Eric Braeden, born Hans-Jörg Gudegast in 1941, hails from Bredenbek, Germany. His father served as the mayor of his hometown. In 1959, Braeden immigrated to the United States, eventually attending the University of Montana in Missoula. There, he earned a track and field scholarship, excelling in discus, javelin, and shotput. Before gaining fame in the entertainment industry, he competed under his birth name and won the German National Team Championship in 1958 for track and field events.
Eric Braeden began his acting career in the 1960s under the name Hans Gudegast, typically portraying German military roles. He appeared in the long-running World War II television series Combat! as a German soldier, and guest-starred in several episodes of The Man from U.N.C.L.E., notably as T.H.R.U.S.H. agent Mr. Oakes in the episode “The Discotheque Affair” (Season 2, Episode 5). In 1965, he appeared in the film Morituri alongside Yul Brynner and Marlon Brando. He was also featured in Twelve O’Clock High as Luftwaffe Major Bentz in the 1966 episode titled “Day of Reckoning,” which was loosely based on the 1949 war film of the same name.
Braeden made a significant transition into more prominent roles in both television and film. He starred as Dr. Charles Forbin in the 1970 science-fiction thriller Colossus: The Forbin Project. In 1997, he portrayed John Jacob Astor IV in James Cameron’s Oscar-winning film, Titanic. However, he is best known for his long-running role as Victor Newman on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, a character he began playing in 1980. His performance earned him a Daytime Emmy Award in 1998 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
| Birth Date: | 3 Apr, 1941 |
| Age: | 79 yrs |
| Occupations: | Actor Film actor Film producer Television actor |
| Citizenship: | United States of America Germany |
| Birth Place: | Bredenbek |
| Education: | University of Montana |
| Gender: | Male |
| Description: | German actor |
| Net Worth 2021: | 25 million |
