ANDwas born under the bombs and lived in front of the camera, giving cinema one of the most magnetic, ambiguous and unforgettable glances of the twentieth century. Udo Kier has died at the age of 81leaving a great void in that auteur cinema that thrives on aesthetics and restlessness.
Tireless actor, horror dandy, queer icon and fetish face for the most visionary directors, Kier leaves with a legacy of over two hundred films. A career which was a long journey – physical and artistic – begun among the rubble of Cologne in 1944 (he was pulled alive from the bombed hospital as soon as he was born) and concluded as a living legend of an art free from any label.
Udo Kier, beautiful vampire who seduced Warhol
It’s impossible to forget the impact he had overseas. After moving to London, his androgynous face caught the attention of Factory by Andy Warhol. They were the films directed by Paul Morrissey, The monster is on the table… Baron Frankenstein (1973) e Dracula seeks virgin blood… and dies of thirst!!! (1974), to transform it into a “cursed” sex symbol. In those films, Kier embodied a tired and aristocratic Europe, mixing eroticism and a melancholy that could be read in those very clear eyes.
Udo Kier in the short Road to Saint Tropez, 1966. ROAD TO ST. TROPEZ, Udo Kier, 1966
The New German Cinema and the link with Fassbinder
If Warhol made him an international pop icon, it was his compatriot Rainer Werner Fassbinder to become deeply rooted in his career during the golden age of New German Cinema. Between the two there was not only work, but an intellectual understanding that produced memorable works. Udo Kier lent his angular face to seminal films such as The third generation (1979), Lili Marleen (1981) and the monumental series Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980). In that group of rebellious and tormented artists, the Teutonic actor brought a glacial and controlled stage presence, a perfect counterbalance to Fassbinder’s creative and self-destructive fire.
Udo Kier, from Suspiria to the films of Lars von Trier
Italy was a second home for him, thanks to the partnership with Dario Argento (Suspiria, The third mother). But it was maybe Lars von Trier to understand his nature more than anyone else in his mature years, wanting him as the spiritual godfather of his most complex films: from The waves of destiny to Dogvilleto the point of claustrophobia Melancholia.
Udo Kier in Melancholia (2011) by Lars von Trier
The private life of Udo Kier: the desert, dogs and art
Far from the sets and the dark atmospheres of his characters, Udo Kier was a man who loved light and nature. Openly homosexualhe lived his identity with absolute freedom and without sensationalism. Over time, he has become a silent point of reference for the LGBTQ+ community in the world of cinema.
Linked to the artist Delbert McBride, he had chosen to live in the United States for many years, a Palm SpringsCalifornia. There he had transformed an old library into a museum-residencesurrounded by his beloved foundling dogs, the desert and a vast art collection. Those who knew him well described him as a man with a gentle spirit, a passionate gardener and a great storyteller, capable of laughing at his own image as a cinema “villain”.
Udo Kier at the premiere of “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot” during the Berlinale in 2018 (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
The last act
One of his last great gifts to the public was Swan Song (2021), delicate film which earned him an award at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. He played a retired hairdresser who travels across town to do an old friend’s hair for her funeral. A poignant, ironic and vital role: the perfect testament to a man who walked through the darkness of cinema always carrying with him a unique light.
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