Offscreen Notes
Helmut Berger 1944-May 18, 2023
Sad to hear of the passing of Austrian born actor Helmut Berger, whose star shone most brightly as a muse (and longtime lover, apparently) of Luchino Visconti. Berger’s best and most internationally known films were the ones he made with the Italian aristocrat director Visconti: The Damned (1969), The Garden of Finzi-Continis (1970), Ludwig (1973), and Conversation Piece (1974). My favorite of his performances was as the titular character in Massimo Dallamano’s Dorian Gray (1970). Berger also starred in Duccio Tessari’s intriguing poliziotteschi-giallo hybrid The Bloodtained Butterfly (1971) and opposite Glenda Jackson and Michael Caine in Joseph Losey’s The Romantic Englishwoman (1975).
