Published: July 31, 2006
Kurt Kreuger, a German-born actor who reluctantly played Nazi soldiers in many films about World War II, died July 12 in Beverly Hills, Calif. He was 89.
Kurt Kreuger in the 1945 film
“Paris Underground.”
Mr. Kreuger played German soldiers and Nazi officers in movies like “Hotel Berlin,” “Paris Underground” and “Sahara,” a 1943 production starring Humphrey Bogart, which was nominated for three Academy Awards. After the war he continued to play German soldiers and other types of movie villains.
He often felt typecast and encountered resistance from studio executives when he asked to play other types of characters, Ms. Riehman said. This prompted him to move to Europe, where among his projects was an Italian movie, “La Paura,” with Ingrid Bergman.
Mr. Kreuger returned to Hollywood in another World War II film, “The Enemy Below,” in 1957. He was also a guest star on many television series, including “Get Smart,” “77 Sunset Strip” and “Perry Mason.”
Kurt Kreuger was born in Michendorf, Germany, in 1916 and was raised in Switzerland. By the 1970’s he had largely retired from acting to concentrate on a career in real estate.
No immediate family members survive.
Copyright 2006 The New York Times