I wouldn’t use the word legend, but Udo Kier was certainly a cinema icon. He has one of those faces that you know and has been in some incredible movies. Even if a lot of them are more in the cult status.
Kier was a German actor and had collaborated with people like Andy Warhol, Lars Von Trier and Madonna. His partner, Delbert McBride, announced his passing this weekend.
He is credited with over 200 appearances, including movies like My Own Private Idaho, Red Shoe Dairies, Johnny Mnemonic, Barb Wire, Blade, Shadow of the Vampire, BloodRayne, Nymphomaniac: Vol II, Brawl in Cell Block 99, to name a few.
The first time I saw him was in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. That was before I got into more cult movies and then saw him a lot.
Kier’s breakout roles were in the titular movies in Flesh for Frankenstein (1973) and Blood for Dracula (1974). Both movies were directed by Paul Morrissey and produced by Andy Warhol. In both movies, Kier played the lead role of Baron Frankenstein and Count Dracula.
He worked all over Europe, in the US and the rest of the world. He loved being an actor, telling Variety:
“I liked the attention, so I became an actor.”
On the IMDb he still has several movies that are still in production, so we haven’t seen the last of Kier yet. What movies do you remember him for?
