Udo Kier, the veteran German actor best known internationally for his striking performances in arthouse titles like Lars von Trier’s Breaking the Waves and My Own Private Idaho by Gus Van Sant, has died. He was 81.
News of Kier’s death was reported Sunday by multiple international outlets, citing an announcement by his partner, the artist Delbert McBride, who said the actor died in a hospital in Palm Springs, California, on Sunday morning. No cause of death was given.
Kier was born in Cologne, Germany, in 1944 and was discovered as a late teen by veteran British producer-director Michael Sarne in London, where he was a student. Kier would go on to star in Michael Armstrong’s Mark Of The Devil, which served as his big-screen breakout. Kier soon after landed roles in Paul Morrissey and Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein and Dracula adaptations, Dario Argento’s Suspiria, and multiple titles by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, including his 1981 Nazi drama Lili Marleen.
Kier also became a close collaborator of the Danish provocateur Lars Von Trier. The pair first collaborated on the 1987 TV movie Medea. Their collaboration would eventually span decades and include features such as Epidemic, Europa, The Kingdom, Breaking the Waves, Dancer in the Dark, Dogville, Melancholia, and Nymphomaniac.
Kier was introduced to American audiences by Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho. He would later have roles in Gus Van Sant’s Even Cowgirls Get The Blues and Don’t Worry He Won’t Get Far On Foot. He also featured in several popular Hollywood titles, including Ace Ventura and Blade.
Kier clocked over 200 credits across his decades-long career. His final credit was Kleber Mendonça Filho’s awards season favorite The Secret Agent.
In a statement on Instagram this morning, Filho said, “Udo Kier, always remembered. There will never, ever be another person and artist like Udo Kier. What a sense of humor, what good taste, what a joy to live. How lucky are we. A big hug to you, mate.”
