Person
Klaus Kinski
Klaus Kinski (German: [klaʊs ˈkɪnski]; born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski 18 October 1926 – 23 November 1991) was a German actor. Equally renowned for his intense performance style…
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Klaus Kinski (German: [klaʊs ˈkɪnski]; born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski 18 October 1926 – 23 November 1991) was a German actor. Equally renowned for his intense performance style and his notoriously eccentric and volatile personality off-screen, he appeared in over 130 film roles in a career that spanned 40 years, from 1948 to 1988. He is best known for starring in five films directed by Werner Herzog from 1972 to 1987 (Aguirre, the Wrath of God; Nosferatu the Vampyre; Woyzeck; Fitzcarraldo; and Cobra Verde), who would later chronicle their tumultuous relationship in the documentary My Best Fiend. Kinski's roles spanned multiple genres, languages, and nationalities, including Spaghetti Westerns, horror films, war films, dramas, and Edgar Wallace krimi films. His infamy was elevated by a number of eccentric creative endeavors, including a one-man show based on the life of Jesus Christ, a biopic of violinist Niccolò Paganini directed by and starring himself, and over twenty spoken word albums. Kinski was prone to emotional and often violent outbursts aimed at his directors and fellow cast members, issues complicated by a history of mental illness. Herzog described him as "one of the greatest actors of the century, but also a monster and a great pestilence." Posthumously, he was accused of having physically and sexually abused his daughters Pola and Nastassja. His notoriety and prolific output have developed into a widespread cult following and a reputation as a popular icon. Description above from the Wikipedia article Klaus Kinski, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Filmography
Movies and shows, newest first
- 2026
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2024
Othelo The Great
Movie Self (archive footage)
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2024
Gegen das Schweigen - Machtmissbrauch bei Theater und Film
Movie Self (archive footage)
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2022
Nosferatu: A Film Like a Vampire
Movie Self (archive footage)
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2021
Django & Django: Sergio Corbucci Unchained
Movie Self - Actor (archive footage)
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2021
The Extravagant Little Life of Jean-Claude D. Dreyfus
Movie Self (archive footage)
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2021
Hannelore Elsner: More Than One Life
Movie Self (archive footage)
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2020
AGFA Mystery Mixtape #2: Later in L.A.
Movie (archive footage)
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2020
The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault
Movie (archive footage)
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2019
Alain Delon, l'ombre au tableau
Movie Self (archive footage)
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2017
Filming Silenzio
Movie (archive footage)
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2016
FantastiCozzi
Movie Nosferatu (archive footage)
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2015
Fifty Shades of Erotica
Movie (archive footage)
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2014
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
Movie Self - Actor (archive footage) (uncredited)
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2014
Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann
Movie (archive footage)
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2010
In Free Fall
Movie Self (archive footage)
More credits
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2008
Jesus Christ Saviour
Movie Self
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2007
Beloved Count
Movie Renfield (archive footage)
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2005
The Spaghetti West
Movie Self (archive footage)
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2005
The Western World of Ferdinando Baldi
Movie Self (archive footage)
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2003
Kinski rigando Paganini
Movie Self
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2002
Whiteface
Movie (archive footage)
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2000
Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor
Movie Self (archive footage)
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1999
My Best Fiend
Movie Self (archive footage)
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1999
Please Kill Mr. Kinski
Movie Self (archive footage)
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1998
Sternstunde Kunst
TV show Self
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1995
Otto – The Series
TV show Verschiedene
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1991
Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook
Movie Renfield (archive footage)
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1990
Paganini
Movie Niccolo Paganini
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1990
White Hunter
Movie Klaus Naginsky
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1988
Nosferatu in Venice
Movie Nosferatu
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1987
Cobra Verde
Movie Francisco Manoel da Silva aka Cobra Verde
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1987
Timestalkers
Movie Dr. Joseph Cole
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1987
Location Africa
Movie Self
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1986
Crawlspace
Movie Karl Gunther
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1986
Portrait: Werner Herzog
Movie Self (archive footage)
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1986
Revenge of the Stolen Stars
Movie Donald McBride
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1985
Star Knight
Movie Boetius
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1985
Commando Leopard
Movie Silveira
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1985
Creature
Movie Hans Rudy Hofner
