German actor Udo Kier, known for Blood for Dracula and My Own Private Idaho, has died at 81. His partner, Delbert McBride, confirmed he passed away Sunday in Palm Springs, though no cause of death has been shared. Photographer Michael Childers announced the news on Facebook, calling it a heartbreaking loss.
Kier appeared in over 250 films across Hollywood and Europe. He rose to fame in the 1970s with Paul Morrissey’s Flesh for Frankenstein and Blood for Dracula, and later worked extensively with directors Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Lars von Trier, appearing in films like Europa, Dogville, and Melancholia.
His American breakthrough came with Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho in 1991. Kier went on to memorable roles in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Armageddon, and Blade, and made appearances in Madonna’s Sex book and several music videos, as well as Korn’s “Make Me Bad.”
Born Udo Kierspe in Cologne in 1944, he moved to London at 18 and began his long career, later earning awards such as the CineMerit and Artistic Achievement honors.
Kier’s final film was the political thriller The Secret Agent. He is also set to appear posthumously in the upcoming horror video game OD, produced by Jordan Peele.
