Klaus Kinski
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- October 18, 1926
- Died
- November 23, 1991
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
Al borde del abismo: la aventura peruana de Werner Herzog 2026
Actor
Othelo The Great 2024
as Self (archive footage)
Gegen das Schweigen - Machtmissbrauch bei Theater und Film 2024
as Self (archive footage)
Nosferatu: A Film Like a Vampire 2022
as Self (archive footage)
Django & Django: Sergio Corbucci Unchained 2021
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
The Extravagant Little Life of Jean-Claude D. Dreyfus 2021
as Self (archive footage)
Hannelore Elsner: More Than One Life 2021
as Self (archive footage)
AGFA Mystery Mixtape #2: Later in L.A. 2020
as (archive footage)
The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault 2020
as (archive footage)
Alain Delon, l'ombre au tableau 2019
as Self (archive footage)
- Filming Silenzio
Filming Silenzio 2017
as (archive footage)
FantastiCozzi 2016
as Nosferatu (archive footage)
Fifty Shades of Erotica 2015
as (archive footage)
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films 2014
as Self - Actor (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann
Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann 2014
as (archive footage)
In Free Fall 2010
as Self (archive footage)
Jesus Christ Saviour 2008
as Self, Writer
- Beloved Count
Beloved Count 2007
as Renfield (archive footage)
The Spaghetti West 2005
as Self (archive footage)
- The Western World of Ferdinando Baldi
The Western World of Ferdinando Baldi 2005
as Self (archive footage)
- Kinski rigando Paganini
Kinski rigando Paganini 2003
as Self
Whiteface 2002
as (archive footage)
Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor 2000
as Self (archive footage)
My Best Fiend 1999
as Self (archive footage)
- Please Kill Mr. Kinski
Please Kill Mr. Kinski 1999
as Self (archive footage)
Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook 1991
as Renfield (archive footage)
Paganini 1990
as Niccolo Paganini, Director, Writer, Editor, Story, Screenplay
White Hunter 1990
as Klaus Naginsky
Nosferatu in Venice 1988
as Nosferatu
Cobra Verde 1987
as Francisco Manoel da Silva aka Cobra Verde
Timestalkers 1987
as Dr. Joseph Cole
Location Africa 1987
as Self
Crawlspace 1986
as Karl Gunther
Portrait: Werner Herzog 1986
as Self (archive footage)
Revenge of the Stolen Stars 1986
as Donald McBride
Star Knight 1985
as Boetius
Commando Leopard 1985
as Silveira
Creature 1985
as Hans Rudy Hofner
The Little Drummer Girl 1984
as Martin Kurtz
Code Name: Wild Geese 1984
as Charleton
Beauty and the Beast 1984
as Beast
The Secret Diary of Sigmund Freud 1984
as Dr. Max Bauer
Diary 1983
as (archive footage)
Android 1982
as Dr. Daniel
Burden of Dreams 1982
as Self - Actor
The Soldier 1982
as Dracha
Fitzcarraldo 1982
as Fitzcarraldo
Venom 1981
as Jacques Müller (Jacmel)
Love & Money 1981
as Frederic Stockheinz
Fruits of Passion 1981
as Sir Stephen
Buddy Buddy 1981
as Dr. Hugo Zuckerbrot
The Child Woman 1980
as Marcel
Schizoid 1980
as Dr. Pieter Fales
Haine 1980
as Le motard
The Making of 'Nosferatu' 1979
as Self
Woyzeck 1979
as Friedrich Johann Franz Woyzeck
Zoo zéro 1979
as Yavé, le directeur du zoo
I Am My Films: A Portrait of Werner Herzog 1979
as Voice
Nosferatu the Vampyre 1979
as Count Dracula
The Song of Roland 1978
as Roland / Klaus
Death of a Corrupt Man 1977
as Nicolas Tomski
Operation Thunderbolt 1977
as Wilfried Boese
Madame Claude 1977
as Alexander Zakis
Golden Night 1976
as Michel Fournier
Jack the Ripper 1976
as Dr. Dennis Orloff / Jack the Ripper
The Net 1975
as Emilio Bossi
A Genius, Two Friends, and an Idiot 1975
as Doc Foster
Lifespan 1975
as Nicholas Ulrich
Return of Shanghai Joe 1975
as Pat Barnes
That Most Important Thing: Love 1975
as Karl-Heinz Zimmer
Footprints on the Moon 1975
as Professor Blackmann
Heroes in Hell 1974
as Gen. Kaufmann
Lover of the Monster 1974
as Dr. Alex Nijinski
The Hand That Feeds the Dead 1974
as Prof. Nijinski
