Voices of the Spaghetti Western “Tiger From the River Kwai”

 As we know most of the Euro-westerns were co-productions from Italy, Spain, Germany and France which incorporated British and American actors to gain a worldwide audience. The films were shot silent and then dubbed into the various languages where they were sold for distribution. That means Italian, Spanish, German, French and English voice actors were hired to dub the films. Even actors from the countries where the film was to be shown were often dubbed by voice actors for various reasons such as the actors were already busy making another film, they wanted to paid additional salaries for dubbing their voices, the actor’s voice didn’t fit the character they were playing, accidents to the actors and in some cases even death before the film could be dubbed.

I’ll list a Euro-western and the (I) Italian, (S) Spanish, (G) German and (F) French, (E) English voices that I can find and once in a while a bio on a specific voice actor as in Europe these actors are as well-known as the actors they voiced.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Today we’ll cover “Tiger From River Kwai”

[(I) Italian, (S) Spanish, (G) German, (F) French, (E) English]

 

Thai/Tiger - Krung Srivilai (G) Michael Eder

James - George Eastman (G) Hartmut Becker

Jack Mason - Gordon Mitchell (G) Wolfgang Hess

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HARTMUT BECKER  (1938 –

Hartmut Becker was born in Berlin, Germany in 1938. After graduating from high school, Hartmut Becker studied theater studies, German literature and philosophy at the Free University of Berlin. He completed an acting degree with Else Bongers in Berlin before going into his first theater engagement. Becker made his cinema debut with the role of Clark in Michael Verhoeven’s film “OK”, which caused quite a stir as the official German contribution to the 1970 International Film Festival in Berlin. In the following year, Becker was also represented at the film festival with his second movie “Who Loves in the Glass House… Der Graben” (also by Michael Verhoeven and with Senta Berger). Since then he has been one of the most sought-after actors in the film and television sector and in German-speaking theaters. Other films followed: “When Mother Went on Strike”, “Sunday Children” (directed by Michael Verhoeven), “Il decimo clandestine” by Lina Wertmuller, “Gavre Princip Himmel Unter Steinen” by Peter Patzak, “Die Unforgessenen” by Henner Schulte-Holtey and David Dietl, “Monday the Windows” by Ulrich Kohler, “Missing” by Gerd Schneider, “Love Film” by Robert Bohrer and Emma Rosa Simon (Münchner Filmfest 2018). Since 1968 Hartmut Becker has embodied essential roles in more than 100 German and international television films. Becker has also played important stage roles at Berlin stages such as the Schiller Theater and the Renaissance Theater (Berlin). From 2007 to 2012 Becker was a board member of the German Film Academy. As a voice actor, he often lent his voice to the American singer and actor Kris Kristofferson. Becker also worked as a screenwriter and playwright. For his cinema project “Du schaffst es Süße”, “Outlaws” and “Weber's Night”, he received production and screenplay funding. His plays “Die Nach der Amazonen” and “Bizone” were published by the Desch theater publisher.