A prolific actor who starred in “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” and more than 200 other movies is dead at age 81.
Udo Kier, a German actor who worked with big names like Madonna, Andy Warhol and Lars von Trier, died on Sunday, his partner Delbert McBride told Variety. A cause of death was not announced.
Kier first rose to fame in the 1970s by playing the titular monsters in “Flesh for Frankenstein” and “Blood for Dracula,” both directed by Paul Morrissey and produced by Warhol. Variety reports those projects helped him get roles in film productions all over Europe, including in Dario Argento’s “Suspiria,” eventually meeting future Oscar-nominated director Gus Van Sant at the Berlin Film Festival.
Van Sant brought Kier to American audiences in 1991’s “My Own Private Idaho,” alongside River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves. He soon became a regular in popular U.S. films, notably playing billionaire Ron Camp opposite Jim Carrey in 1994’s “Ace Ventura,” Ralfi in 1995’s “Johnny Mnemonic,” a psychologist in 1998’s “Armageddon,” Dragonetti in 1998’s “Blade,” and Morgan Walker in 2007’s “Halloween,” plus Otto Van Vogel on TV’s “Chuck.”
Udo Kier appears in a scene from 1994’s “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.” (Video still)Video still
Kier also had roles in critically acclaimed films with von Trier, including “Europa,” “The Kingdom,” “Breaking the Waves,” “Melancholia,” “Dancer in the Dark” (with Bjork) and “Nymphomaniac: Vol II.” His more recent roles include playing Adolf Hitler in the Amazon Prime series “Hunters,” opposite Al Pacino; a role in the 2018 indie film “The Mountain” (which was partly shot in Syracuse); and Hans in the 2025 Sundance Film Festival favorite “The Secret Agent.”
In the ‘90s and 2000s, Kier notably appeared in a string of music videos such as KoRn’s “Make Me Bad,” Eve and Gwen Stefani’s “Let Me Blow Ya Mind,” Goo Goo Dolls’ “Naked,” and Madonna’s “Deeper and Deeper” and “Erotica.” He additionally appeared in Madonna’s controversial book, “Sex.”
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