Udo Kier (born Udo Kierpse on October 14, 1944 in Cologne, Germany) is a German character actor and voice actor.
He has appeared in over 200 films over the course of his long career, and has collaborated with such esteemed directors as Lars von Trier, Gus Van Sant, Werner Herzog, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Wim Wenders, and Dario Argento.
Selected Filmography
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Live-Action Films
- Mark of the Devil (1970) as Count Christian von Meruh
- Flesh for Frankenstein (1973) as Baron von Frankenstein
- Blood for Dracula (1974) as Count Dracula
- Exposé (1976) as Paul Martin
- Suspiria (1977) as Dr. Frank Mandel
- Moscow on the Hudson (1984) as Gay Man on the Streets (cameo)
- Even Cowgirls Get The Blues (1993) as Commercial Director
- Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) as Ron Camp
- Johnny Mnemonic (1995) as Ralfi
- Barb Wire (1996) as Curly
- Breaking the Waves (1996) as Sadistic Sailor
- The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996) as Lorenzini
- Prince Valiant (1997) as Sligon
- Armageddon (1998) as Psychologist
- Blade (1998) as Dragonetti
- End of Days (1999) as Head Priest
- Shadow of the Vampire (2000) as Albin Grau
- Dancer in the Dark (2000) as Dr. Porkorny
- Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 (2002) as The Guardian
- FeardotCom (2002) as Polidori
- Dogville (2003) as Man in the Coat
- Dracula 3000 (2004) as Captain Varna
- Manderlay (2005) as Mr. Kirspe
- Bloodrayne (2006) as Regal Monk
- Grindhouse (2007) as Franz Hess
- Halloween (2007) as Morgan Walker
- Mother of Tears (2007) as Father Johannes
- Far Cry (2008) as Dr. Lucas Krieger
- Soul Kitchen (2009) as Herr Jung
- Melancholia (2011) as Wedding Planner
- The Theatre Bizarre (2011) as Peg Poett
- Iron Sky (2012) as Wolfgang Kortzfleisch
- The Lords of Salem (2013) as Witchhunter
- Night of the Templar (2013) as Father Paul
- Nymphomaniac (2013) as Waiter
- Downsizing (2017) as Joris Konrad
- American Animals (2018) as Mr. Van Der Hoek
- Iron Sky: The Coming Race (2019) as Wolfgang Kortzfleisch / Adolf Hitler
Live-Action Television
- Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) as Young Man in Bar
- SeaQuest DSV (1993) as Dr. Guy Peche
- Riget (1994, 1997, 2022) as Aage Krüger, Lillebror, and Storebror
- Nash Bridges (1996) as Wolfgang Herzog
- The Sentinel (1996-1999) as Klaus Zeller
- Tatort (2 episodes)
- Viper (1998) as Erich Geiger
- V.I.P. (1998) as Viktor Balek
- Masters of Horror (2005) as Bellinger
- Chuck (2010) as Otto van Vogel
- Borgia (2011) as Pope Innocent VIII
Video Games (Live-Action)
- Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 (2000) as Yuri
- OD: A Hideo Kojima Game (TBA) as TBA
Voice Acting
- Justice League (2002) as Music Master
- The Batman (2004) as Herbert Ziegler
- Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated (2010-2013) as Prof. Pericles / Shadowy Figure
- Beware the Batman (2013-2014) as Mr. Toad
- Major Lazer (2015) as Head Vampire Voice
- Call of Duty: WWII as Dr. Peter Glucksbringer Straub
- Martha Is Dead as Erich
Tropes Associated with Kier
- Chronically Killed Actor: Kier is known for his memorable death scenes, from suicide by disembowelment via film projector in Cigarette Burns, to being burned alive by the sun in Blade, to having his liver removed via spear in Flesh for Frankenstein, to death by mono-filiment whip in Johnny Mnemonic. Here is the full list.
- Creepy Blue Eyes: Has particularly piercing pair.
- Creepy Monotone: A staple of his.
- Fake Nationality: Has played several.
- Not Even Bothering with the Accent: Unless he's been dubbed (like in Suspiria) he always speaks with his native German accent, regardless of the apparent nationality of the character.
- Playing Against Type: The 2021 drama Swan Song, which sees him playing a flamboyant ageing hairdresser, allows him to give a more grounded and subtle performance than usual.
- Straight Gay: A few of his characters, and Kier himself.
- What Could Have Been: Kier was cast in the role of mentat Piter De Vries in the aborted production of Alejandro Jodorowsky's version of Dune.
