Rest in Peace, Colonel Klink
Rest in Peace, Colonel Klink
Thursday December 07 10:06 PM EST
Werner Klemperer, the man guaranteed tube immortality as the bumbling Colonel Klink on TV's Hogan's Heroes, has died at the age of 80.
Klemperer's publicist says the actor had been battling cancer and died Wednesday at his home in New York.
On CBS from 1965-1971 (and still going strong in reruns), Hogan's Heroes showed the wacky side of World War II German POW camps. The manic, monocled Klink lorded over Stalag 13 in name only--the camp was really run by the prisoners under the leadership of Colonel Robert Hogan (Bob Crane).
Although he'll forever be known as the commandant of Stalag 13, Klemperer, a Jew, actually fled Nazi Germany in the 1930s and served in the U.S. Army during World War II.
In fact, Klemperer only agreed to do the sitcom if producers promised never to have Klink succeed in his schemes, which, of course, he never did. As his plots fell apart, the exasperated Klink would shout his trademark line: "Hooooogan!"
Klemperer received Emmy nominations all six years of the show's run, winning the trophy twice, in 1968 and '69.
Klemperer spent much of his later career trying to live down his Hogan's Heroes days, preferring to be recognized for his musical accomplishments. The son of world-renowned conductor Otto Klemperer, he had a stint guiding the Buffalo Orchestra and appeared as a narrator with nearly every major symphony orchestra in the United States.
Klemperer was also an operatic singer, and he snagged a Tony nomination for his supporting role in the 1988 revival of Cabaret. His film work included Death of a Scoundrel, Operation Eichmann, The Goddess, Judgment at Nuremburg and Ship of Fools.
In one of his final show-biz performances, the good-natured Klemperer voiced the role of a guardian angel on The Simpsons, which featured him riffing on his famous line one last time with a hearty "Hoooooomer!"
Survivors include his wife, Kim, and two children.
