He is one of the few Germans in Hollywood: For 40 years, the German-American actor Eric Braeden (78) has played the role of villain Victor Newman in the US soap opera "Shade of Passion". On Friday, he celebrated this anniversary in Los Angeles together with his co-stars, including Amelia Heinle (46) and Melissa Ordway (36). The two had chosen very special clothes for this occasion: they were wearing dirndls.
While Heinle was shining in a light green dress, Ordway had opted for a blue variant. Both dirndls were decorated with flowers. Traditionally, the two US actresses had also braided their hair into two braids. But what does this traditional costume from Germany have to do in Hollywood? There is no official statement. Maybe the choice of clothes of the two US actresses should be a tribute to Braeden's German homeland.
He is a star in the United States
After all, the 78-year-old comes from Schleswig-Holstein and did not emigrate to the USA until 1959. The Emmy winner is still associated with Germany: he founded the German-American Cultural Society and received the Federal Cross of Merit, among other things. In Germany the actor is rather unknown, in the USA he is a star: in 2007 he even received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Eric Braeden has played the role of Victor Newman in "Shadows of Passion" since February 1980. Initially, Newman was only supposed to be a guest figure – but eight to twelve weeks turned into 40 years. "Shadow of Passion" is the most successful daily soap opera on US television, comparable to the "Lindenstrasse" in Germany.