Gideon Burkhard, whose biography is described below, is a German actor whose popularity (including in our country) is associated primarily with the main role in the television series âCommissioner Rexâ. Another famous work of his that brought worldwide fame and recognition was the incarnation of the character of William Wicky on the screen in Inglourious Basterds.
Childhood
The future star was born on July 3, 1969 in one of the most beautiful German cities - Munich. The boy was brought up in a family closely associated with cinema. His great-grandfather, Alesander Moissy, was a professional actor, and his grandfather was a film producer. The future of the child was chosen by the mother. It was on her initiative that at the age of eight, parents sent the guy to study at one of the boarding schools located in the UK. Four years later, the boy returned and began to study at an American school. It is thanks to this that he is fluent in both German and English, which greatly helped him in his career formation.
Debut roles
Gideon Burkhard, whose biography as an actor began at the age of ten, made his film debut in a German film called "Aunt Maria." Here he played one of the key characters. The guy was noticed by director Hartmut Keller, and a year later he offered him the lead role in a joint American-German film known as âBlood and Honor: Youth Under Hitlerâ. The tape consisted of three series. Moreover, according to the idea of ââthe producers, each of the episodes was supposed to be shot twice - separately in English and German. Here Gideon Burkhard applied his knowledge. Moreover, on the set, he became the only actor who did not have to be duplicated.
The end of the career of a boy actor
Since childhood, he really liked to act in television films, so he did this all his free time, especially on school holidays. Without graduating from the last class, Gideon dropped out of school. It should be noted that the main reason for this act is not at all related to his passion for cinema. The fact is that he sought to specialize his education, so he decided to enter a music school. In addition, Gideon Burkhart began attending acting classes and rhetoric. In 1988, the actor starred in the film "Passenger, Welcome to Germany", where his partner on the set was the famous Hollywood star - Tony Curtis. According to most critics, this film ended the career of an actor-boy, and marked the beginning of a career as an adult artist.
Roles that brought fame and recognition
Among many of the following works, it is necessary to highlight the role in the German film "Little Sharks", shot by the famous director Wortmann. The tape itself was awarded the German award, and Gideon Burkhard, as the best actor, received the Bavarian award, which is considered to be his first personal achievement.
He gained worldwide popularity after playing the main role in the joint Austrian-German television series Commissar Rex. To play the character of Alexander Brantner, he previously had to go through a casting, in which more than 250 applicants took part. This film was released on television in 140 states. It should be noted that here the German actor replaced Tobias Moretti, whose hero died in the film. After the appearance of the new main character in Austria, the ratings of the series simply collapsed, but they rose sharply in neighboring countries, especially in Italy. To participate in the movie "Commissioner Rex," Gideon Burkhard even moved to live temporarily in Austria. Here he spent five years, after which he moved to Berlin to shoot in another series - âSpecial Cobra Squadâ. The film was shown in 120 countries, and filming continued until 2007, when its main character, performed by Gideon, died.
Other movies
Gideon Burkhard, whose filmography includes more than four dozen works, starred in 2006 in one of the most successful of them. This film was âThe Last Trainâ, where the actor got the role of Henry Neumann - a boxer of Jewish origin, who was locked in the freight car of a train bound for Auschwitz. Gideonâs brilliant play was the key to inviting him to Quentin Tarantino to participate in the movie Inglourious Basterds. Here, Corporal Wilhelm Wiki became the character of the German actor.
Among other projects in which he took part, it can be noted such as:
- Golden Times
- âMarch melodyâ;
- "YU";
- "Last hand movement";
- Magenta;
- "Sworn friends";
- âTwo men, two women - four problemsâ;
- "Necklace";
- "Scam";
- "Tunnel of death";
- "The father of my son";
- "Clarinet Solo" and others.
Last known works
After entering the screens of Inglourious Basterds, the actor began to constantly receive invitations to participate in various films. In particular, in 2009 he starred in the movie "Massel", which was shown on German television. Two years later, Burkhard moved to the Italian capital for filming in the local series âHunt for the King. Drugs. " Here he was assigned the role of Daniel Piazza - the inspector of the department dealing with drugs.
Personal life
For three years (1995 - 1998), Gideon lived and worked in the United States. Here he was not able to achieve any outstanding success in the cinema. It was during his American period of life that he married. This happened in 1996 in Las Vegas, and the local journalist Bridget Cunningham became the wife of the actor. However, this marriage was not destined to last long - four months after the wedding, Gideon Burkhard and his wife divorced. Subsequently, the name of the actor was associated with many more women, both in the USA and in Europe. However, not one of them managed to become his legal wife. On July 13, 2004, a model of Italian-German origin Filomenna Ianakone gave birth to a daughter, who is currently the only child of the actor, who, as of today, is still single.
Interesting Facts
Actor Gideon Burkhard has repeatedly admitted that as a child he dreamed of becoming a professional dancer. The guy was so captivated by the performances of Rudolf Nuriev that until the age of ten he intended to enter the Munich Ballet Academy. Even the parents initially decided not to interfere with their son in his pursuit and not to interfere in his fate. However, everything changed the first role in Aunt Mary.
Burkhard's manager, starting in the early days of his career, is Wolfgang's father.
In 2011, the actor took part in the entertaining television show "Dancing with the Stars," or rather, in its Italian version. Gideonâs stage partner here was the popular Italian dancer Samantha Toni. Along with this, in one of the rooms he even had to perform in tandem with the famous actress Laura Glavan. However, he failed to become the winner of this show.
According to the famous German publication Bild Zeitung, in August 1998, Gideon Burkhard (photos are presented to your attention) entered the top three âMost Erotic Germansâ. He was ahead of only the famous football player Oliver Bierhoff and Campino.
In addition to the aforementioned award presented to him as the best actor in the film in 1992, Gideon also received the award as the favorite hero of the series (it happened seven years later).
Currently, the actor independently educates his daughter.