Actor
Klaus Kinski
Born 18 October 1926 — died 23 November 1991
Klaus Kinski (1926–1991) was a German actor who appeared in over 130 films across genres, from Spaghetti Westerns to horror and drama. He is best remembered for five intense collaborations with director Werner Herzog. His volatile off-screen behaviour became as famous as his performances.
Key films
Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)
His first film with Werner Herzog, with Kinski as the obsessed conquistador; widely seen as his defining performance.
Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
Herzog's remake of the vampire classic, with Kinski as a melancholy, haunted Count Dracula.
Fitzcarraldo (1982)
Herzog's famously troubled jungle production, with Kinski as the opera-loving dreamer hauling a steamship over a mountain.
For a Few Dollars More (1965)
An early international hit in which he played a memorable villain in Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Western.
My Best Fiend (1999)
Herzog's documentary on his stormy relationship with Kinski, revealing both the actor's genius and volatility.
Key awards
No major awards are documented here.
On Cinespective
Full filmography · 166
- 1948Morituri · as Dutch prisonerActor
- 1951Decision Before Dawn · as Whining Soldier (uncredited)Actor
- 1954Fear · as Cabaret Performer (uncredited)Actor
- 1955Ludwig II · as Prince Otto von BayernActor
- 1955Children, Mother, and the General · as Leutnant, der nicht mehr lachtActor
- 1955Sarajevo · as Nedeljko ČabrinovićActor
- 1955Hanussen · as Erik von Spazier / MirkoActor
- 1956Corinna Darling · as Klaus BrockmannActor
- 1956Waldwinter · as Otto HartwigActor
- 1958A Time to Love and a Time to Die · as Gestapo LieutenantActor
- 1960The Avenger · as Lorenz VossActor
- 1961Dead Eyes of London · as Edgar StraussActor
- 1961The Devil's Daffodil · as Peter KeeneActor
- 1961The Strange Countess · as BressetActor
- 1961Bankraub in der Rue Latour · as Bex, AutorActor
- 1961Die Kurve · as AntonActor
- 1962The Counterfeit Traitor · as KindlerActor
- 1962The Inn on the River · as Gregor GubanowActor
- 1962The Door with Seven Locks · as PheenyActor
- 1962The Secret of the Red Orchid · as SteveActor
- 1962The Red Pastures · as MartinActor
- 1963The Squeaker · as KrishnaActor
- 1963The Indian Scarf · as Peter RossActor
- 1963The Black Abbot · as Thomas FortunaActor
- 1963Scotland Yard Hunts Dr. Mabuse · as Inspector Joe WrightActor
- 1963Piccadilly Zero Hour 12 · as WhiteyActor
- 1963The Secret of the Black Widow · as BoydActor
- 1963The Mystery of the Indian TempleActor
- 1963Kali-Yug, Goddess of Vengeance · as SaddhuActor
- 1963The Black Cobra · as Koks-CharleyActor
- 1963Die Mondvögel · as ValentinActor
- 1964Last of the Renegades · as David "Luke" LucasActor
- 1964Traitor's Gate · as KaneActor
- 1964The Curse of the Hidden Vault · as GeorgeActor
- 1964Mark of the Tortoise · as ShapiroActor
- 1964Secret of the Chinese Carnation · as SperanzoActor
- 1964The Last Ride to Santa Cruz · as JoseActor
- 1965For a Few Dollars More · as Juan Wild - The HunchbackActor
- 1965Doctor Zhivago · as Kostoyed AmourskiActor
- 1965Again the Ringer · as EdwardsActor
- 1965That Man in Istanbul · as SchenckActor
- 1965The Pleasure Girls · as Nikko StalmarActor
- 1965The Dirty Game · as Russian AgentActor
- 1966Circus of Fear · as ManfredActor
- 1966Our Man in Marrakesh · as JonquilActor
- 1966Target for Killing · as CaporettiActor
- 1966Where Are You Taking That Woman · as Gomez (Rio segment)Actor
- 1967A Bullet for the General · as El SantoActor
- 1967Grand Slam · as Erich WeissActor
- 1967The Million Eyes of Sumuru · as President BoongActor
- 1967Creature with the Blue Hand · as Dave Emerson / Richard EmersonActor
- 1967Man, Pride and Vengeance · as Lt. Miguel GarciaActor
- 1967Five Golden Dragons · as GertActor
- 1968The Great Silence · as TigreroActor
- 1968If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death · as MorganActor
- 1968Coplan Saves His Skin · as ThelerActor
- 1968The Ruthless Four · as Brent il BiondoActor
- 1968Twice a Judas · as DingusActor
- 1968The Bastard · as AdamActor
- 1968The Vatican Affair · as Clint RogersActor
- 1968Western, Italian Style · as SelfActor
- 1968Psychopath · as PeriwinkleActor
- 1969Marquis de Sade: Justine · as Marquis De SadeActor
- 1969Venus in Furs · as Ahmed KortobawiActor
- 1969Double Face · as John AlexanderActor
- 1969I Am Sartana Your Angel of Death · as Chadeau / Holden / Hot DeadActor
- 1969Five for Hell · as SS Col. Hans MuellerActor
- 1969Salt in the Wound · as Cpl. Brian Haskins / Norman CarrActor
- 1969Gangster's Law · as QuinteroActor
- 1970Count Dracula · as RenfieldActor
- 1970And God Said to Cain · as Gary HamiltonActor
- 1970Churchill's Leopards · as Captain HoltzActor
- 1970The Beast · as Johnny LasterActor
- 1970How Did a Nice Girl Like You Get Into This Business? · as Juan José Ignatio Rodriguez de Calderon / 'Sam'Actor
- 1970Only the Cool · as Pavel Richko / Torpédo IActor
- 1970The Night of the Assassin · as EvagorasActor
- 1971Slaughter Hotel · as Dr. Francis ClayActor
- 1971Web of the Spider · as Edgar Allan PoeActor
- 1971Black Killer · as James Webb / Black KillerActor
