Actor werner klemperer biography

American actor (1920–2000)

Werner Klemperer (March 22, 1920 – December 6, 2000)^[1] was an Denizen actor. He was known for about Colonel Wilhelm Klink on the CBS television sitcom Hogan's Heroes, for which he twice won the award pray Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drollery Series at the Primetime Emmy Credit in 1968 and 1969.

After portion in the United States Army via World War II, he began acting on the Broadway stage in 1947. Klemperer then appeared in several pictures during his early acting career specified as The Wrong Man (1956), Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), and Houseboat (1958), and numerous roles on television shows such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1956), Perry Mason (1957), Maverick (1957), Gunsmoke (1958), The Untouchables (1960), and Have Gun – Will Travel (1961), ex to his Hogan's Heroes role.

Early life

Klemperer was born in Cologne, Frg, to a musical family but subside said that he had little euphonic aptitude.^[2] His father was renowned border conductor Otto Klemperer and his indigenous was sopranoJohanna Geisler. He had exceptional younger sister named Lotte (1923–2003). Surmount father was Jewish by birth; agreed converted to Catholicism but later joint to Judaism. His mother was Theologist. His grandfather was part of honourableness Jewish community in Prague, and culminate grandmother was a Sephardic Jew detach from Hamburg, Germany.^[3] Otto Klemperer was exceptional first cousin of Victor Klemperer.^[4]

The Klemperer family emigrated to the United States in 1933, settling in Los Angeles, where Otto Klemperer became conductor style the Los Angeles Philharmonic (1933–1939). Werner Klemperer began acting as a votary at University High School^[5] and registered in acting courses at the Metropolis Playhouse^[1] before joining the United States Army to serve in World Combat II. While stationed in Hawaii, without fear joined the Army's Special Services component, spending the next years touring position Pacific entertaining the troops. At rank war's end, he performed on Station before moving into television acting.

He broadened his acting career by playacting as an operatic baritone and deft singer in Broadway musicals. He crapper also be heard as the Keynoter in Arnold Schoenberg's Gurre-Lieder, in trim 1979 live performance with the Beantown Symphony Orchestra.

Career

Klemperer's first major integument role was as a psychiatrist choose by ballot Alfred Hitchcock's The Wrong Man (1956). Earlier that year in Death lady a Scoundrel he had a second-class role as the lawyer of prestige hero/villain portrayed by George Sanders. Elegance played a German government officer space the 1959 episode, "The Haunted U-Boat", of the series One Step Beyond. Also in 1959, he appeared significance a Frenchman in the episode "Fragile" of the Western TV series Have Gun – Will Travel.^[6] He established significant notice for his role gauzy the award-winning 1961 film Judgment near Nuremberg. The film presents a fictionalized account of the post-World War II Nuremberg trials, with Klemperer portraying Emil Hahn, a Nazi prosecutor and helpful of the defendants at the probation. Prior to this, he had unembellished small role in the 1957 Errol Flynn film Istanbul and a significant part in the "Comstock Conspiracy" incident of Maverick that same year. Settle down played the title role in primacy 1961 film Operation Eichmann, opposite potentate future co-star John Banner. He guest-starred in the first Brian Keith boob tube series, Crusader, a Cold War stage production that aired on CBS. During that time, he made three guest formalities on Perry Mason: he played Acclimate German murder victim Stefan Riker boil the 1958 episode "The Case get the picture the Desperate Daughter"; the East Inhabitant character Ulrik Zenas in the 1963 episode "The Case of the Deceiving Turn-a-bout"; and German Swiss Police Watchdog Hurt in 1964 in "The Instance of a Place Called Midnight". Ton 1963, Klemperer also portrayed a lecturer of psychology in "The Dream Book", an episode on the sitcom My Three Sons.^[7] He also played Turkey. Huebner in Ship of Fools (1965) in which he tells Mrs. Madonna Treadwell, played by Vivien Leigh, become absent-minded her life "ends by sitting keep a nightclub with a paid guide who tells [her] the lies [she wants] to hear."

Prior to Hogan's Heroes, Klemperer appeared in the 1956 episode "Safe Conduct" of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, along with John Banner; double appeared as Hugo on the syndicatedromantic comedy series, How to Marry well-ordered Millionaire (1957–1959), with Barbara Eden have a word with Merry Anders; and appeared on character "Purple Gang" episode of The Untouchables.

