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Anton Diffring (born Anton de Vient; October 20, 1918 – May 20, 1989) was a German actor who made a film career in Britain after 1950.

Diffring was born in Koblenz. He was best known in the English-speaking world for his portrayal of German officers, and mainly similarly sinister roles, in films such as Where Eagles Dare (1968) and The Heroes of Telemark (1965). He also starred in the film Operation Daybreak as the SS officer Reinhard Heydrich. He starred in the horror films The Man Who Could Cheat Death and Circus of Horrors. He also worked in quite a number of international films, such as Fahrenheit 451 directed by François Truffaut. His final performance was again as a Nazi character, for the BBC in the 1988 Doctor Who serial Silver Nemesis, in which he agreed to appear because the recording coincided with the Wimbledon Championships which he wanted to watch. Diffring worked up until the time of his death before finally succumbing to cancer. He died in his home at Chateauneuf-de-Grasse in the south of France.

References

• Brian McFarlane, The Encyclopedia of British Film, Methuen, 2003.

External links

• Anton Diffring at the Internet Movie Database