Hollywood actor Krüger passes away

Hardy Krüger, a German actor who played the lead role in around 75 films over the course of his career, has died aged 93 in California, his agency announced on Thursday, reported dpa.

He died unexpectedly in Palm Springs, the Hamburg-based agency said in a statement.

"His warmth of heart, his joie de vivre and his unwavering sense of justice will make him unforgettable," it added.

Born in Berlin, Krüger became one of the few German actors to succeed with an international career after the war. He made his breakthrough outside Germany in the British war film "The One That Got Away."

He appeared alongside John Wayne in "Hatari!" and together with James Stewart and Peter Finch in "The Flight of the Phoenix."

In 1963, the French drama "Sundays and Cybèle," in which Krüger played a Vietnam war veteran who blames himself for the death of a Vietnamese child, won an Oscar.

The actor also received a number of awards in his native Germany.

Krüger also appeared on screen with Claudia Cardinale, Sean Connery, Yul Brynner, Charles Aznavour, Cathérine Deneuve and Orson Welles.

Krüger also launched his prolific career as an author in 1970 with his book "Eine Farm in Afrika" (A Farm in Africa). It told the story of the farm he bought at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, after falling in love with East Africa during the filming of "Hatari!"