Helmut Berger (1944-2023)

Austrian actor Helmut Berger passed away last week at the age of 78. Berger’s acting career was especially defined by his long collaboration with Italian director Luchino Visconti, with whom he also shared a romantic companionship. Their collaboration resulted in films like La caduta degli dei (Götterdämmerung) [The Damned] (1969) and Ludwig (1973), where Berger portrayed complex male characters with enigmatic sexualities. Their last collaboration came in 1974 with Gruppo di famiglia in un interno [Conversation Piece], shortly before Visconti’s death in 1976. Berger continued acting until 2019.