Gerhard Johannes Alexander Tichy Wondzinski (11 March 1920 – 11 April 1992), known as Gérard Tichy, was a German-Spanish actor who appeared in numerous films, including several international productions.
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Early life
Tichy was born Gerhard Johannes Alexander Tichy Wondzinski in Weißenfels, Saxony-Anhalt, the son of a doctor. After a short period as an artist, he was conscripted into the Reich Labour Service during World War II, but was later transferred into the Wehrmacht as an infantry soldier. He served in the Polish and French campaigns, but was captured by Allied forces in 1945.
He was held in a prisoner-of-war camp in Bordeaux for 18 months. Not wanting to be repatriated back to Germany, he made an escape attempt on Christmas Eve, but was quickly re-captured taken to another camp. He escaped, this time successfully, while in transit and fled to Hendaye, near the Spanish border. He attempted to enter neutral Spain by wading through the Bidasoa, and was caught by Spanish authorities. He was released from custody after being vouched for by other German expats, and settled in Madrid.
Career
While working as a waiter in 1948, Tichy was spotted by director César Fernández Ardavín, who was looking for someone to play a German officer in the war film Neutrality. He subsequently starred in the war epic Balarrasa (1951) and quickly became a prominent character actor in Spanish cinema, ultimately appearing in 99 films over the course of his career. He won the CEC Award for Best Foreign Actor for his role in the 1955 film El canto del gallo.
