Born in Berlin, Horst Buchholz was one of the few German actors to have a successful career in both Hollywood and in Europe. He achieved fame in the role of Chico, a Mexican gunman in the 1960 epic western The Magnificent Seven and as Mischa Bjelkin, a Russian soldier in the 1955 film Sky Without Stars, a Polish sailor in the 1959 film Tiger Bay, and an Italian painter in the 1963 film Empty Canvas.
Horst Buchholz died unexpectedly from pneumonia that developed after a hip fracture operation at age 69