Udo Kier’s path into film was unpredictable. A chance meeting with director Paul Morrissey on a plane led to roles in Flesh for Frankenstein and Blood for Dracula

Udo Kier, the prolific German actor whose career bridged underground art films and Hollywood blockbusters, has died at the age of 81, according to Variety.

Kier passed away on Sunday morning, his partner Delbert McBride shared.

Kier’s career spanned more than 200 roles over five decades. His career saw him travel between Europe and the United States for years before he eventually settled down in Los Angeles and Palm Springs.

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Kier was born during a bombing raid in Cologne in 1944. He described his birth in a harrowing story shared during a phone interview years ago, recalling how his mother shielded him in the rubble.

Kier described having a “horrible childhood” in Germany, with a father “already married with three children” and a mother struggling to raise him in poverty. But he turned his life around and became a hugely successful actor.

Kier moved to London at 18, learned English, and kicked off his career with a leading role in the 1966 short film Road to Saint Tropez.

But Kier’s path into film was unpredictable and it was a chance meeting with director Paul Morrissey on a plane that led to his biggest roles. He starred in Flesh for Frankenstein (1973) and Blood for Dracula (1974), both produced by Andy Warhol which became defining moments in his early career.

Comedian and actor Dane Cook took to X to pay tribute to “one of the funniest people [hes] ever met.”

He wrote: ” I will miss you Udo Kier. You had not only the coolest stories but you were a gracious host and I don’t believe people will believe me when I say you were one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. RIP – the highways shoot on our film American Exit will forever me one of my favorite memories.”

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