Herta-Maria Perschy (23 September 1938 – 3 December 2004) was an Austrian actress whose career included performances on screen with actor Rock Hudson and on American television in both daytime and prime time.[1]

Maria Perschy
Born
Herat-Maria Perschy

(1938-09-23)23 September 1938
Died3 December 2004(2004-12-03) (aged 66)
Vienna, Austria
OccupationActress
Years active1956–2000

Early life

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Perschy was born in Eisenstadt, then part of Nazi Germany, now in Burgenland, Austria and moved to Vienna at the age of 17 to study acting.

Career

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After completing her education, she moved to West Germany for more training, leading to a film career. Her first major success came with Nasser Asphalt where she played together with Horst Buchholz. Her acting career would eventually take her — by way of France, Italy and the United Kingdom — to Hollywood. Perschy played in a number of American films, her most notable roles being in the 1962 biopic Freud, the 1964 Rock Hudson comedy, Man's Favorite Sport?, and the 1964 hit war movie 633 Squadron. Perschy's career in America eventually declined and by the late 1970s her only US appearances were brief roles in TV shows such as Hawaii Five-O and General Hospital.

While shooting in Spain in 1971, Perschy suffered a burn injury from an accident that required several operations before she could resume her career. Perschy returned to her native Austria in 1985 and continued to perform in a series of plays and TV series.

In 1969, she filmed Castle of Fu Manchu with Christopher Lee and Richard Greene. When it aired on television in New York City four years later, The New York Times noted that the film would be "[w]ell worth viewing, if it's as sharp and fast as others in this new series".[2]

Death

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On 3 December 2004, Perschy died of cancer in Vienna.

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^ Johnson, Sabrina. "An afternoon of cinema commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Royal Air Force". Diss, England. Wymondham and Attleborough Mercury, March 23, 2018.
  2. ^ "Television This Week" (Channel 5, November 14, 3:00 p.m.). New York, New York: The New York Times, November 14, 1976.
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