Freddie Prinze
Freddie Prinze (born June 22, 1954 in New York City , New York - † January 29, 1977 in Los Angeles , California ; actually Frederick Karl Pruetzel ) was an American actor and stage comedian . He became known to a wide audience through his main or title role as Chico in the US sitcom Die Zwei von der Gasstelle (original title: Chico and the Man ).
He is the father of actor Freddie Prinze junior .
biography
Freddie Prinze was born in New York to a Puerto Rican . The origin of his father, Edward Karl Pruetzel, has not been proven with certainty; However, it is believed that he was of Hungarian descent and emigrated from Germany to New York in 1934. His son, Freddie Prinze Jr., confirms his father's German ancestry.
Freddie Prinze grew up in the Hispanic neighborhood of Washington Heights , where he attended a private school. He received ballet lessons as a child and later attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in Manhattan . There he discovered his talent as a stand-up comedian and left high school in the senior year to begin a career as a stage comedian.
After several successful appearances in New York clubs, Prinze made his first television appearance on the Jack Paar show at the age of 19 . In December 1973, the first of several appearances on the Tonight Show followed . There the producer James Komack became aware of Prinze, who made him the leading actor in the new sitcom Die Zwei von der Gasstelle (original title Chico and the Man ).
Chico and the Man, with Prinze in the title role, launched on September 13, 1974, became a huge hit, earning him a Golden Globe nomination in 1977. In addition to his series role, Prinze starred in the television film The Million Dollar Rip-Off in 1976 and appeared as a guest star in several shows.
In 1975 Prinze married Katherine Cochran, and in 1976 their son Freddie Prinze junior was born. Freddie Prinzes drug abuse led to the failure of the marriage after only two years. Badly hit by the separation, he was apparently under the influence of drugs on January 28, 1977 in a hotel room in Los Angeles, from which he died a day later.
Filmography
- 1974–1977: The two from the gas station (Chico and the Man)
- 1976: The Million Dollar Rip-Off
Individual evidence
- ↑ Transcript of an interview with Freddie Prinze Jr. on Howard Stern's Radio Show, accessed May 11, 2010
- ↑ Jay Maeder, 1992: Freddie Prinze Everything in the World ( Memento of the original from August 28, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 11, 2010
- ^ The New York Times : Freddie Prinze Wounded in Head; Police Say TV Star Shot Himself; PRINZE, THE TV STAR, IS WOUNDED IN HEAD ( Memento of the original from August 30, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. dated January 29, 1977 (accessed November 17, 2009).
literature
- Maria Pruetzel: The Freddie Prinze Story . Master's Press, Kalamazoo, Mich. 1978. ISBN 0-89251-051-X
Web links
- Freddie Prinze in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Freddie Prinze: Too Much, Too Soon . Obituary in Time magazine, February 7, 1977 (English).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Prince, Freddie |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Pruetzel, Frederick Karl (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American actor and comedian |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 22, 1954 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | New York City |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 29, 1977 |
| Place of death | los Angeles |