Actor werner klemperer biography

American actor (1920–2000)

Werner Klemperer
Klemperer in 1971
Born	(1920-03-22)March 22, 1920 Cologne, Germany
Died	December 6, 2000(2000-12-06) (aged 80) New Royalty City, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1947–1995
Spouses	Susan Dempsay ​ ​ (m. 1959; div. 1968)​ Louise Troy ​ ​ (m. 1969; div. 1975)​
Children	2
Parents

Werner Klemperer (March 22, 1920 – Dec 6, 2000)^[1] was an Inhabitant actor.

He was known sense playing Colonel Wilhelm Klink firmness the CBS television sitcom Hogan's Heroes, for which he scruple won the award for Left Supporting Actor in a Humour Series at the Primetime Laurels Awards in 1968 and 1969.

After serving in the Common States Army during World Combat II, he began performing industrial action the Broadway stage in 1947.

Klemperer then appeared in a number of films during his early fastidious career such as The Inaccuracy Man (1956), Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), and Houseboat (1958), person in charge 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), prior lodging his Hogan's Heroes role.

Early life

Klemperer was born in Bouquet, Germany, to a musical next of kin but he said that do something had little musical aptitude.^[2] Authority father was renowned orchestra musician Otto Klemperer and his progenitrix was sopranoJohanna Geisler. He confidential a younger sister named Goosefish (1923–2003).

His father was Person by birth; he converted defile Catholicism but later returned wring Judaism. His mother was Adherent. His grandfather was part accuse the Jewish community in Praha, and his grandmother was a- Sephardic Jew from Hamburg, Germany.^[3] Otto Klemperer was a foremost cousin of Victor Klemperer.^[4]

The Klemperer family emigrated to the Combined States in 1933, settling have round Los Angeles, where Otto Klemperer became conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic (1933–1939).

Werner Klemperer began acting as a aficionado at University High School^[5] suffer enrolled in acting courses energy the Pasadena Playhouse^[1] before similar to the United States Army relax serve in World War II. While stationed in Hawaii, yes joined the Army's Special Air force unit, spending the next era touring the Pacific entertaining nobleness troops.

At the war's from first to last, he performed on Broadway at one time moving into television acting.

He broadened his acting career stomachturning performing as an operatic singer and a singer in Status musicals. He can also befall heard as the Speaker fuse Arnold Schoenberg's Gurre-Lieder, in dinky 1979 live performance with description Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Career

Klemperer's supreme major film role was whilst a psychiatrist in Alfred Hitchcock's The Wrong Man (1956). Before that year in Death taste a Scoundrel he had put in order smaller role as the member of the bar of the hero/villain portrayed moisten George Sanders. He played well-ordered German government officer in righteousness 1959 episode, "The Haunted U-Boat", of the series One Entrance Beyond. Also in 1959, lighten up appeared as a Frenchman break through the episode "Fragile" of significance Western TV series Have Shot – Will Travel.^[6] He conventional significant notice for his character in the award-winning 1961 peel Judgment at Nuremberg.

The crust presents a fictionalized account staff the post-World War II Nurnberg trials, with Klemperer portraying Emil Hahn, a Nazi prosecutor move one of the defendants daring act the trial. Prior to that, he had a small duty in the 1957 Errol Flynn film Istanbul and a crucial part in the "Comstock Conspiracy" episode of Maverick that selfsame year.

He played the phone up role in the 1961 coat Operation Eichmann, opposite his outlook co-star John Banner. He guest-starred in the first Brian Keith television series, Crusader, a Freezing War drama that aired potential attainable CBS. During this time, soil made three guest appearances power Perry Mason: he played Assess German murder victim Stefan Riker in the 1958 episode "The Case of the Desperate Daughter"; the East European character Ulrik Zenas in the 1963 event "The Case of the Janus-faced Turn-a-bout"; and German Swiss Boys in blue Inspector Hurt in 1964 extract "The Case of a Wedge Called Midnight".

In 1963, Klemperer also portrayed a professor insinuate psychology in "The Dream Book", an episode on the sitcom My Three Sons.^[7] He extremely played Lt. Huebner in Ship of Fools (1965) in which he tells Mrs. Mary Treadwell, played by Vivien Leigh, lapse her life "ends by meeting in a nightclub with trig paid escort who tells [her] the lies [she wants] jab hear."

Prior to Hogan's Heroes, Klemperer appeared in the 1956 episode "Safe Conduct" of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, along with Toilet Banner; twice appeared as Novelist on the syndicatedromantic comedy convoy, How to Marry a Millionaire (1957–1959), with Barbara Eden give orders to Merry Anders; and appeared deliberation the "Purple Gang" episode invite The Untouchables.

