Horst Buchholz did not reach his ultimate level of stardom easily. He got to his prominent position in a very traditional sense – first by starring locally in stage productions, then by moving up the ladder through voice dubbing, local movies, and eventually being offered international movie roles. Through all of these things, Horst not only managed to secure his place in German cinema, but he was also able to have a lasting impact on his hometown of Berlin.
First, Horst Buchholz owes his start to the local theaters of Berlin. He starred in productions in the prominent Tribune Theater, the Schiller Theater, and the Castle Park Theater after dropping out of school. Because these were reputable theaters in the city, he began to build up a local reputation amongst Berlin theatergoers. Meanwhile, the booming film industry of the time period allowed him to work as a voice-dubbing actor, which financed his acting lessons and other acting pursuits. From the beginning, voice dubbing was an integral part of Horst’s career even after he started to take on actual film roles. Voice dubbing became a huge industry in Germany during that period, so it only made sense for Horst to begin there. It is estimated that by the end of his career, Horst had been a part of voice dubbing for over 1,000 films. The last film that he dubbed was the Disney animated picture Mulan, in which he played the Emperor. Voice dubbing also set Horst up to succeed internationally as an actor because it helped him become proficient in six different languages: German, English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Russian. Consequently, this also made Horst a good representative of Berlin since the city has such a large immigrant population. Even at the time of Horst’s career, Berlin was becoming an international hub. Horst’s ability to work in several different languages was necessary for the city itself because so many people from different backgrounds came together in the location. His talent allowed movies to be understood by all types of people in the city and was extremely reflective of how Berlin was changing and becoming more diverse.
Eventually, Horst went on to act in feature films. He owed this transition to local theater and film in his hometown of Berlin. His first role was an extra in a local film called The Trail Leads to Berlin. Following this, he landed a starring role in Sky Without Stars, for which he won his first award – the 1956 German Film Prize known as the “sliver film strip.” After his local success, he was picked up for international films. First, he starred in a British film called Tiger Bay (1959) where he played a Polish seaman who commits a murder. His best-known works as an actor in Hollywood are The Magnificent Seven (1960) and One, Two, Three (1961). The first was a western film in which Horst played Chico – one of a gang of seven American gunfighters who were meant to protect a Mexican village from bandits. It was a very successful film, and today it is even preserved in the Library of Congress. One, Two, Three was a Hollywood production, but it was actually set in Cold War era Berlin, Germany. This was perfect for Horst because he could bring his knowledge of the city into his role in the film.
Although these movies did very well and Horst began to gain popularity over seas, his rise to fame plateaued after he had to reject several big roles in American films due to scheduling conflicts. The biggest role that he turned down was Tony in West Side Story, which could have made him an extremely well known celebrity in the United States. It is not confirmed, but there were rumors that he dealt with anorexia and alcoholism, which could have further prevented him from taking on these bigger roles. Although he did not work as much in Hollywood, he still was active in the film industry. He predominately went back to work in German movies such as But Johnny (1973) and he also did some work in German television. However, he went back to more and more theater roles after one of the programs he was in, Astro-Show (1981), flopped. His last time on the screen was in Dr. Lessing’s work called A Beautiful Life (1997).
When he died in 2003, it became extremely evident just how much of an impact he had on the German film industry. Simply being compared to great actors like James Dean gave him a wonderful reputation worldwide. His work also represented Berlin in a positive light. Because he was such an international icon, Horst was able to showcase the talent that Berlin offered to the world’s film industry. His fame helped to foster Berlin’s reputation for quality movies and gave the people of his city a star to watch for on the silver screen.