Udo Kier (1944 - 2025)
German actor Udo Kier died on the 23rd November at the age of 81. Kier was far from a high profile star but his saturnine good looks and piercing eyes meant that he stood out. As an actor he was enigmatic, brooding and at times sinister which brought him to the attention of several notable European and American directors, such as Werner Herzog, Lars von Trier and Gus Van Sant. His early acting roles in the late sixties gained little attention and it was not until 1973 when he starred in Andy Warhol’s Flesh For Frankenstein, directed by Paul Morrissey that the right people started to take note. What followed was a career that spanned over 220 films, initially in arthouse productions but over time in horror and cult movies, until eventually he started to be cast in mainstream productions. Yet whatever role he appeared in he was always notable.
German actor Udo Kier died on the 23rd November at the age of 81. Kier was far from a high profile star but his saturnine good looks and piercing eyes meant that he stood out. As an actor he was enigmatic, brooding and at times sinister which brought him to the attention of several notable European and American directors, such as Werner Herzog, Lars von Trier and Gus Van Sant. His early acting roles in the late sixties gained little attention and it was not until 1973 when he starred in Andy Warhol’s Flesh For Frankenstein, directed by Paul Morrissey that the right people started to take note. What followed was a career that spanned over 220 films, initially in arthouse productions but over time in horror and cult movies, until eventually he started to be cast in mainstream productions. Yet whatever role he appeared in he was always notable.
I became familiar with Udo Kier’s work mainly through horror films. He had a brief role in Dario Argento’s Suspiria (1977). He stood out in Blade (1998) playing a pure blood vampire elder who meets a dramatic end. In 2007 Kier worked with Rob Zombie in Grindhouse, appearing in the faux movie trailer “Werewolf Women Of The SS” and later in the remake of Halloween. He could effortlessly move from one genre to the other. Hence he appeared notably in Gus Van Sant in My Own Private Idaho (1991) and multiple productions for Lars von Trier, including Europa (1991), Dogville (2003) and Melancholia (2011). His dramatic range was extensive hence he appeared in comedy, complex social dramas and dark thrillers. His role in S. Craig Zahler’s Brawl In Cell Block 99 (2017) is singularly disturbing and is a standout aspect of an already intense film.
Udo Kier was a prolific actor across multiple mediums. Outside of film, he was a voice actor in the video games industry and also in many animated television productions. He featured in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 as a Transylvanian psychic called Yuri and was working up until his death with Hideo Kojima on the forthcoming game OD. Kier also voiced numerous roles in both Justice League and Batman animated television shows including the Music Master and Herbert Ziegler. Not to be confined to just one artistic medium, Udo Kier appeared in Madonna's controversial book “Sex” in 1992. He subsequently featured in the music videos for Madonna’s songs “Erotica” and “Deeper and Deeper”. Kier also appeared in the music videos for Korn’s “Make Me Bad” as well as Eve and Gwen Stefani’s “Let Me Blow Ya Mind”.
Kier was an openly gay man yet he would often play characters of all sexuality. In 2021 he appeared in Swan Song and gave what many fans and critics alike consider the best performance of his career. The film tells the tale of a retired celebrity hairdresser, who leaves his nursing home and takes a literal and figurative journey to style a deceased former client's hair for her funeral. It is a story of self reflection and the changes in gay culture. Kier’s performance is compelling, moving and genuine. Fans have cogently argued that he always brought those qualities to all of his performances but Swan Song finally gave him a role that was a lot closer to home and also finally put him on the radar of mainstream critics. At a time when filmmaking is becoming increasingly bland, along with its leading actors, the loss of Udo Kier is keenly felt. Being mercurial and striking are far from common qualities.
