Austrian-born actor, photographer, and champion Alpine skier, Horst Ebersberg, was born in Kitzbühel to physician Dr. Lothar Ebersberg and his wife Annette, both skilled alpinists. Annette was also a close acquaintance of film maker Leni Riefenstahl. Initially, it was intended that Horst would follow his father into the medical profession, but he excelled in sports at the Stella Matutina Jesuit School in Feldkirch, twice becoming Alpine Ski Master in 1955.
With the assistance of renowned Austrian mountaineer and explorer Heinrich Harrer, Horst obtained a sports scholarship from the University of Denver in Colorado. As a sideline, he worked as a journalist and photographer for the Denver Post. Between 1963 and 1969, he featured as a supporting actor in many American films and TV series, often typecast as German soldiers. He made recurring appearances as different characters in 12 O'Clock High, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Combat!, Hogan's Heroes, and Mission: Impossible.
Upon his return to Europe, Horst continued his journalistic work for the illustrated magazines 'Quick' and 'Bunte'. He retired to his hometown Kitzbühel in 1990. From 2007 to 2011, he published his own paper, the 'Kitzbüheler Beobachter'. Horst was twice married, having two daughters, Hannah and Miriam Ebersberg, with his second wife Sabine (née Opperer).
