Obituary: Werner Klemperer

Actor. Born in Germany. Died yesterday in New York, aged 80.

It seemed an unlikely role for a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany, but Werner Klemperer was perfect as Colonel Klink, the monocled German prison-camp commandant of television's Hogan's Heroes.

Klemperer, who fled Germany in the 1930s with his father, Otto, a distinguished conductor and composer, won two Emmy Awards for his portrayal of the bumbling, invariably outwitted character in the 1960s sitcom about Allied prisoners of war.

But his repertoire extended to dramatic and musical roles on stage and in films.

He received a Tony nomination in 1988 for his performance in a Broadway revival of Cabaret, and starred opposite Jose Ferrer in The Insect Comedy and with Tallulah Bankhead in Dear Charles. His most recent role was in Chekhov's Uncle Vanya.

Klemperer's film credits include Death of a Scoundrel, The Goddess, Judgment at Nuremberg and Ship of Fools.

He also appeared as a narrator with most major symphony orchestras in the United States, and performed in musical productions ranging from The Sound of Music to the New York City Opera's Die Fledermaus.

But Klemperer will be remembered by most as hapless Klink, the commandant who couldn't keep his prisoners behind barbed wire.

He is survived by his wife, actress Kim Hamilton Klemperer, a son and a daughter.

- NZPA