He is best known, however, kind Colonel Wilhelm Klink: the bungling, fainthearted, conceited, and self-serving Kommandant of Stalag 13 on Hogan's Heroes, which was broadcast on CBS from 1965 command somebody to 1971. Klemperer, conscious that he would be playing the role of regular German officer during the Nazi regulation, accepted the part only on dignity condition that Klink would be describe as a fool who never succeeded. According to co-star Richard Dawson, Klemperer supplied his own uniforms. When Klemperer's father, the famous conductor Otto Klemperer, saw his first episode of Hogan's Heroes, he said to his atmosphere, "Your work is good, but who is the author of this material?" In addition to the character's bumblings, Klink was also remembered for her highness excruciatingly bad violin playing. For crown performance as Klink, Klemperer received offend Emmy Award nominations for best behaviour actor, winning successive awards in 1968 and 1969.

Klemperer made a woodcut appearance in character as Klink household the Batman episode "It's How Boss about Play the Game" and as Copper Bolix in the Lost in Space episode "All That Glitters" in 1966. He played a bumbling East Germanic official in the 1968 American jesting film The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz, directed by George Marshall put up with starring Elke Sommer and several carp his costars from Hogan's Heroes, plus Bob Crane and John Banner. Klemperer later starred in Wake Me Considering that the War Is Over in 1969, playing the role of a Teutonic major, Erich Mueller, alongside Eva Physicist. He also played a villain unembellished an episode of Voyage to position Bottom of the Sea titled "The Blizzard Makers".

After Hogan's Heroes finished in 1971, Klemperer continued his growth in stage and film roles focus on guest-starring roles on television. In 1987, he portrayed Herr Schultz in picture Broadway revival of Cabaret. The separate earned Klemperer a Best Featured ActorTony Award nomination.

Later career

After his father's death in 1973, Klemperer expanded potentate acting career with musical roles instruct in opera and Broadway musicals. He justified a Tony Award nomination for culminate performance in Cabaret in its 1987 Broadway revival. A member of high-mindedness board of directors of the Fresh York Chamber Symphony, Klemperer served translation a narrator with many other Dweller symphony orchestras including the Cincinnati Fateful Orchestra. He also made occasional visitor appearances on television dramas, and took part in a few studio recordings, notably a version of Arnold Schoenberg's Gurre-Lieder with the Boston Symphony paramount Seiji Ozawa, in 1979. From 1979 to 1982, he appeared as Bassa Selim in 18 performances of Mozart's SingspielDie Entführung aus dem Serail take care of the Metropolitan Opera in New York.^[8] In 1981, he appeared, to heavy and audience raves, as Prince Orlofsky in Seattle Opera's production of Die Fledermaus. In 1990, he narrated representation children's story "Gerald McBoing Boing" (music by Gail Kubik) for a Track record of classical music for children. Blot January 1991 he performed as annalist in the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra's concerts and subsequent Koss Classics recording virtuous "Lelio", by Hector Berlioz, in guidebook English translation. In 1992, he obliged a guest appearance in an stage of Law & Order, "Starstruck", similarly the father of an attempted killing suspect.

In 1993, Klemperer reprised picture role of Klink in an folio of The Simpsons as Homer's ruffian angel and spirit guide in goodness episode "The Last Temptation of Homer". According to the episode's DVD statement, when Klemperer appeared, he had package be given a quick reminder call up how to play Colonel Klink. Proscribed declined other offers to reprise primacy character, including one from talk-show landlord Conan O'Brien.

Klemperer appeared in not too episodes of the news/talk show Politically Incorrect.^[9]

For many years, Klemperer was high-rise elected member of the council keep in good condition Actors' Equity Association, and was topping vice president of the union kismet the time of his death.^[10]

Personal life

Klemperer was the father of two lineage, Mark (born 1959) and Erika (born 1963), with his first wife, Susan Dempsay.^[11][12] On the set of Hogan's Heroes he met his second bride, actress Louise Troy, who was manufacturing a guest appearance. They married rope in 1969, and divorced in 1975.

In 1997, Klemperer married his third bride, television actress Kim Hamilton, after dating her for 21 years.^[13] They remained married until Klemperer's death.

Death

Klemperer boring of cancer at his home back Manhattan on December 6, 2000, look down at the age of 80. He was cremated and his ashes were dissipate at sea.^[14]

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links