At age 13 Hardy became a member of the "Hitler Jugend" (Hitler Youth) as did all 13 year old German boys then. The purpose of the organization was to prepare the boys for military service. This should not somehow be held against him, however, as even the current Pope Benedict XVI was at one time a member. At age 15 Hardy made his film debut in a German picture ("The Young Eagles") but his acting c ...
show all At age 13 Hardy became a member of the "Hitler Jugend" (Hitler Youth) as did all 13 year old German boys then. The purpose of the organization was to prepare the boys for military service. This should not somehow be held against him, however, as even the current Pope Benedict XVI was at one time a member. At age 15 Hardy made his film debut in a German picture ("The Young Eagles") but his acting career was interrupted when he was drafted into the German Infantry in 1944 at age 16. Years later, Hardy related how he "hated that (Nazi) uniform." During the filming of "A Bridge Too Far" (1977) in which he portrayed a Nazi General, Hardy wore a topcoat over his SS uniform between takes so as "not to remind myself of my childhood in Germany during WWII." It is said that during his war years, Hardy was captured and taken as a POW by the Americans but managed to escape three times, the third time successfully! After the War Hardy returned to acting and eight years later was "discovered" by overseas film distributor J. Arthur Rank who promptly cast him in three British pictures practically filmed back-to-back: "The One That Got Away" (1957), "Bacelor of Hearts" (1958) and "Blind Date (1959) in which he appeared simply as a foreigner and not a German, as was usually the case. Following the release of these films Hardy's career took off. Despite anti-German sentiment still prevailing in postwar Europe, Hardy, described as "ruggedly handsome" and a "blond heart-throb", became an international favorite paving the way to his first American role as co-star with John Wayne in the action film "Hatari!" (1962). Filmed in Tanganyika, Hardy was so taken aback by the beauty of the land that he bought the film's location and built a small home for himself and a small bungalow hotel for tourists to see the animals. Hunting was forbidden on the property and later a cattle farm was formed with the meat being sold to the local hotels. Hardy described his home there as "a sort of African Walden where I can get away from the world from time to time." The business aspects of his property were shut down in 1979, however, due to political unrest. The country (now Tanzania) had closed its borders, effectively killing the tourism industry. Fluent in English, French and German Hardy found himself in much demand by British, French, American and German producers and became more selective in his scripts. "I'd rather sit out a picture than take a role I don't think is right for me" he would later say.
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