10 Famous Figures Who Survived as Prisoners of War

One of the prisoners of war who later became celebrities was actor Klaus Kinski. Serving as something of a vengeful muse for famed director Werner Herzog, Kinksi is best known for his intense performances in movies like “Fitzcarraldo,” “Aguirre, the Wrath of God,” and “Nosferatu the Vampyre.” An agent of chaos on and off the screen, Kinski was also a prisoner of war in World War II.

First, he was conscripted into the German Wehrmacht at age 17. Later, Kinski was shot in the arm and captured by the British Army on his second day of combat in the German-Occupied Netherlands. From there, he was transferred to a prisoner-of-war camp in Colchester, Essex. It was here that Kinski got his first taste of acting, performing in variety shows that aimed to raise the morale of the German prisoners.

Another of the prisoners of war who later became celebrities was famed actor Donald Pleasance. Beginning his career as a stage performer in London’s West End, Pleasance would become best known for his performances in the BBC’s adaptation of “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” “The Great Escape,” and the James Bond movie “You Only Live Twice.”

Before that, however, Pleasance was a volunteer member of the Royal Air Force in World War II. As an aircraft wireless operator in Bomber Command, Pleasance flew nearly 60 raids against the Axis Powers before his plane was shot down in Agenville, France. After that, he was captured by German forces and imprisoned in the prisoner-of-war camp Stalag Luft I. There, he produced and acted in plays intended to keep up the spirits of fellow Allied prisoners of war. (For other daring escapes, discover 25 of the most famous real-life prison breaks of all time.)

Unlike other actors on this list, the Welsh-born Desmond Llewelyn was already a thespian at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before his time as a prisoner. Throughout his career, he acted in a variety of stage and film productions. However, he is best known for his role as Q in seventeen of the James Bond films.

Before that, Llewelyn was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers at the onset of World War II. In 1940, he was captured while his unit was fighting an entire German Panzer division in the French city of Lille. Llewelyn then spent the rest of the war in various German prisoner-of-war camps. First at Laufen, where he attempted and failed to escape by digging a tunnel, and later at Colditz Castle.

Unlike the actors on this list, the mercurial Ludwig Wittgenstein gained fame through his groundbreaking works of philosophy. Born into a wealthy noble family in Austria, Wittgenstein first taught at the University of Cambridge. From there, he released his two seminal works of philosophy, the “Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus” and “Philosophical Investigations.” Before all this, however, Wittgenstein was a decorated soldier and prisoner of war.

Though wealthy and probably exempt from service, Wittgenstein volunteered for the Austro-Hungarian army at the onset of World War I. Posted to the front line of the Russian Front, he earned numerous awards for his bravery under fire including the Silver Medal of Valour. In 1918, however, Wittgenstein was captured by Italian forces and placed in various Italian prisoner-of-war camps for a year. It was here that he first began work on his groundbreaking work the “Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus.”

Another of the prisoners of war who became celebrities was well-regarded actor Marcello Mastroianni. Though he was an actor through the 1930s and 40s, his breakthrough performance came in “Big Deal on Madonna Street.” After that, he would earn his name with roles in classic films like “La Dolce Vita” and Fellini’s groundbreaking “8 1/2.” For his work, Mastroianni would earn two BAFTA awards and two Golden Globe Awards.

Before this, however, Mastroianni was a humble draftsman in Italy during World War II. While working one day, he was seized by German troops and taken to a labor/prisoner-of-war camp in Northern Italy. The camp was loosely guarded, however, and Mastroianni managed to escape to Venice where he kept a low profile till the end of the war.

Another unlikely but understandable celebrity who was also a prisoner of war was Ferdinand Porsche. An automotive engineer and founder of Porsche AG, Porsche is best known for creating the Volkswagen Beetle and the Mercedes-Benz SS/SSK. He is also known for his creation of the first electric gasoline hybrid vehicle.

He was also a member of the Nazi Party and an important contributor to the German war effort during World War II. Due to this, Porsche ran afoul of Allied forces at the end of the war. Arrested by the French government as a war criminal, Porsche would spend time in Baden-Baden before being transferred to Paris and then Lyon.

Denholm Elliot was a famous English actor. While he first rose to prominence in a variety of stage performances, his breakout would come with 1966’s “Alfie.” After that, Elliot would go on to star in classic films like “Trading Places,” “A Bridge Too Far,” and “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” For his acting success, Elliot won three BAFTA Awards.

Before all this, however, Elliot was an air gunner in the Royal Air Force during World War II. During a raid on U-boat pens in Flensburg, Germany, Elliot’s plane was hit by flak and ditched in the North Sea. Though he and four of his crewmen survived, they were quickly captured by German forces. From there, Elliot was imprisoned in Stalag VIII-B till the end of the war. During his confinement, he took part in amateur stage performances. This was so successful that he toured various POW camps doing a rendition of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.”

Another of the prisoners of war who later became celebrities was the famed dramatist, writer, and philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre. Considered one of the eminent existentialist philosophers of the 20th century, Sartre is best known for his novel “Nausea,” as well as the groundbreaking works of philosophy “Being and Nothingness” and “Existentialism is Humanism.” Though he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1964, Sartre famously declined the honor.

During World War II, Sartre was drafted into the French army where he served as a meteorologist. In 1940, however, he was captured by German troops in Padoux, France. From there, Sartre was imprisoned in various POW camps including Stalag XII-D. It was there that he first read the philosophical work of Martin Heidegger, which would greatly inspire his work. Sources differ on his freedom, however. Some say he was released due to poor health in 1941 while others say he escaped during a doctor’s visit.

Another of the notable prisoners of war who later became celebrities was novelist and humorist Kurt Vonnegut. He is best known for his genre-bending, reflective novels like “Player Piano,” “Welcome to the Monkey House,” and most notably, “Slaughterhouse-Five.”

During World War II, Vonnegut was also a prisoner of war. First, however, he was an intelligence scout sent to the front lines. Amidst the Battle of the Bulge, Vonnegut along with fifty other soldiers were captured. From there, he was transferred to a camp near Dresden, Germany, working in a slaughterhouse-turned-factory making malt syrup. Though he nearly survived the Allied bombing of Dresden, his experiences would later inform his most important novel, “Slaughterhouse-Five.”

Another prisoner-of-war turned celebrity was actor Heinz Bennent. Born and raised in Stolberg, Germany, Bennent’s acting career spanned nearly five decades. He is best known for his roles in films like “The Net,” “The Last Metro,” “Possession,” and “Tears of Stone.”

Before his acting career, however, Bennent was a conscript in the Luftwaffe division of the German army in World War II. During the war he was captured by Allied forces, spending a considerable time in POW camps before moving to the German city of Göttingen and beginning his film career. (For a more general list of well-known armed forces members, here is a list of 30 famous athletes who served in the military.)