He is the most sought-after man in Europe in the 1960s. Lex Barker embodies the flawless hero in his films and, as Old Shatterhand, becomes a role model for generations of fans. Revered in Europe, misunderstood and almost forgotten in his native America. But who was this American who rode through Yugoslavia in a leather costume for the European audience? In 1973, Lex Barker died of a heart attack on the streets of Manhattan in New York. But no one recognizes the man who was Tarzan in Hollywood. Nobody knows him or cares about that he, as Winnetou's friend, is revered as an icon in Europe. Lex Barker's European western adventures are just a footnote in American film history. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his death, the documentary tells the story of one of the most beautiful men who ever flickered across Europe's cinema screens, for whom European cinema proved to be a stroke of luck and for whom a failed Hollywood career took him via Italy to Germany.
Karen Kondazian's career as an actor started at the age of eight when she was chosen to be one of the infamous children on Art Linkletter's "Kids Say the Darndest Things." The opportunity to miss school during tapings was all it took for Karen to abandon her life's goal of becoming a spy and focus on acting. She was born in Boston, attended The University of Vienna and The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, after which she began her acting career in New York.