Bruno Ganz, actor who played Adolf Hitler in German war drama Downfall, dies aged 77

Swiss actor Bruno Ganz, who played Adolf Hitler cooped up in his Berlin bunker in Downfall and an angel in Wim Wenders’ Wings of Desire, has died. He was 77. German news agency dpa reported that Ganz’s management said he died in Zurich on 16 February. BBC writes that it has been reported that Ganz had been diagnosed with colon cancer. [caption id=“attachment_6101941” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Bruno Ganz in a still from Downfall. Image from Twitter @WWIIpix[/caption] Downfall earned $92 million worldwide when it was released, according to BBC. Ganz, a prominent figure in the German-language theater world, shifted into movies in the 1970s, appearing in Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu and Wenders’ The American Friend among others. In one of his more recent appearances, he starred as Sigmund Freund in The Tobacconist, released last year. Berlin Mayor Michael Mueller said Ganz was “one of the greats” of the screen and stage. He said that “the death of Bruno Ganz is a great loss for the German-speaking theater and film world.” Guardian states that at the time of his death, the actor was a holder of the Iffland-Ring, which is passed to the German-speaking actor considered “most significant and worthy.” Ganz is survived by his son Daniel. (With inputs from The Associated Press)