Clement George Freiherr von und zu Franckenstein[2] (28 May 1944 – 9 May 2019) was an English actor, best known for his film and television work in the United States.[3] A member of the Franckenstein family, he was the only son of Austrian diplomat and dissident Georg von und zu Franckenstein. Between 1975 and 1989, he was credited under the stage name Clement St. George.
Franckenstein was the only child Editha and Georg von und zu Franckenstein. His father was an Austrian Reichsfreiherr and diplomat who stayed in England after the Anschluss and received a British knighthood and British nationality, becoming an active intelligence and field agent at the OSS. His paternal uncle was the philologist Joseph von Franckenstein, and his uncle was composer Clemens von und zu Franckenstein. After the death of his father, Franckenstein inherited the title of Freiherr von und zu Franckenstein.
Franckenstein was born in Sunninghill, then in Buckinghamshire, on 28 May 1944.[1][2] His parents died in an aircraft crash in Germany on 14 October 1953, and from the age of nine he was brought up by his parents' British friends. He was educated at Sunningdale School and Eton College.[4][5] He served in the British Army, in the Royal Scots Greys, for three years and was discharged as a Lieutenant.[6]
With aspirations towards becoming an opera singer, Franckenstein trained as a tenor for three years and performed in cabarets and musicals, but ultimately decided to pursue acting instead.[6] He initially went to castings as Clement St George as he thought "his real name might scare people". He moved to California in 1972 and joined the gentleman-playboy expat Brits like David Niven.
Franckenstein apareció en unas ochenta películas; a veces como la elegante acompañante de la protagonista o simplemente usando una tanga de cuero. Estuvo en El joven Frankenstein , Robin Hood: Hombres en mallas y El presidente americano , pero a menudo estaba abajo en la lista de reparto o no estaba acreditado. Apareció como un cadáver en Murder She Wrote . [5]
Dijo que California cambió entre los años 1970 y 1990, como le dijo al Daily Telegraph en 1994: "En los años 1970, la vida era fácil, todo el mundo era relajado, todo el mundo se lo pasaba bien... Ahora se ha vuelto opresivo, "Sin encanto, no se puede fumar en los restaurantes, todo el mundo lleva consigo cajas de condones, y en las fiestas ahora hay algo llamado "bar sin anfitriones": tienes que pagar tus propias bebidas, quiero decir, simplemente no está disponible". .
Franckenstein contó historias de su vida para el programa de radio de Joe Frank , 'Clement at Christmas', desde su infancia hasta sus primeros días en Hollywood, la primera mitad del programa.
Jugando con Hugh Grant y Mick Jagger , Franckenstein fue miembro durante mucho tiempo del Beverly Hills Cricket Club. [5]
Nunca se casó y era devoto de su amada gata Tallulah.
Von Franckenstein murió de hipoxia en el Centro Médico Cedars-Sinai de Los Ángeles, el 9 de mayo de 2019 a la edad de 74 años. [5] Había estado en coma inducido durante diez días. [3]