The Young and the Restless’ Eric Braeden: Five Fast Facts

[dropcap]E[/dropcap]ric Braeden has made Genoa City one of the most interesting towns in the world since 1980. That’s when the German actor joined “The Young and the Restless” and quickly became a huge soap opera sensation. Victor Newman is sexy and mysterious, but he’s got nothing on the actor who plays him.

There are elements of Braeden in his portrayal of ruthless Victor Newman. However, the two men are also very different. You may know all there is to know about Victor–now learn about Braeden

• Braeden was born Hans Gudegast in Kiel, Germany and actually got his start in acting by playing Nazis. In 1966, he landed his big break playing Captain Hans Dietrich on the hit series “The Rat Patrol.” The producers wanted him to wear an eyepatch (to seem more evil), but Braeden wanted to make him as human as possible and refused.

• Just like Victor, Braeden is an avid boxer, but did you know that in high school he was a champion athlete, excelling in track-and-field events? He moved to the U.S. as a teenager and his athletic ability scored him a scholarship to Montana State University.

• The first big movie he landed was Universal’s science-fiction thriller “Colossus: The Forbin Project”. The success of the film was tainted by the insistence that he change his name. So, it was with great reluctance that the actor became Eric Braden.

• While Victor is very serious, Braeden has shown off his playful side with sitcom appearances. He’s been featured on “Hope and Faith,” “The Nanny,” and “How I Met Your Mother,” to name a few.
• Braeden appeared in one of the biggest blockbuster movies of all time. In James Cameron’s “Titanic,” he played one of the richest men in the world, John Jacob Astor–a man who went down with the ship. It wasn’t a huge stretch for the man who plays the richest man in Genoa City!

[relbar link=”https://soapshows.com/young-and-restless/news/young-and-the-restless-eric-braeden-rocks-to-prince/” text=”Watch Braeden rock out to Prince!”]

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