Is Still Eric Braeden Alive? His Bio, Net Worth, Married, Wife, Kids, Height

German-American actor, Eric Braeden rose to popularity for playing the role of Victor Newman on the soap opera "The Young and the Restless".

Caption: Picture of German-American actor, Eric Braeden (Photo: CNN)

Early Life of Braeden

In Bredenbek, a small village in northern Germany, he was born on April 3, 1941. His father Wilhelm Gudegast, was once mayor. His birth name Hans-Jörg Gudegast. In the year 1959, he emigrated to the United States. He joined the University of Montana, Missoula.

Caption: Childhood picture of Eric Braeden (Photo: Instagram)

I'll Be Damned, his autobiography that was released by Harper Collins in 2017 and described his life, revealed that Braeden had survived the sinking of the MV Wilhelm Gustloff. Having American and German nationality, Braeden is of white ethnicity.

Career

During his first twenty years in America, Braeden racked up a number of TV and film credits and appeared in 120 guest appearances. All of his early credits used his birth name, Hans Gudegast. He frequently played a German soldier in Combat!, the longest-running World War II drama on television (1962–1967), which he featured multiple times in the 1960s. He had a cameo appearance in the 1965 Marlon Brando and Yul Brynner movie Morituri, and he played Mr. Oakes, a T.H.R.U.S.H. agent, in season two, episode five of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. He appeared in an episode of the 1966 espionage drama series Blue Light in addition to guest starring as Luftwaffe Major Bentz in episode 28 of season two of the television series Twelve O'Clock High, "Day of Reckoning," which was loosely based on the classic 1949 war film of the same name. On the television series The Rat Patrol (1966–1988), he played German Hauptmann (Captain) Hans Dietrich on a regular basis for the following two years.

Caption: Eric Braeden posing for the picture (Photo: Instagram)

He featured alongside Fernando Lamas as a nasty German military commander in the 1969 Western 100 Rifles, which also starred Raquel Welch, Burt Reynolds, and Jim Brown and is remembered for including the first on-screen interracial kiss between Welch and Brown. His final credit was for this under his birth name. He originally used the stage name Eric Braeden for his lead part in the 1970 film Colossus: The Forbin Project. He finally decided to choose the name Braeden in honor of Bredenbek, his birthplace. Other film roles in the 1970s were that of Dr. Otto Hasslein in 1971's Escape from the Planet of the Apes and Bruno von Stickle in 1977's Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, which starred Walt Disney. He also had appearances as a guest star on various television programs during the 1970s, such as The Six Million Dollar Man, Wonder Woman, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He also made multiple appearances on the enduring CBS western series Gunsmoke.

Caption: Picture of Eric Braeden (Photo: Instagram)

Braeden played Colonel John Jacob Astor IV in 1997 hit movie Titanic in addition to other episodic parts. He was given the opportunity to play self-made business tycoon Victor Newman on The Young and the Restless in 1980. In 1998, Braeden's efforts were recognized with a Daytime Emmy. When contract discussions between Braeden and The Young and the Restless stalled in October 2009, news sources suggested he would depart the series. Later on, though, CBS revealed that Braeden had signed a new three-year contract and would stay on the program, despite first objecting to a pay cut.

Eric Braeden Net Worth

As per reports, Eric Braeden's net worth is estimated at around $25 Million. His acting career became a prime source of his earnings.

Caption: Eric Braeden posing for the picture while sitting inside the car (Photo: Instagram)

Therefore, Eric has been living a lavish life. Sadly, details of his yearly earnings yet to be out in the media. Also, he participated in some philanthropic work

Personal Life of Eric Braeden

Eric Braeden has been happily married to Dale Russell Gudegast. His wife Dale, a former actress, who currently works as an interior designer. Before their marriage, they first met during the '60s and started dating. Eventually, Braeden tied the knot with Dale in October 1966 in a private wedding ceremony.

Caption: Eric Braeden with his wife Dale Russell Gudegast & their son Christian (Photo: the sun)

They became parents of a son Christian Gudegast, out of their marriage. The couple's son Christian is a director who created the film Den of Thieves, starring Gerard Butler. The married couple lives together sharing life's ups & downs, without any controversy regarding their personal life.