If you ever wondered how a Hollywood superstar like Brad Pitt intersects with the life of the Tibetan spiritual leader, the story takes us back nearly three decades. The Dalai Lama, recently awarded a Grammy for Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and Brad Pitt first became indirectly linked through the 1997 film Seven Years in Tibet.
The Grammy in the best audiobook category was received on behalf of the Dalai Lama by singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, held in Los Angeles on February 1. While many know the Dalai Lama for his spiritual work and public appearances, fewer realize his connection to Hollywood cinema.
That connection comes through Seven Years in Tibet, a biographical war drama
directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud. Based on Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer’s 1952 memoir, the film starred Brad Pitt in the lead role and David Thewlis alongside him. The story traces Heinrich and his fellow mountaineer Peter Aufschnaiter’s journey in the 1930s and ’40s—from mountaineering in India to being imprisoned as German citizens in a British POW camp in the Himalayas during World War II.
In 1944, Heinrich and Peter escape and make their way into Tibet. Initially ordered to return to India, they are welcomed into Lhasa, where Heinrich is introduced to the 14th Dalai Lama as a teenager. By 1945, Heinrich is invited to the Potala Palace and becomes the Dalai Lama’s tutor in world geography, science, and Western culture, forming a close friendship with the spiritual leader. In the film, Jamyang Jamtsho Wangchuk plays the 14-year-old Dalai Lama, Sonam Wangchuk portrays him at 8, and Dorjee Tsering at 4.
Seven Years in Tibet also features actors Danny Denzongpa, Mako, BD Wong, and Victor Wong. The movie is currently available for streaming on Netflix for those who want to revisit this historical tale.
The Dalai Lama’s cinematic portrayals are not limited to this film. Martin Scorsese’s Kundun, released on December 25, 1997, chronicles the life and writings of the 14th Dalai Lama. Written by Melissa Mathison, it stars Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong as the Dalai Lama and was produced by Touchstone Pictures, Cappa Productions, and De Fina Productions.
Through Seven Years in Tibet, Brad Pitt’s Hollywood journey intersected with the life story of one of the world’s most respected spiritual leaders, creating a cultural bridge between Hollywood and Tibetan history.