The Fighting Fist of Shanghai Joe 1973
as Scalper Jack
Death Smiles on a Murderer 1973
as Dr. Sturges
The Bloody Hands of the Law 1973
as Vito Quattroni
Aguirre, the Wrath of God 1972
as Don Lope de Aguirre
A Noose Is Waiting for You Trinity 1972
as Scott
Black Killer 1971
as James Webb / Black Killer
Eye of the Spider 1971
as Hans Fischer
The Price of Death 1971
as Chester Conway / Ray
Web of the Spider 1971
as Edgar Allan Poe
Vengeance Is a Dish Served Cold 1971
as Virgil Prescott
Shoot the Living and Pray for the Dead 1971
as Dan Hogan
Slaughter Hotel 1971
as Dr. Francis Clay
His Name Was King 1971
as Brian Foster
Adios Compañeros 1971
as Reverend Cotton
Coffin Full of Dollars 1971
as Dan Hagen / Slander
The Beast 1970
as Johnny Laster
Churchill's Leopards 1970
as Captain Holtz
The Night of the Assassin 1970
as Evagoras
Only the Cool 1970
as Pavel Richko / Torpédo I
Count Dracula 1970
as Renfield
And God Said to Cain 1970
as Gary Hamilton
How Did a Nice Girl Like You Get Into This Business? 1970
as Juan José Ignatio Rodriguez de Calderon / 'Sam'
I Am Sartana Your Angel of Death 1969
as Chadeau / Holden / Hot Dead
Venus in Furs 1969
as Ahmed Kortobawi
Salt in the Wound 1969
as Cpl. Brian Haskins / Norman Carr
Gangster's Law 1969
as Quintero
Double Face 1969
as John Alexander
Marquis de Sade: Justine 1969
as Marquis De Sade
Five for Hell 1969
as SS Col. Hans Mueller
The Great Silence 1968
as Tigrero
The Bastard 1968
as Adam
The Vatican Affair 1968
as Clint Rogers
Twice a Judas 1968
as Dingus
If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death 1968
as Morgan
Coplan Saves His Skin 1968
as Theler
Psychopath 1968
as Periwinkle
The Ruthless Four 1968
as Brent il Biondo
Western, Italian Style 1968
as Self
Man, Pride and Vengeance 1967
as Lt. Miguel Garcia
Grand Slam 1967
as Erich Weiss
Five Golden Dragons 1967
as Gert
The Million Eyes of Sumuru 1967
as President Boong
Creature with the Blue Hand 1967
as Dave Emerson / Richard Emerson
A Bullet for the General 1967
as El Santo
Target for Killing 1966
as Caporetti
Where Are You Taking That Woman 1966
as Gomez (Rio segment)
Our Man in Marrakesh 1966
as Jonquil
Circus of Fear 1966
as Manfred
Doctor Zhivago 1965
as Kostoyed Amourski
For a Few Dollars More 1965
as Juan Wild - The Hunchback
That Man in Istanbul 1965
as Schenck
The Dirty Game 1965
as Russian Agent
Again the Ringer 1965
as Edwards
The Pleasure Girls 1965
as Nikko Stalmar
Traitor's Gate 1964
as Kane
Secret of the Chinese Carnation 1964
as Speranzo
Last of the Renegades 1964
as David "Luke" Lucas
The Curse of the Hidden Vault 1964
as George
Mark of the Tortoise 1964
as Shapiro
The Last Ride to Santa Cruz 1964
as Jose
Piccadilly Zero Hour 12 1963
as Whitey
The Secret of the Black Widow 1963
as Boyd
The Mystery of the Indian Temple 1963
Actor
Kali-Yug, Goddess of Vengeance 1963
as Saddhu
Scotland Yard Hunts Dr. Mabuse 1963
as Inspector Joe Wright
The Indian Scarf 1963
as Peter Ross
The Black Abbot 1963
as Thomas Fortuna
The Black Cobra 1963
as Koks-Charley
The Squeaker 1963
as Krishna
- Die Mondvögel
Die Mondvögel 1963
as Valentin
The Inn on the River 1962
as Gregor Gubanow
The Door with Seven Locks 1962
as Pheeny
The Red Pastures 1962
as Martin
The Counterfeit Traitor 1962
as Kindler
The Secret of the Red Orchid 1962
as Steve
The Strange Countess 1961
as Bresset
- Die Kurve
Die Kurve 1961
as Anton
Bankraub in der Rue Latour 1961
as Bex, Autor
The Devil's Daffodil 1961
as Peter Keene
Dead Eyes of London 1961
as Edgar Strauss
The Avenger 1960
as Lorenz Voss
A Time to Love and a Time to Die 1958
as Gestapo Lieutenant
Corinna Darling 1956
as Klaus Brockmann
Waldwinter 1956
as Otto Hartwig
Hanussen 1955
as Erik von Spazier / Mirko
Sarajevo 1955
as Nedeljko Čabrinović
Children, Mother, and the General 1955
as Leutnant, der nicht mehr lacht
Ludwig II 1955
as Prince Otto von Bayern
Fear 1954
as Cabaret Performer (uncredited)
Decision Before Dawn 1951
as Whining Soldier (uncredited)
Morituri 1948
as Dutch prisoner
Credits from TMDB.