Actor/director/producer Helmut Dantine was born in Vienna, Austria on October 7, 1917. He made a name for himself as an actor during World War Two playing German soldiers and Nazi villains in Hollywood films, most notably in _Mrs. Miniver in both of which,he had small supporting roles. Helmut Dantine died on May 2, 1982, at age 63, in Beverly Hills after suffering a massive heart attack. His body was interred at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California.
His father was the head of the Austrian railway system.
Before 1938 he was the leader of an anti-Nazi youth movement in Vienna. When the Germans took over, he was put in a concentration camp for 3 months, after which his parents quickly sent him to live with an American friend. They later died in a concentration camp.
His interview on Mutual Broadcasting Network was interrupted when Nazi Germany surrendered.
Making fun of the actors name in the 1940s, a popular joke was to say that "Helmut Dantine" was a German phrase meaning "You have chewing gum on your hat." Dentyne was, and still is, a popular American brand of chewing gum.
Son with Wrightsman: Dana Wrightsman Dantine (b. July 17, 1948).
Sam Peckinpah dedicated his last film, "The Osterman Weekend", to Dantine; it appeared the year after the actors death.
