Legendary German film star Udo Kier has passed away. The news was first reported in Variety. The iconic actor was a staple across indie, blockbuster, and experimental cinema, and was even set to star in Hideo Kojima’s mysterious new video game project, “OD.” According to an Instagram post from Kojima, Kier had not completed his work on the highly anticipated Xbox game, which is still without a release date. It’s currently unknown how the project will proceed without him.
In another life, I had the opportunity to interview Udo Kier for his role in the film, Iron Sky: The Coming Race. Over the course of our phone call, he proved an open book. I only had ten or fifteen minutes or so with him, but he talked about his life and career and shared the chilling and traumatic circumstances of his birth:
“I was born, and the nurse was collecting all the newborn babies to clean them up. My mother said, “can I have him a little bit longer?” And the nurse said, “okay, okay.” Then, a little later, the babies were lying all on one table, and my mother saw the wall coming down, and the nurse was jumping over all the babies to protect them, and everybody was dead. My mother was lucky that her bed was in the corner, which was a little stronger. She held me with one hand, and with the other hand, she made a hole in the rubble. Sometimes, I have that vision, of a fallen down building with a hand sticking out and waving for help. She was freed, with me. I was two hours old.”
Due to a chance encounter with Paul Morrissey on an airplane, Kier found himself in the employ of Andy Warhol, who cast him in both 1973’s Flesh for Frankenstein and 1974’s Blood for Dracula. While the movies are certainly full of their share of Warhol quirkiness, nobody could deny the magnetic, downright beautiful, presence of Udo Kier.
Over the years, Kier’s star grew to the point where he was equally a staple in art-house indie cinema (he was a Lars Von Trier regular, after all) and mainstream blockbusters (Blade, Ace Ventura, Barb Wire). He also featured in a ton of off-kilter movies like Iron Sky, Brawl in Cell Block 99, The Lords of Salem, and literally hundreds more.
Udo Kier was a sex symbol for all time. He was openly gay, but also transcended sexuality with his debonaire appearance and charming presence. Maybe he really was Dracula! Women and gay men loved him because he looked beautiful and sophisticated, while men were jealous of his icy blue eyes, soft-spoken authority, and timeless, effortless charisma. There aren’t many human beings who were as beautiful at age 80 as they were at age 30, but Udo Kier was one of those precious few.
My favorite Udo Kier movie (that I’ve seen, at least) is 2021’s Swan Song, directed by Todd Stephens. While not his final movie, it’s a fitting title for a movie star who was, back then, in his late 70s. The comedic drama shows that everyone – that is, every movie star, every man, every diva, every icon – always has one more adventure left in them, and that, the older you get, the more you have to live, for the sake of those who didn’t make it as far as you did. It’s a beautiful film, and a tribute to those who died of AIDS in the 80s and beyond from the lucky ones who made it through.
I don’t know how many of today’s actors will grow old and be regarded as legends. Udo Kier, without a doubt, was a legend.
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