Ten years without Winnetou: Pierre Brice's legacy lives on!

Ten years without Winnetou: Pierre Brice's legacy lives on!

Gräfelfing, Deutschland - On June 6, 2015, Pierre Brice, known as Winnetou, died in the legendary apache chief in the Karl May films. Brice was born on February 6, 1929 in Brest, France, when Pierre Louis Baron Le Bris and came from an old family of nobility. His father was a naval officer, and at the age of 15 he joined the Résistance during the Second World War. After the war, he served in the army, where he proved himself as a frog man and paratrooper in the Indochina War. Despite this heroic past, he was not celebrated as a hero in 1951 and then started a career in acting.

his breakthrough came in 1962 when he was selected by producer Horst Wendlandt for the role of the Winnetou in "The Treasure in the Silver Lake". Initially skeptical about this role, Pierre Brice quickly developed into a crowd favorite and has been one of the most important actors in Germany since then. From 1962 to 1968 he participated in a total of eleven Karl May films, including on the side of Lex Barker, which made him an idol of an entire generation. [Gala] reports that his film death in "Winnetou III" in 1965 triggered a wave of mass protests.

commitment and awards

Brice campaigned for values ​​such as peace, freedom, tolerance and human dignity for everyday life and was particularly committed to victims of war and nature conservation. He received numerous awards, including the first class Federal Cross of Merit and the Knight of the Legion of Honor. He also made a name for himself as a UNICEF ambassador by entering the rights of the Native of America. The "Rainbow Man" award, which was awarded to him by the Winnebago Indians, is particularly worth mentioning. [The first] emphasizes that Pierre Brice is considered a cultural legend, the values ​​of which will continue after his death.

After his successful film career, Brice did not completely withdraw from the public. From 1976 to 1986 he was again active at the Karl May Festival in Elspe. His acting career also included numerous appearances in Italy and Spain, where he participated in various films. In 2004 he published his autobiography “Winnetou and I”, which offers insights into his life and career.

life and death

Pierre Brice lived with his wife Hella Krekel in France for many years, planned a move to Bavaria, which was no longer realized. In 2015 he died of pneumonia at the age of 86. His funeral took place on June 19, 2015 at the cemetery in Gräfelfing, near Munich, and his grave contains a memorial cross for his parents -in -law. [Wikipedia] documents his life and his legacies comprehensively and shows that Brice's influence in German film history remains undeniable.