Horst Janson: Acting icon suffered a stroke

The popular acting star Horst Janson (“Der Bastian”, 88) has suffered a mild stroke. His wife Helgardt Hella Ruthardt (76) told the “Freizeit Revue” about the highly dramatic minutes after the medical emergency. “When he came into the house, he suddenly couldn’t speak anymore,” said Ruthardt, who has been married to Janson since 1982. She then called the emergency doctor, and the 88-year-old was put on life support at the clinic.

Shock diagnosis stroke

“My husband had a mild stroke,” Ruthardt recalls. The diagnosis was a shock for her. “He always had low blood pressure and lived a healthy life,” said Ruthardt about her actor husband. In the hospital, Janson’s blood pressure, heart and oxygen saturation were monitored. It was only after days in the clinic that his condition improved and stabilized.

“If his vital signs weren’t so good, it could have been worse,” says Ruthardt. Despite the dramatic events, her husband was lucky in his misfortune in a way. “His movements aren’t affected. Only his short-term memory isn’t working,” explains Ruthardt. “But we’ll get that back on track.”

Horst Janson is married to Ruthardt for the second time. Before that, in 1973, he tied the knot with Monika Lundi (81), a film and TV actress like him. The marriage broke up three years later.

Janson, who was born in Hesse, first became known to a wider German public through television series such as “Salto Mortale” or “Der Bastian”. He later appeared in international films alongside stars such as Tony Curtis (1925-2010) and Richard Burton (1925-1984). Janson’s last acting engagement to date dates back to 2021.