Udo Kier, prolific German actor and favourite star of Lars Von Trier, dies aged 81

German actor Udo Kier, who worked with everyone from Andy Warhol to Gus Van Sant, Werner Herzog, Dario Argento and Rainer Werner Fassbinder, has died at the age of 81.

His partner, artist Delbert McBride, announced that Kier had died in hospital in Palm Springs, California, on Sunday morning. No cause of death was given.

Known for his piercing stare and memorable villainous roles, Kier leaves behind an expansive body of work, having starred in more than 250 films, earning him the reputation as one of European cinema’s foremost character actors.

Kier was born in Cologne, Germany, in 1944, in a hospital which was bombed by the Allied forces moments after is birth. He and his mother were reportedly dug out of the rubble.

He moved to London, England, at the age of 18 and was discovered there. His breakout role was in the 1970 horror film Mark of the Devil. Several horror films followed, including his memorable turn as Baron von Frankenstein in 1973’s Flesh for Frankenstein and Count Dracula in the following year’s Blood For Dracula – both directed by Paul Morrissey and produced by Warhol.

He went on to work closely with his friend Fassbinder, who he had met at the age of 16, and appeared in his films The Stationmaster’s Wife, Lola, The Third Generation and Lili Marleen, as well as his celebrated miniseries Berlin Alexanderplatz.

Among some of his best-known performances were turns in 70s classics like Suspiria, Story of O and The Fifth Commandment. His partnership with director Lars Von Trier led to a lifelong collaboration, with roles in Epidemic, Europa, The Kingdom, Breaking the Waves, Dancer in the Dark, Dogville, Melancholia and Nymphomaniac: Vol. II.

It was Gus Van Sant who offered him his first American role in the 1991 film My Own Private Idaho. Other notable US screen roles include Johnny Mnemonic, Armageddon, End of Days, Blade and Downsizing.

Madonna was such a fan of his role as Hans in My Own Private Idaho that she cast Kier as her husband in her 1992 book "Sex", followed by roles in her music videos for 'Erotica' and 'Deeper and Deeper'. He also appeared in music videos for Goo Goo Dolls, Supertramp, Korn and Eve.

Kier’s final film was Kleber Mendonça Filho’s neo-noir political thriller The Secret Agent, a Cannes favourite this year in which he played a Jewish Holocaust survivor. The film earned star Wagner Moura the Palme for Best Actor.

Of his prolific career, Kier once said: “100 movies are bad, 50 movies you can see with a glass of wine and 50 movies are good.”

RIP Udo Kier 1944 - 2025