Actor. He gained fame as a German-born Austrian actor who starred in 45 movies from 1948 to 1976 but is mostly known for playing Emperor Franz Joseph in the "Sissi," the 1955 Austrian historical romance film trilogy. Born the only child of an orchestra conductor, Karl Böhm, and opera singer, Thea Linhard, he was sent to boarding school in Switzerland at age eleven as World War II was beginning in Germany. He studied piano, languages, and art before turning to acting. In 1981, he founded Humans for Humans, a charity for needy people in Ethiopia, which provided 400 schools and 2,000 water fountains after donations of $1.2 million. For this work, he and his fourth wife, Almaz, a native of Ethiopia, were awarded the Essl Social Prize in 2011. Böhm received honorary Ethiopian citizenship in 2003. He married four times and had seven children. He died from the complications of aging, including Alzheimer's Disease.
Actor. He gained fame as a German-born Austrian actor who starred in 45 movies from 1948 to 1976 but is mostly known for playing Emperor Franz Joseph in the "Sissi," the 1955 Austrian historical romance film trilogy. Born the only child of an orchestra conductor, Karl Böhm, and opera singer, Thea Linhard, he was sent to boarding school in Switzerland at age eleven as World War II was beginning in Germany. He studied piano, languages, and art before turning to acting. In 1981, he founded Humans for Humans, a charity for needy people in Ethiopia, which provided 400 schools and 2,000 water fountains after donations of $1.2 million. For this work, he and his fourth wife, Almaz, a native of Ethiopia, were awarded the Essl Social Prize in 2011. Böhm received honorary Ethiopian citizenship in 2003. He married four times and had seven children. He died from the complications of aging, including Alzheimer's Disease.
Bio by: Linda Davis
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