Austrian actor Helmut Berger has died at the age of 78. One of the stars of European cinema in the 1960s and 1970s, he was renowned for playing narcisisstic and sexually-ambiguous characters.

The German-speaking cinema world mourned the passing of one of its past stars on Thursday, with news that Helmut Berger died in his sleep shortly before his 79th birthday.

It was in such films as “The Damned” (1969) and “Ludwig II” (1972) that Berger gained recognition for his striking looks and captivating presence on screen.

Who was Helmut Berger?

Born in the Austrian spa town of Bad Ischl in May 1944, Berger worked as a film extra in Rome before being discovered by Italian director Luchino Visconti.

Visconti, who later became Berger’s partner, gave him his first big acting role in 1967’s “The Witches.”

His collaboration with the Italian director is considered to be outstanding. Berger personified the breaking of sexual taboos in European cinema. He became known in particular for his portrayal of narcissistic and bisexual figures.

He played prominent roles in Visconti’s “The Damned” and “Ludwig II,” in which he portrayed an insane Bavarian king.

“Helmut Berger was one of the greatest and most talented actors European cinema had ever seen,” said Berger’s agent Helmut Werner, who announced Berger’s death on his website.

“His mentor, [Visconti], recognized this talent immediately. No other actor after him embodied the Bavarian fairy tale king as expressively.”

Visconti is often cited as having called Helmut Berger “the most beautiful man in the world.”

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