Horst Buchholz

About this actor

Horst Werner Buchholz (4 December 1933 – 3 March 2003) was a German actor, best remembered by Americans for his part in The Magnificent Seven. He appeared in over sixty films during his acting career from 1952–2002. Buchholz was born in Berlin, the son of Maria Hasenkamp. He never knew his biological father but took the surname of his stepfather Hugo Buchholz, a shoemaker, who his mother married in 1938. In 1941 his half-sister Heidi was born. She gave him the nickname "Hotte" which he retained for the rest of his life. During World War II he was evacuated to Silesia and at the end of the war found himself in a foster home in Czechoslovakia. He returned to Berlin as soon as he could. He barely finished his schooling before seeking theatre work, first appearing on stage in 1949. He soon left his childhood home in East Berlin to work in West Berlin. He established himself in the theatre, notably the Schiller Theatre, and also on radio. He expanded into film after dubbing work, accepting...