Klaus Kinski: Psychological Profile
Klaus Kinski
Klaus Kinski, originally born Nikolaus Gunther Nakszynski, was a famous German actor, whom was active from 1948 to 1989. He was best known for his eccentric, fanatical behavior and creative partnership with renowned German director, Werner Herzog, with whom he collaborated with on multiple films. Kinski was born on October 18, 1926 in Zoppot, Free City of Danzig (now Sopot, Poland), and died of a massive heart attack on November 23, 1991 in Langunitas, California.
Early Life
Growing up, Kinski lived a life of poverty as the youngest of four children, and was forced to steal in order to feed himself and his family. He was in constant trouble with the law, which caused him to develop a lack of understanding and disrespect for authority. Living in poverty also festered a troubled familial structure and background. As a young boy, Kinski’s mother constantly threw screaming fits due to being unable to deal with the hardships of her family’s abysmal living conditions, many times to the point where she would literally collapse. At one point, after his family was evicted from an apartment due to his mother’s sewing machine causing too much noise, Kinski’s mother took an overdose of sleeping pills. Fortunately, she survived the ordeal, but only after having her stomach pumped out. Shortly thereafter, when Kinski was still only a child, his father abandoned their family, leaving him with his mother, brother, and two sisters. In his autobiography, Kinski describes developing a high sex-drive at a very young age. He chronicles having his first sexual experience at only seven years old, performing cunnilingus on a fellow female student at his school. A few years later he began to experiment sexually with his older sister, Inge, as they would sneak into each other’s bedrooms in the middle of the night. During his teenage years, in the midst of bombing raids on their city, Kinski also had brief sexual relations with his mother, before being
Klaus Kinski, originally born Nikolaus Gunther Nakszynski, was a famous German actor, whom was active from 1948 to 1989. He was best known for his eccentric, fanatical behavior and creative partnership with renowned German director, Werner Herzog, with whom he collaborated with on multiple films. Kinski was born on October 18, 1926 in Zoppot, Free City of Danzig (now Sopot, Poland), and died of a massive heart attack on November 23, 1991 in Langunitas, California.
Early Life
Growing up, Kinski lived a life of poverty as the youngest of four children, and was forced to steal in order to feed himself and his family. He was in constant trouble with the law, which caused him to develop a lack of understanding and disrespect for authority. Living in poverty also festered a troubled familial structure and background. As a young boy, Kinski’s mother constantly threw screaming fits due to being unable to deal with the hardships of her family’s abysmal living conditions, many times to the point where she would literally collapse. At one point, after his family was evicted from an apartment due to his mother’s sewing machine causing too much noise, Kinski’s mother took an overdose of sleeping pills. Fortunately, she survived the ordeal, but only after having her stomach pumped out. Shortly thereafter, when Kinski was still only a child, his father abandoned their family, leaving him with his mother, brother, and two sisters. In his autobiography, Kinski describes developing a high sex-drive at a very young age. He chronicles having his first sexual experience at only seven years old, performing cunnilingus on a fellow female student at his school. A few years later he began to experiment sexually with his older sister, Inge, as they would sneak into each other’s bedrooms in the middle of the night. During his teenage years, in the midst of bombing raids on their city, Kinski also had brief sexual relations with his mother, before being
Cited: Kinski, Klaus. Kinski Uncut. New York: Penguin Books USA Inc., 1996 McDonagh, Maitland. "Behind Blue Eyes: The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Klaus Kinski." Film Comment 43 (2007): 48-53. "Asylum records confirm Klaus Kinski 's madness." The Local - Germany 's news in English. Ed. Marc Young. 22 July 2008. The Local. 29 Apr. 2009 .