg , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Franklin Arrindel , KO , 3 , September 18, 1968 , align=left, Hohe Warte Stadium, Vienna , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Rudolf Nehring , TKO , 8 , August 30, 1968 , align=left, Sportpalast, Schoeneberg, Berlin , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

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, PTS , 10 , April 11, 1968 , align=left, Sportpalast, Schoeneberg, Berlin , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Paul Roux , KO , 5 , December 15, 1967 , align=left, Circus Krone Building, Munich, Bavaria , align=left, , - , Draw , , align=left, Ray Patterson , PTS , 10 , May 3, 1967 , align=left, Westfalenhallen, Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

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, KO , 9 , December 9, 1966 , align=left, Festhalle Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Hesse , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

Piero Del Papa Piero is an Italian given name. Notable people with the name include: *Piero Angela (1928–2022), Italian television host *Piero Barucci (born 1933), Italian academic and politician *Piero del Pollaiuolo (c. 1443–1496), Italian painter *Piero de ...

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Erich Schöppner Erich Schöppner (25 June 1932 – 12 September 2005) was a German boxer. He competed in the men's light middleweight event at the 1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen ...

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Bas van Duivenbode Bas van Duivenbode (11 March 1940 – 24 September 2015) was a Dutch boxer. He competed in the men's light middleweight event at the 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known ...

, KO , 4 , April 29, 1965 , align=left, Neue Sporthalle, Hannover, Lower Saxony , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jose Angel Manzur , TKO , 8 , April 2, 1965 , align=left, Stadthalle, Vienna , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ulli Ritter , TKO , 6 , February 20, 1965 , align=left,

Ostseehalle The Wunderino-Arena (formerly known as Ostseehalle) is an indoor arena, in Kiel, Germany. It is primarily used by THW Kiel (team handball) and as a venue for rock/pop concerts. It holds up to 13,500 people. History Construction was determined i ...

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, PTS , 10 , January 16, 1965 , align=left, Westfalenhallen, Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

Joseph Syoz Joseph Syoz (18 January 1937 – 13 January 2013) was a French boxer. He competed in the men's heavyweight event at the 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games o ...

, TKO , 10 , December 5, 1964 , align=left, Sporthalle, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Paul Kraus , KO , 3 , November 27, 1964 , align=left,

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, TKO , 9 , November 6, 1964 , align=left, Ernst Merck Halle, Hamburg , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jean Huiban , KO , 6 , May 29, 1964 , align=left,

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, Oldenburg, Lower Saxony , align=left, , - , Draw , , align=left, Ulli Ritter , PTS , 10 , May 8, 1964 , align=left, Ernst Merck Halle, Hamburg , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Roy Crear , KO , 5 , April 7, 1964 , align=left, Stockyards Coliseum, Oklahoma City , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Bob McKinney , TKO , 9 , January 6, 1964 , align=left, New York Coliseum, Bronx, New York , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Monroe Ratliff , SD , 10 , November 18, 1963 , align=left,

Santa Monica Civic Auditorium Santa Monica Civic Auditorium is a multi-purpose convention center at 1855 Main Street in Santa Monica, California, owned by the City of Santa Monica. It was built in 1958 and designed by Welton Becket and as a concert venue, it has a seating cap ...

, Santa Monica, California , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Billy Stephan , PTS , 10 , September 19, 1963 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

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, PTS , 10 , July 23, 1963 , align=left, San Diego Coliseum, San Diego, California , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

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, TKO , 9 , June 24, 1963 , align=left, Moulin Rouge, Hollywood, California , align=left, , - , Draw , , align=left, Tommy Merrill , PTS , 6 , June 1, 1963 , align=left, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

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, KO , 6 , February 15, 1963 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Yancy D Smith , UD , 8 , January 22, 1963 , align=left, San Diego Coliseum, San Diego, California , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Yancy D Smith , PTS , 8 , January 15, 1963 , align=left, San Diego Coliseum, San Diego, California , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Clifford Gray , PTS , 6 , December 18, 1962 , align=left, San Diego Coliseum, San Diego, California , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, John L Davey , PTS , 6 , December 14, 1962 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Freeman Hardin , KO , 3 , October 25, 1962 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

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, KO , 3 , September 21, 1962 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Tony Fern , KO , 3 , August 24, 1962 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Bob Brown , KO , 2 , August 16, 1962 , align=left, San Diego Coliseum, San Diego, California , align=left, , - , Draw , , align=left,

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, PTS , 4 , July 20, 1962 , align=left, Los Angeles Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California , align=left,

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Homburg, Wilhelm von 1940 births 2004 deaths 20th-century German male actors Bisexual men Bisexual sportspeople Deaths from cancer in Mexico Deaths from prostate cancer German male boxers German male film actors German male professional wrestlers German male television actors LGBT boxers LGBT professional wrestlers German LGBT sportspeople Male actors from Berlin Sportspeople from Berlin Heavyweight boxers 20th-century LGBT people