Helmut Berger, 78, died "peacefully but suddenly in his hometown of Salzburg" in Austria, "shortly before his 79th birthday" He was one of Visconti's favorite actors, who noticed him for his incandescent beauty and entrusted him with roles of tormented aristocrats, which will stick to his skin. The meeting between the maestro and the Austrian Apollo took place in the mid-60s on the set of "Sandra", a film by Viscontei with Claudia Cardinale.