Every film lover, and even anyone who has seen a movie from the vast repertoire coming out of Hollywood, has seen Udo Kier play a role. The German actor, who accumulated 275 roles between European and American cinema, has passed away at the age of 81. Kier died on Sunday morning, as confirmed by his partner, Delbert McBride, to 'Variety' magazine. His friend, the photographer Michael Childers, announced on social media that the actor died in a hospital in Palm Springs, California, although the cause of death has not been disclosed.
With a penetrating and unmistakable gaze, Kier collaborated on multiple occasions with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Gus Van Sant, and Lars von Trier, often portraying villains and monsters. His career extended beyond cinema, as he also worked in television, music videos, and even video games.
"I like horror movies. If you play small or guest roles, it's better to be evil and scare the audience than to be the guy who works in a post office and goes home to his wife and kids. You are remembered more," he commented on his roles, mostly as a supporting actor.
Born as Udo Kierspe in Germany in 1944, he described his childhood in post-war Germany as "horrible." "My father was already married and had three children when I was born, and my mother didn't know. So we grew up in poverty. We didn't have hot water until I was 17," he recounted to 'The Guardian' in 2002.
At the age of 16, he befriended a young Rainer Werner Fassbinder and later moved to London to study English. There, he began his acting career, initially focused on horror films. His first prominent role was in the horror film 'Mark of the Devil' in 1970. He was then chosen by Paul Morrissey to portray Frankenstein in 'Flesh for Frankenstein' (1973) and Dracula in Blood for Dracula (1974).
Udo Kier in 'Blood for Dracula'.
In the 1980s, he met the young and provocative Danish director Lars von Trier, who cast him in his television adaptation of Medea in 1987, initiating a collaboration that would last for decades. Kier, who was also the godfather of Von Trier's son, appeared in 'Epidemic,' 'Europa,' 'The Kingdom,' 'Breaking the Waves,' 'Dancer in the Dark,' 'Dogville,' 'Melancholia,' and 'Nymphomaniac: Vol. II.'
Gus Van Sant, an admirer of his performances in Frankenstein and Dracula, offered him his first American role in 'My Own Private Idaho' (1991). Madonna, a fan of that film, included him as her husband in her book 'Sex' (1992) and later in the music videos for 'Erotica' and 'Deeper and Deeper.' Kier also appeared in videos for Supertramp, Korn, and Eve.
During the 1990s, Kier had small but memorable roles in numerous Hollywood productions such as 'Ace Ventura,' 'Johnny Mnemonic,' 'Armageddon,' 'End of Days,' and 'Blade.' In his later years, he appeared in S. Craig Zahler's films 'Brawl in Cell Block 99' and 'Dragged Across Concrete,' and starred in the comedy 'Swan Song' (2022). His last film was the political thriller 'The Secret Agent.' He will also appear in OD, the upcoming horror video game by Japanese creator Hideo Kojima alongside producer Jordan Peele.
Once he said about his prolific career: "100 of my films are bad, 50 can be watched with a glass of wine, and 50 are good."