German actor Udo Kier’s icy gaze and strange, scene-stealing screen presence made him a favourite of film-makers including Andy Warhol, Gus Van Sant and Lars von Trier. A longtime arthouse favourite, Kier also had an unlikely run as a character actor in Hollywood blockbusters including
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, with Jim Carrey. Born Udo Kierspe in Cologne, Germany, in 1944, as Allied forces bombed the city during World War 2, Kier moved to London aged 18. He was discovered at a coffee bar by singer and future film-maker Michael Sarne. Kier had his breakout as the star of two films produced by Warhol and directed by Paul Morrissey: 1973’s
Flesh for Frankenstein and 1974’s
Blood for Dracula. German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder put Kier in several films later in the decade, including
The Stationmaster’s Wife and
The Third Generation. Kier’s US breakthrough came in 1991 in Gus Van Sant’s 1991 film
My Own Private Idaho, which starred River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves. Kier went on to rack up more than 200 credits in a nearly 60-year career. He died on November 23 aged 81. — Agencies/Allied Media
