This German actor died at the age of 81 Udo Kier, a face of the big and small screens who over the years has garnered many prestigious collaborations. Born in Cologne on 14 October 1944, at the height of the war, Udo Kier immediately experienced the horrors of the Second World War. In fact, he came into the world in a hospital that was bombed not long afterward: he and his mother were rescued, plucked alive from the rubble of the building. In the early 1960s he decided to move to London and that was where he met his director Reiner Werner Fassbinder who helped him debut in acting and became his partner, remaining by his side throughout the years.
His first big role came in 1973 with the film The monster is on the table…Baron Frankensteindirected by Paul Morissey and Antonio Margheriti and, most importantly, produced by Andy Warhol. The feature film represents Udo Kier’s entry into genre cinema, with an inclination towards horror. The following year he collaborated again with Warhol, for the film Dracula seeks the blood of virgins… and dies of thirst. Staying in the world of “scary cinema” Udo Kier also collaborated with him Dario Argento, clearly visible in the icon suspicion, who made his film debut in 1977.
However, the director who collaborated most diligently with the German actor was Lars Von Trier, with whom he met in 1987 Epidemic and later also appeared in other films such as Waves of Fate, Empire, Dancer in the Dark And Dogville. He also collaborated on films with Danish directors and screenwriters Melancholia And Nymphomaniac. In 2007 he also reunited with Dario Argento, appearing in Third mother. Among the most famous films involving Udo Kier, I remember Ace Ventura – Pet Detective with Jim Carrey, Armageddon – The Last Judgment by Michael Bay and My neighbor Adolf. His last appearance was in the film O secret agent, the film won the Palme d’Or for best director at the last Cannes Film Festival, before also being screened at the Rome Film Festival. As for seriality, Udo Kier participates in products such as Chuck, The Borgias and in the second season of the Prime Video series, Hunter, in which he played the aging Adolf Hitler. Additionally, during his career, Udo Kier also collaborated with the world of video games, lending his sounds and features to the games. Command & Conquer, in the episodes Red Alert 2 And Yuri’s Revenge.
He plays Peter Straub Call to Duty: World War II while in 2022 he collaborated with the game Martha is dead, where he played the character Erich. Udo Kier’s sharp features and very bright eyes can also be found in the video Deeper and Deeper From Madonna and in it Make me bad, from the band Korn.
