Actor Eric Braeden's Life Through The Years

Still known as Hans-Jörg Gudegast, Eric Braeden appeared in several movies and shows from the 1960s. These projects included "Combat!," "Morituri," "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.," and "Twelve O'Clock High." However, what actually helped him rise to fame was playing the antagonist, German Hauptmann Hans Dietrich, in "The Rat Patrol," a WWII drama.

As Braeden shared in a Soap Opera Digest interview, he reluctantly decided to change his name after feeling like it limited his acting opportunities. "My wife knew how frustrated I'd always been about often playing bad guys — initially Nazis, and then bad guys," he said. Braeden shared that he ultimately made the switch before he landed the lead in "Colossus: The Forbin Project" and after the head of Universal at the time told him, "No one with a German name will star in an American picture." Per his CBS bio, his stage surname is based on Bredenbek, the name of the town where he grew up. "Changing my name was one of the most painful decisions I've ever made, so I needed to choose a name that I could still identify with," he said.

In the '70s, he appeared in everything from "Escape from the Planet of the Apes" to "Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo," "The Six Million Dollar Man" to "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Kojak" to "Gunsmoke." In 1980, his career took yet another turn when he started playing Victor Newman in "The Young and the Restless." A soap opera star was born.

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