Werner Klemperer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Werner Klemperer
Klemperer on the set of Password, 1971
Born	(1920-03-22)March 22, 1920 Cologne, Free State of Prussia, Germany
Died	December 6, 2000(2000-12-06) (aged 80) New York City, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1947–1995
Spouse(s)	Susan Dempsay ​ ​ (m. 1959; div. 1968)​ Louise Troy ​ ​ (m. 1969; div. 1975)​ Kim Hamilton ​ (m. 1997)​
Children	2
Parent(s)	Otto Klemperer Johanna Geisler [de]

Werner Klemperer (born March 22, 1920 – died December 6, 2000) was an American actor. He was famous for his role as Colonel Wilhelm Klink. This was in the TV show Hogan's Heroes on CBS. He won two Emmy Awards for this role. He won in 1968 and 1969.

After serving in the United States Army during World War II, he started acting on Broadway. This was in 1947. Klemperer then appeared in several movies. These included The Wrong Man (1956) and Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). He was also in many TV shows. Some were Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1956) and Perry Mason (1957). He acted in these before his famous role in Hogan's Heroes.

Early Life and Family

Werner Klemperer was born in Cologne, Germany. He came from a family of musicians. However, he said he was not very good at music himself. His father was the well-known conductor Otto Klemperer. His mother was a singer named Johanna Geisler. He had a younger sister named Lotte.

His family moved to the United States in 1933. They settled in Los Angeles. There, his father became the conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Werner Klemperer started acting while he was a student. He went to University High School. He also took acting classes at the Pasadena Playhouse.

Serving in World War II

Before becoming a full-time actor, Werner joined the United States Army. He served during World War II. He was stationed in Hawaii. While there, he joined a special Army unit called Special Services. He spent years traveling the Pacific. His job was to entertain the troops. After the war ended, he performed on Broadway. Then, he started acting on television.

Acting Career Highlights

Klemperer's first big movie role was in Alfred Hitchcock's The Wrong Man (1956). He played a psychiatrist. In 1959, he was in the TV show One Step Beyond. He played a German officer. He also appeared in the Western TV series Have Gun – Will Travel.

Judgment at Nuremberg Role

Klemperer gained a lot of attention for his role in the 1961 film Judgment at Nuremberg. This movie was about the Nuremberg Trials after World War II. Klemperer played Emil Hahn. Hahn was a Nazi prosecutor and one of the people on trial. Before this, he had a small part in the 1957 film Istanbul. He also played the main role in the 1961 film Operation Eichmann.

Guest Appearances on TV

He made three guest appearances on Perry Mason. In 1958, he played Stefan Riker. In 1963, he was Ulrik Zenas. In 1964, he played Inspector Hurt. In 1963, Klemperer also played a psychology professor. This was in an episode of the sitcom My Three Sons.

Before Hogan's Heroes, Klemperer was in an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents in 1956. He also appeared on the show How to Marry a Millionaire. He was in an episode of The Untouchables.

Werner Klemperer with Bob Crane during an episode of Hogan's Heroes

Colonel Klink in Hogan's Heroes

Werner Klemperer is most famous for playing Colonel Wilhelm Klink. Klink was the clumsy, scared, and self-centered leader of Stalag 13. This was a prison camp in the TV show Hogan's Heroes. The show aired from 1965 to 1971. Klemperer agreed to play the role only if Klink was shown as a fool. He wanted Klink to never truly succeed.

Klemperer's father, Otto Klemperer, watched an episode of the show. He told his son, "Your work is good." Colonel Klink was also known for his terrible violin playing. For his role as Klink, Klemperer was nominated for six Emmy Awards. He won two years in a row, in 1968 and 1969.

Other Roles After Hogan's Heroes

Klemperer made a quick appearance as Klink in an episode of Batman. He also played Officer Bolix in the Lost in Space episode "All That Glitters" in 1966. In 1968, he played a clumsy East German official in the movie The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz. He was in this film with other actors from Hogan's Heroes. In 1969, he starred in Wake Me When the War Is Over. He played a German major named Erich Mueller. He also played a bad guy in an episode of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.

After Hogan's Heroes ended in 1971, Klemperer kept acting. He performed on stage and in movies. He also had guest roles on TV. In 1987, he played Herr Schultz in the Broadway show Cabaret. This role earned him a Tony Award nomination.

Later Career and Music

Klemperer as Bassa Selim in Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), 1982

After his father passed away in 1973, Klemperer took on more musical roles. He sang in operas and Broadway musicals. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his role in Cabaret in 1987. Klemperer was on the board of directors for the New York Chamber Symphony. He also narrated for many American orchestras.

From 1979 to 1982, he appeared in 18 performances of Mozart's opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail. This was at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. In 1990, he narrated the children's story "Gerald McBoing Boing" for a classical music CD. In 1992, he was a guest star on Law & Order. He played the father of a suspect.

In 1993, Klemperer played Colonel Klink again. This was for an episode of The Simpsons. He was Homer's guardian angel. He turned down other chances to play Klink again. Klemperer also appeared on the TV show Politically Incorrect. For many years, he was an elected member of the Actors' Equity Association. He was a vice president of the union when he died.

Personal Life

During World War II, Klemperer was stationed in Pearl Harbor. He met Kathryn Handloss there, and they got engaged. They had a "secret code" in case the war separated them. They were separated when Klemperer went on a tour.

Klemperer in 1998

Klemperer had two children with his first wife, Susan Dempsay. Their names are Mark (born 1959) and Erika (born 1963). He met his second wife, actress Louise Troy, on the set of Hogan's Heroes. They married in 1969 and divorced in 1975.

In 1997, Klemperer married his third wife, television actress Kim Hamilton. They had dated for 21 years. They stayed married until Klemperer's death. Kim Hamilton passed away 13 years later in 2013.

Death

Werner Klemperer died from cancer at his home in Manhattan. He was 80 years old. This was on December 6, 2000. He was cremated, and his ashes were scattered at sea.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Werner Klemperer para niños