 | |
| Hans Gruber | |
| Aliases: | Dr. Gruber Doctor Gruber |
| Continuity: | Re-Animator |
| Notability: | Minor character |
| Type: | Scientist |
| Occupation: | Teacher |
| Gender: | Male |
| Race: | Reanimate |
| Location: | Zurich, Switzerland |
| Associations: | University of Zurich |
| Status: | Deceased |
| Died: | 1985 |
| First: | Re-Animator |
| Final: | Re-Animator |
| Actor: | Al Berry |
Doctor Hans Gruber is a fictional reanimate and a minor character featured in the Re-Animator film franchise. Played by actor Al Berry, he first appeared in the 1985 sci-fi/horror film Re-Animator.
Biography[]
Hans Gruber was a Swiss academic who held a Ph.D., though the nature of his doctorate degree is unknown. He worked at the University of Zurich in Zurich, Switzerland in the mid 1980s. Gruber is known for his work in brain research and developed a theory in the early 1970s as to the location of the will in the brain.
An American medical student named Herbert West developed a serum that could reanimate dead cell tissue in test subjects. He tested it on Doctor Gruber, but by his own admission, used a high dosage. After giving him an injection of Re-Agent, the man suffered adverse physical trauma. His face became ashen and sunken in and he began screaming in agony.
Doctor Gruber's howls of pain alerted some of the nursing staff as well as two university policemen. They barged into Gruber's office where they found West hovering above the man who was still in the throes of massive pain. Gruber suffered a hemorrhage of some kind that caused his eyes to explode, and he fell down dead. The nurse accused West of killing him, but Herbert denied this, citing, "No I did not!. I gave him life". [1]
Notes & Trivia[]
- The character of Hans Gruber was created by director Stuart Gordon and screenwriters Dennis Paoli and William J. Norris based on concepts originally developed by author H. P. Lovecraft.
- In the film, the character is credited only as Doctor Gruber. His first name, Hans, is provided by Alan Halsey in the beginning of the film.
- Doctor Gruber is the first reanimate seen in the Re-Animator film series.
- Herbert West accused Doctor Carl Hill of plagiarizing Doctor Gruber's research on the location of the will in the brain.
- Playing the role of Doctor Gruber is actor Al Berry's fourth film role. It is his second work in the horror genre. Berry is also known for playing the role of Harry Grimbridge in the 1982 horror movie, Halloween III: Season of the Witch.
- The name Hans Gruber is more popularly known for a character played by Alan Rickman in the 1988 action film Die Hard, where he served as the central antagonist of the movie.
See also[]
External Links[]
References[]
- ↑ Re-Animator (1985); Chapter 1: "Prologue: Zurich".