Mario Adorf: Biography

Swiss actor Mario Adorf has played numerous character roles in European features and on German television. A physically imposing man, he is usually cast as a villain, but sometimes he also plays leading roles. A native of Zurich, Switzerland, Adorf learned his craft at the Falckenberg School in Munich, and during the late '50s, he was part of Kammerspiele-Munich. It was around that time that Adorf broke into films with a tiny role in 08/15. In 1957, Adorf had his breakthrough as a movie actor in Robert Siodmak's Nachts wenn der Teufel Kam (The Devil Strikes at Night). In the early '60s, Adorf moved to Rome. Though he worked steadily through the decade, Adorf did not really come to prominence until the establishment of German New Wave cinema, when he appeared in such major features as Die Verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum (The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum) (1975) and the Palm d'Or-winning Die Blechtrommel (The Tin Drum) (1979). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide