Hollywood has lost a legend today, with Austrian-born actor Maximilian Schell passing away at 83 years old.
While the actor’s film debut came opposite Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift in “The Young Lions,” it would be his performance in his second movie that would bring him worldwide attention. As the only actor brought over from the Playhouse 90 TV production of “Judgment At Nuremberg” to the feature film version directed by Stanley Kramer, Schell’s turn in the iconic film as the defense attorney landed him an Oscar win (he would be nominated twice more for “The Man In The Glass Booth” in 1975 and “Julia” in 1977) and from there, he didn’t look back.
The actor’s work, which spanned both feature films and television, found him appearing in a wide range of roles, including everything from “The Odessa File” and “Topkapi,” to “John Carpenter’s Vampires” and “Deep Impact,” to working with newer auteurs like Rian Johnson and James Gray, in films “The Brothers Bloom” and “Little Odessa” (respectively). His accolades (which are many) include the aforementioned Oscar nods, four Golden Globe nominations (winning for “Judgment At Nuremberg,” as well as for “Stalin” in 1992), two Emmy nominations and much more.
Having fled Austria as a young man with his family as Adolf Hitler rose to power and carving out a career which found him respected and beloved by his peers and audiences, he will be greatly missed. Watch Maximilian Schell accept his Oscar for “Judgment At Nuremberg” and his Golden Globe for “Stalin” below.