Udo Kier, Actor from Warhol Films, 'My Own Private Idaho' & 'Swan Song,' Dies at 81

Udo Kier, the German character actor who oozed sex and radiated menace in equal parts across 200+ films, died Sunday. His partner, the artist Delbert McBride, confirmed his passing at age 81 to Variety.

Stephen Israel, a producer on the 2021 film "Swan Song," a rare starring role for Kier directed by Todd Stephens that generated Oscar buzz, wrote on Facebook, "The world has lost an icon, and I lost a dear friend. Godspeed Udo: until we meet again. I’ll bring the Pinot Grigio. Chilled."

The director of that film, Todd Stephens, shared, "I can't believe he's gone. My buddy."

Kier had the distinction of working with some of the greatest minds in film of the 20th century, among them Andy Warhol and Paul Morrissey, Dario Argento, Rainer Werner Fassbinder and his serial collaborator Lars von Trier.

He was also proud that Madonna requested him to pose with her in her 1992 book "Sex," in which he appeared with the pop icon clad in a tux, a group of male strippers at their command. He had a flashy speaking role in her '70s-themed 1993 music video for "Deeper and Deeper."

Kier was so ubiquitous — and his presence in a film could be so effectively dark — that an entire experimental short film was created by Jan Soldat in 2023 that edits together more than 50 death scenes across his career.

Along with "Swan Song," one of Kier's most recent films is this year's "The Secret Agent," which is Brazil's submission for Best International Feature Film for the 2026 Oscars, just another example of his tireless work ethic.

Udo Kierspe was born October 14, 1944, in Cologne, nearly dying when the hospital in which he was brought into the world was bombed by Allied forces.

By 18, he knew English, and by 22, he was appearing as Udo Kier as the lead in the film "Road to Saint Tropez" (1966).

Excelling early on at playing sexually ambiguous men of mystery, he received a big break when he was cast as Baron von Frankenstein in "Andy Warhol's Flesh for Frankenstein" (1973), written and directed by Paul Morrissey. He landed the title role in "Andy Warhol's Dracula," also for Morrissey, the following year.

Often associated with the horror genre, he had an arresting — but strangely uncredited — part in Dario Argento's influential masterpiece "Suspiria" (1977), remade by Luca Guadagnino in 2018.

Among his most widely viewed and impactful films were "Story of O" (1975), "Lili Marleen" (1981), "Moscow on the Hudson" (1984), "My Own Private Idaho" (1991), "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" (1994), "Johnny Mnemonic" (1995), "Breaking the Waves" (1996), "Barb Wire" (1996), "Blade" (1998), "Armageddon" (1998), "Shadow of the Vampire" (2000), "Dancer in the Dark" (2000), "Dogville" (2003), "Dracula 3000" (2004), "Surviving Christmas" (2004), "BloodRayne" (2005), and "Bacurau" (2019).

He also worked extensively on TV, mostly in Europe, but had an impressive arc as Adolf Hitler on six episodes of "Hunters" in 2023.

Along with Madonna's, other music videos in which he appeared included works by Eve, Korn, and Goo Goo Dolls. He was also a busy voice actor.

Kier is survived by his partner.