Eric Braeden

Born: 1941

Actor

Eric Braeden, formely Hans Jörg Gudegast, was born in Bredenbek in northern Germany. In 1959, fresh out of high school, he booked a one-way passage on an ocean liner and went to America. Today he holds both German and U.S. citizenship.

The star of many TV shows and movies, he has been seen in such series as “The Rat Patrol” (1966-1968), “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “Wonder Woman.” In 1969, he was offered the lead in The Forbin Project on the one condition that he Americanize his name, Hans Gudegast reluctantly became Eric Braeden, in memory of Bredenbek, his home town. His movie career also included “Escape from the Planet of the Apes” and 1997's mega hit “Titanic”, in which he played Colonel John Jacob Astor IV.

Braeden is best known for his role of Victor Newman on the daytime soap “The Young and the Restless,” for which he won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Male Performer in a Daytime Series in 1992 and a Daytime Emmy in 1998.

In 1989, Braeden was chosen as the only actor to be on the newly formed German American Advisory Board. The illustrious group includes Dr. Henry Kissinger, Alexander Haig, Steffi Graf and Paul Volcher.

Eric Braeden is an honorary citizen of his home town and has received German civic awards for his efforts to present modern Germany to his American audience.

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