Фредерик Стаффорд: Чехословакиялық актердің өмірі мен мансабы

Czechoslovak born actor (1928 1979)

Frederick Stafford (11 March 1928 – 28 July 1979) was a Czechoslovak born actor. Born Friedrich Strobel von Stein, he spoke fluent Czech, German, English, French and Italian, and was a leading man in European spy movies and in Alfred Hitchcock's Topaz.

By some accounts, Stafford claimed to have played water polo at the 1948 Summer Olympics. He was the son of a Slovak factory owner. He studied chemistry and spent time in Switzerland. He was worried about the Russians taking over Czechoslovakia and in 1948 decided to leave. It would take too long to move to the US or Canada so he went to Australia in 1949. While there he changed his name to "Frederick Stafford". "I always liked the name," he later said. He qualified as a doctor of chemistry after university in Sydney and Perth. By 1962 he was a regional manager for Bristol Meyers headquartered in Hong Kong. He travelled for them in the Middle East and Far East. Two years later in Bangkok he met a German actress Marianne Hold and married her seven days later. "Getting into a different industry didn't have a big effect on me," said Stafford later. "I don't think it made a difference because I didn't get into business at an early age when a man is still being formed I don't know if there is such a thing as luck Maybe in a lottery but you have to get out and buy the ticket first." Universal signed him to a non exclusive contract for seven years. In the role of the secret agent, he led an ensemble of first rate European actors who were his film partners in a very complex role: Dany Robin was his wife, Claude Jade played his daughter, Michel Subor as his son in law, Michel Piccoli and Philippe Noiret were the spies he had to expose and Karin Dor played the role of the Cuban mistress. His contractor was played by the American John Forsythe. The film was not a success. The casting of Stafford, whose performance was found lacking by critics, was largely blamed for its failure. Channel4 claimed, "Heading the international cast is a very wooden Stafford, who is no Cary Grant." He made Eagles Over London (1969) with Van Johnson. In March 1970 Stafford claimed that Harry Saltzman wanted him to play James Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service but he was unable to accept due to his commitment to make Topaz. He said "although at first I thought no one could take over from Sean. But after seeing the latest Bond film I know I can." He added "I certainly didn't realise this film business would keep my interest like it has. It is a real change from chemistry, and at present I can't see myself going back to that."

He made a comeback in 1972 as Commissario Luca Micelli in the Italian Giallo Shadows Unseen. Five years after Topaz, he starred with French actress Claude Jade (who had played his daughter in Topaz) in the Italian thriller Special Killers (1973). In that movie, Stafford's character has a brief platonic romance with Jade's character despite a 20 year age difference. His last successes were the Spanish Movies Metti che ti rompo il muso (1975) and White Horses of Summer (1975, starring Jean Seberg, his co star from 1966 Estouffade à la Caraïbe), the Italian thriller Werewolf Woman (1976) and the Spanish Italian French coproduction Hold Up (1977). He also made La trastienda and Sfida sul fondo. In 1977 Stafford returned to Australia after 15 years. He announced he intended to make four films in Australia including one about the pyjama girl murder; Our Man in Sydney, a detective thriller, and Andamooka, about life on the Australian opal fields.

He married German actress Marianne Hold whom he met whilst both of them were in Bangkok. His son is the singer Roderick Stafford, who was born in 1964.

Stafford died in 1979 in a collision of two aircraft above Lake Sarnen, Switzerland. A Morane Saulnier Rallye piloted by Czech born Pavel Krahulec, M. D., and in which Stafford was a passenger collided with a Piper aircraft, piloted by businessman Alois Fischer of Thoune, Switzerland.

Year Title Roles Director co starring Notes1965OSS 117 Mission for a KillerHubert Bonnisseur de la Bath, alias OSS 117André HunebelleMylène Demongeot, Raymond Pellegrin1966Agent 505: Death Trap in BeirutRichard Blake / Agent 505Manfred R. KöhlerGeneviève Cluny, Harald Leipnitz, Willy BirgelAtout coeur à Tokyo pour OSS 117Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath, alias OSS 117 Michel BoisrondMarina Vlady1967Dirty HeroesJoe Mortimer, SesameAlberto De MartinoDaniela Bianchi, Curd Jürgens, Adolfo Celi, Michel Constantin, John IrelandThe LootersSam MorganJacques BesnardJean SebergL'Homme qui valait des milliardsJean SartonMichel BoisrondAnny Duperey, Peter van Eyck, Raymond Pellegrin1969The Battle of El AlameinLt. Giorgio BorriGiorgio FerroniGeorge Hilton, Robert Hossein, Michael Rennie, Princess Ira von Fürstenberg Eagles Over LondonCaptain Paul Stevens Enzo G. CastellariVan Johnson, Francisco RabalTopazAndre Devereaux Alfred HitchcockDany Robin, Claude Jade, Karin Dor, John Vernon, John Forsythe, Michel Piccoli, Philippe Noiret1972Shadows UnseenCommissioner Luca Miceli Camillo BazzoniMarilù Tolo, Reinhard Kolldehoff, Raymond Pellegrin, Judy Winter1973La ragazza di via Condotti (Special Killers)Sandro MatteiClaude Jade, Michel ConstantinMetti che ti rompo il musoRocky Miller Giuseppe VariSilvia Monti, Massimo Mollica1974Hold UpRobert CunninghamNathalie Delon, Marcel Bozzuffi1975White Horses of SummerNicholas KingsburgRaimondo Del BalzoJean SebergLa trastiendaDoctor NavarroJorge GrauRosanna Schiaffino1976Werewolf WomanInspector ModicaRino Di SilvestroDagmar LassanderSfida sul fondoValdesioMelciade ColettiDagmar Lassander(final film role)