Eric Braeden
Actor
Birth Name: Hans Jörg Gudegast
Birth Date: April 3, 1941
Age: 83 years old
Birth Place: Bredenbek, Germany
An aloof, craggy-faced leading man best known as business wizard Victor Newman on the CBS daytime drama "The Young and the Restless," Eric Braeden has parlayed a ruddy complexion, stiff European demeanor and German accent into a long-running TV career in America. Born in Germany during World War II, he was the son of the mayor of Bredenback, a small town near the port city of Kiel. After World War II, his father, who had been a Nazi party member, was imprisoned by the British for a year (although there is no evidence he participated in any atrocities).
When his father died in 1953, his mother turned to factory worker to support her four sons. At age 19, Braeden, then known by his birth name of Hans Gudegast, moved to the USA and resided with a cousin in Houston, where he found work dissecting cadavers for medical research. After a short period at Montana State University on a track and field scholarship, he moved to Los Angeles to study at Santa Monica City College.
After landing a bit part in "Operation Eichmann" (1961), he decided to become an actor. For much of the 1960s, Braeden/Gudegast was useful in Hollywood playing Germans in movies and TV programs set during World War II; he made numerous guest appearances on "Combat" and from 1966-1968 played Captain Dietrich, the adversary to "The Rat Patrol" (ABC). As the decade came to a close and realizing he was more or less typecast, the actor changed his name to Eric Braeden and attempted to reposition himself in Hollywood. He landed the lead in the feature "Colossus: The Forbin Project" (1970), a well-made thriller about a world where computers run amok. But screen stardom did not follow.
Finding himself playing supporting roles in such fare as "Herbie Goes to Monaco" (1977), Braeden turned to the small screen, making several unsuccessful pilots and series guest appearances (usually as suave or unctuous villains). He was perhaps most memorable as a critic who verbally tears everything to shreds--even the WJM News--in a 1977 episode of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." In 1980, he accepted what was originally a three-month stint on the CBS soap "The Young and the Restless" in the role of ruthless businessman Victor Newman. Braeden, however, clicked with both the audience and the creative powers, and has been one of the series leading men for close to two decades, earning five Daytime Emmy nominations for the role.
With steady employment and a certain clout, he has accepted occasional roles in TV-movies and in features. In 1990, Braeden was well-cast as Dimitri Stanislopolous in "Jackie Collins' 'Lucky/Chances'" (CBS, 1990) and more recently, embodied John Jacob Astor in James Cameron's Oscar-winning blockbuster "Titanic" (1997).
Credits
Den of ThievesStream
The Young and the Restless: Extras
Celebrity PageStream
The Rich Eisen Show
The Queen Latifah Show
CBS This Morning
The Marilyn Denis Show
The TalkStream
The Man Who Came Back
The Man Who Came Back
etalk
Between the Lines With Barry Kibrick
SOAPnet Selects: The Best of '06
How I Met Your MotherStream
Entertainment Tonight Canada
Tavis Smiley
Hope & Faith
The German Americans
Meet the Deedles
The NannyStream
Diagnosis MurderStream
A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Wicked Wives
La Ambulancia de la Muerte
The Ambulance
The Bold and the BeautifulStream
AirwolfStream
Entertainment Tonight
The Aliens Are Coming
The Power Within
Happily Ever After
CHiPsStream
How the West Was WonStream
Code Name: Diamond Head
Herbie Goes to Monte CarloStream
Wonder WomanStream
Charlie's AngelsStream
Bronk
Death Scream
The New, Original Wonder Woman
Kolchak: The Night StalkerStream
Suspenso Terminal
The Ultimate Thrill
The Ultimate Chase
KojakStream
The Young and the RestlessStream
The Six Million Dollar ManStream
Barnaby JonesStream
The Six Million Dollar Man: Wine, Women and War
Death Race
Triangle
Assignment: Vienna
The Rookies
The Judge and Jake Wyler
Cannon
Escape From the Planet of the ApesStream
The Mary Tyler Moore ShowStream
McCloud
Máscara de la Reina de Shaba
Bearcats
Marcus Welby, M.D.Stream
Quest for the Mask of Sheba
100 RiflesStream
The Mask of Sheba
Honeymoon With a Stranger
Colossus: The Forbin Project
Quest
Cerveau d'acier
Le masque de Sheba
Dayton's Devils
MannixStream
JerichoStream
Rat PatrolStream
Wackiest Ship in the Army
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.Stream
12 O'Clock High
Combat!
GunsmokeStream
Photos
News aboutEric Braeden
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Q&A
‘Young and the Restless’: Joshua Morrow Looks Back on 30 Years as Nick Newman
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Daytime Emmys 2024 Red Carpet: Melody Thomas Scott, Thorsten Kaye & More (PHOTOS)
‘Young and the Restless’ Star Eric Braeden Shares Health Update After Cancer Treatment
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Nikki & Victor Newman Celebrate 40 Years: ‘Y&R’ Pays Tribute to Couple’s ‘Icon Status’
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‘The Young and the Restless’: What’s Next for Nikki’s Sobriety Struggles & More
Play the Classic Soap Characters TV Crossword
‘Young & the Restless’ Star Eric Braeden Speaks Out About Cancer Battle
‘The Young and the Restless’ Pays Tribute To Billy Miller
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‘Young & Restless’ Star Eric Braeden Reveals He’s Cancer-Free
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Eric Winter, Roselyn Sanchez Defend Eva Longoria Against ‘Y&R’ Star Eric Braeden
‘The Young and the Restless’ Turns 50: Its 10 Longest-Serving Stars
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‘The Young and the Restless’: Inside the Stories at the Center of 50th Anniversary Event
‘Young & Restless’ Star Eric Braeden Calls Out Eva Longoria’s ‘Derogatory’ Soap Comments
‘The Young and the Restless’ Celebrates 50 Years at Star Studded Event
‘Young & the Restless’ Stars Reflect on 50 Years — Plus, Details on Anniversary Storyline (VIDEO)
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As ‘Y&R’ Prepares to Turn 50, Eric Braeden Says Soaps Are Still Good as Gold
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‘Y&R’: Who Will Win the Chess Game Between Ashland and Victor? (VIDEO)
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‘Y&R’ 12,000th Episode Sneak Peek: Wedding Second Thoughts (VIDEO)
‘The Young and the Restless’ Stars Reflect on 3 Iconic Duos
7 Stars Who Left Daytime Dramas Under Contentious Circumstances
‘The Young and the Restless’ to Return With All-New Episodes in August
Q&A
Melody Thomas Scott Waxes Nostalgic for ‘Y&R’s Victor-Nikki Episodes
10 Fun Facts About Eric Braeden, Celebrating 40 Years on ‘Young & the Restless’
Q&A
Eric Braeden Reflects on 40 Years as Victor Newman on ‘Young & the Restless’
Q&A
Can Victor’s Love Save Nikki on ‘Y&R’? Eric Braeden Weighs In & Reveals Why He Stayed in Genoa City
Exclusive
‘Young & the Restless’ Star Eric Braeden on Taking Time Off & His Feelings on Eileen Davidson’s Exit
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Eric Braeden Previews His Startling New Memoir ‘I’ll Be Damned’
‘The Young and the Restless’ New Head Writer Sally Sussman Answers Our Burning Questions
‘The Young and the Restless’ Stars Eric Braeden and Melody Thomas Scott Celebrate 11,000 Episodes (VIDEO)
‘The Young and the Restless’’ Eric Braeden Sounds Off on Victor’s Downfall
The Best and Worst in Soaps 2015
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