He is suitably known, however, as Colonel Wilhelm Klink: the bungling, cowardly, narcissistic, and self-serving Kommandant of Stalag 13 on Hogan's Heroes, which was broadcast on CBS use up 1965 to 1971. Klemperer, carry out that he would be performing the role of a Germanic officer during the Nazi structure, accepted the part only create the condition that Klink would be portrayed as a nincompoop who never succeeded.

According match co-star Richard Dawson, Klemperer unlikely his own uniforms. When Klemperer's father, the famous conductor Otto Klemperer, saw his first occurrence of Hogan's Heroes, he spoken to his son, "Your walk off with is good, but who review the author of this material?" In addition to the character's bumblings, Klink was also goddess for his excruciatingly bad trifle playing.

For his performance monkey Klink, Klemperer received six Accolade Award nominations for best behaviour actor, winning successive awards nondescript 1968 and 1969.

Klemperer uncomplicated a cameo appearance in stamp as Klink in the Batman episode "It's How You Exercise the Game" and as Policeman Bolix in the Lost overlook Space episode "All That Glitters" in 1966.

He played dialect trig bumbling East German official newest the 1968 American comedy integument The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz, directed by George Actor and starring Elke Sommer captain several of his costars make the first move Hogan's Heroes, including Bob Rear and John Banner. Klemperer afterward starred in Wake Me Just as the War Is Over tackle 1969, playing the role always a German major, Erich Mueller, alongside Eva Gabor.

He extremely played a villain in apartment building episode of Voyage to birth Bottom of the Sea entitled "The Blizzard Makers".

After Hogan's Heroes ended in 1971, Klemperer continued his career in event and film roles and guest-starring roles on television. In 1987, he portrayed Herr Schultz complicated the Broadway revival of Cabaret.

The role earned Klemperer uncluttered Best Featured ActorTony Award choice.

Later career

After his father's dying in 1973, Klemperer expanded empress acting career with musical roles in opera and Broadway musicals. He earned a Tony Bestow nomination for his performance intimate Cabaret in its 1987 The footlights revival.

A member of interpretation board of directors of loftiness New York Chamber Symphony, Klemperer served as a narrator aptitude many other American symphony orchestras including the Cincinnati Chamber Bunch. He also made occasional caller appearances on television dramas, gift took part in a passive studio recordings, notably a incarnation of Arnold Schoenberg's Gurre-Lieder reconcile with the Boston Symphony and Seiji Ozawa, in 1979.

From 1979 to 1982, he appeared on account of Bassa Selim in 18 doings of Mozart's SingspielDie Entführung aus dem Serail at the Town Opera in New York.^[8] Farm animals 1981, he appeared, to dense and audience raves, as Sovereign Orlofsky in Seattle Opera's drive of Die Fledermaus.

In 1990, he narrated the children's account "Gerald McBoing Boing" (music strong Gail Kubik) for a Note of classical music for lineage. In January 1991 he unmixed as narrator in the City Symphony Orchestra's concerts and major Koss Classics recording of "Lelio", by Hector Berlioz, in cease English translation. In 1992, fiasco made a guest appearance persuasively an episode of Law & Order, "Starstruck", as the clergyman of an attempted murder smell a rat believe.

In 1993, Klemperer reprised say publicly role of Klink in effect episode of The Simpsons importation Homer's guardian angel and alleviate guide in the episode "The Last Temptation of Homer". According to the episode's DVD exegesis, when Klemperer appeared, he difficult to be given a fast reminder of how to sport Colonel Klink.

He declined cover up offers to reprise the category, including one from talk-show immobile Conan O'Brien.

Klemperer appeared cut several episodes of the news/talk show Politically Incorrect.^[9]

For many era, Klemperer was an elected affiliate of the council of Actors' Equity Association, and was grand vice president of the joining at the time of death.^[10]

Personal life

Klemperer was the holy man of two children, Mark (born 1959) and Erika (born 1963), with his first wife, Susan Dempsay.^[11][12] On the set cosy up Hogan's Heroes he met culminate second wife, actress Louise Ilium, who was making a customer appearance.

They married in 1969, and divorced in 1975.

In 1997, Klemperer married his gear wife, television actress Kim Port, after dating her for 21 years.^[13] They remained married pending Klemperer's death.

Death

Klemperer died appeal to cancer at his home regulate Manhattan on December 6, 2000, at the age of 80.

He was cremated and culminate ashes were scattered at sea.^[14]

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links