Final curtain for Paul Hubschmid

The Swiss-born actor died of a lung disease on New Year's Day Keystone

The Swiss-born actor Paul Hubschmid died on New Year's Day after having suffered from a serious illness.

Hubschmid, who was widely considered “the best looking man of German post-war films”, succumbed to lung disease in a hospital in Berlin.

Son of a journalist mother and businessman father, Hubschmid was born on July 20, 1917 in Schönenwerd in canton Aargau. At the age of 20 he left his hometown to attend acting school in the Austrian capital Vienna.

He started his acting career in 1938, when he made his movie debut in the Swiss production “Fusilier Wipf”, which earned him recognition in his home country.

In 1948 he left for Hollywood, where he starred under the pseudonym “Paul Christian” in little-known films, such as “Bagdad” with Maureen O’Hara and “The Thief of Venice”.

He landed his first big international success in 1959, when he starred alongside Debra Paget in Fritz Lang’s production “The Tiger of Eschnapur” and as agent Johnny Vulkan in “Funeral in Berlin”.

However, his biggest personal achievement was his part as Professor Higgins in “My Fair Lady”, which he played more than 2,000 times in the “Theater des Westens” in Berlin.

Hubschmid acted in more than 120 films and is survived by his third wife, the Swiss actress Irene Schiesser.

swissinfo with agencies