- 1971Shoot the Living and Pray for the Dead · as Dan HoganActor
- 1971His Name Was King · as Brian FosterActor
- 1971Coffin Full of Dollars · as Dan Hagen / SlanderActor
- 1971Vengeance Is a Dish Served Cold · as Virgil PrescottActor
- 1971The Price of Death · as Chester Conway / RayActor
- 1971Eye of the Spider · as Hans FischerActor
- 1971Adios Compañeros · as Reverend CottonActor
- 1972Aguirre, the Wrath of God · as Don Lope de AguirreActor
- 1972A Noose Is Waiting for You Trinity · as ScottActor
- 1973Death Smiles on a Murderer · as Dr. SturgesActor
- 1973The Fighting Fist of Shanghai Joe · as Scalper JackActor
- 1973The Bloody Hands of the Law · as Vito QuattroniActor
- 1974The Hand That Feeds the Dead · as Prof. NijinskiActor
- 1974Heroes in Hell · as Gen. KaufmannActor
- 1974Lover of the Monster · as Dr. Alex NijinskiActor
- 1975A Genius, Two Friends, and an Idiot · as Doc FosterActor
- 1975That Most Important Thing: Love · as Karl-Heinz ZimmerActor
- 1975Footprints on the Moon · as Professor BlackmannActor
- 1975Lifespan · as Nicholas UlrichActor
- 1975Return of Shanghai Joe · as Pat BarnesActor
- 1975The Net · as Emilio BossiActor
- 1976Jack the Ripper · as Dr. Dennis Orloff / Jack the RipperActor
- 1976Golden Night · as Michel FournierActor
- 1977Death of a Corrupt Man · as Nicolas TomskiActor
- 1977Madame Claude · as Alexander ZakisActor
- 1977Operation Thunderbolt · as Wilfried BoeseActor
- 1978The Song of Roland · as Roland / KlausActor
- 1979Nosferatu the Vampyre · as Count DraculaActor
- 1979Woyzeck · as Friedrich Johann Franz WoyzeckActor
- 1979Zoo zéro · as Yavé, le directeur du zooActor
- 1979The Making of 'Nosferatu' · as SelfActor
- 1979I Am My Films: A Portrait of Werner Herzog · as VoiceActor
- 1980Schizoid · as Dr. Pieter FalesActor
- 1980Haine · as Le motardActor
- 1980The Child Woman · as MarcelActor
- 1981Buddy Buddy · as Dr. Hugo ZuckerbrotActor
- 1981Venom · as Jacques Müller (Jacmel)Actor
- 1981Fruits of Passion · as Sir StephenActor
- 1981Love & Money · as Frederic StockheinzActor
- 1982Fitzcarraldo · as FitzcarraldoActor
- 1982Burden of Dreams · as Self - ActorActor
- 1982Android · as Dr. DanielActor
- 1982The Soldier · as DrachaActor
- 1983Diary · as (archive footage)Actor
- 1984The Little Drummer Girl · as Martin KurtzActor
- 1984Code Name: Wild Geese · as CharletonActor
- 1984The Secret Diary of Sigmund Freud · as Dr. Max BauerActor
- 1984Beauty and the Beast · as BeastActor
- 1985Creature · as Hans Rudy HofnerActor
- 1985Star Knight · as BoetiusActor
- 1985Commando Leopard · as SilveiraActor
- 1986Crawlspace · as Karl GuntherActor
- 1986Portrait: Werner Herzog · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 1986Revenge of the Stolen Stars · as Donald McBrideActor
- 1987Cobra Verde · as Francisco Manoel da Silva aka Cobra VerdeActor
- 1987Timestalkers · as Dr. Joseph ColeActor
- 1987Location Africa · as SelfActor
- 1988Nosferatu in Venice · as NosferatuActor
- 1990PaganiniDirector
- 1990Paganini · as Niccolo PaganiniActor
- 1990White Hunter · as Klaus NaginskyActor
- 1991Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook · as Renfield (archive footage)Actor
- 1999My Best Fiend · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 1999Please Kill Mr. Kinski · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2000Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2002Whiteface · as (archive footage)Actor
- 2003Kinski rigando Paganini · as SelfActor
- 2005The Spaghetti West · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2005The Western World of Ferdinando Baldi · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2007Beloved Count · as Renfield (archive footage)Actor
- 2008Jesus Christ Saviour · as SelfActor
- 2010In Free Fall · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2014Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films · as Self - Actor (archive footage) (uncredited)Actor
- 2014Peter Baumgartner, Filmkameramann · as (archive footage)Actor
- 2015Fifty Shades of Erotica · as (archive footage)Actor
- 2016FantastiCozzi · as Nosferatu (archive footage)Actor
- 2017Filming Silenzio · as (archive footage)Actor
- 2019Alain Delon, l'ombre au tableau · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2020The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault · as (archive footage)Actor
- 2020AGFA Mystery Mixtape #2: Later in L.A. · as (archive footage)Actor
- 2021Django & Django: Sergio Corbucci Unchained · as Self - Actor (archive footage)Actor
- 2021The Extravagant Little Life of Jean-Claude D. Dreyfus · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2021Hannelore Elsner: More Than One Life · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2022Nosferatu: A Film Like a Vampire · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2024Gegen das Schweigen - Machtmissbrauch bei Theater und Film · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2024Othelo The Great · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2026Al borde del abismo: la aventura peruana de Werner HerzogActor
Filmography data from TMDB. The profile text is a draft written for Cinespective.