MOVIE NEWS – Udo Kier, the singular German character actor known to mainstream audiences as Yuri from the live-action Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 cutscenes and more recently as one of the faces of the upcoming OD, has died at the age of 81. Revered in arthouse circles for his collaborations with provocateur directors and in genre cinema for his distinctive presence, Kier’s passing prompted an emotional tribute from Hideo Kojima, who said there will never be another artist quite like him.
Over the course of his career, Kier appeared in around 275 roles, ranging from independent films to big studio blockbusters. He featured in movies such as My Own Private Idaho, Blade, Armageddon, and Dogville, and also turned up in Madonna music videos and multiple video games. His partner, Delbert McBride, confirmed to Variety that Kier passed away on Sunday morning, while photographer Michael Childers posted on social media that the actor died in a hospital in Palm Springs, California. A cause of death has not yet been made public.
The horror specialist broke through with the 1970 shocker Mark of the Devil, then went on to play Frankenstein in 1973’s Flesh for Frankenstein and Dracula in 1974’s Blood for Dracula, both produced under the Andy Warhol banner. His first major American role came with 1991’s My Own Private Idaho, opposite River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves. Madonna, a long-time admirer of his work, cast him in her videos for Erotica and Deeper and Deeper. Later, he took memorable supporting turns in films like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Johnny Mnemonic, Armageddon, End of Days, and Blade. Kier’s final screen appearance was in the political thriller The Secret Agent, in which he portrayed a Jewish Holocaust survivor living through the last years of Brazil’s military dictatorship.
Alongside his vast filmography, Kier also carved out a niche in video games. He famously portrayed Yuri in the live-action story scenes of Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2, and he reprised the role in 2001’s expansion, Command & Conquer: Yuri’s Revenge. Later, he lent his voice to 2017’s Call of Duty: WWII and 2022’s psychological horror Martha is Dead. Most recently, he was set to appear in OD, the upcoming horror game from Hideo Kojima and producer Jordan Peele, and he already featured in its teaser trailer, where early face scan footage is shown. It remains unclear whether Kier’s role will now be recast in the Microsoft-published project.
Kojima took to social media to pay tribute to Kier and made it clear just how deeply the news had shaken him.
“I’m at a loss for words,” Kojima wrote. “It all happened far too suddenly. Because of the strike, we weren’t able to shoot OD for a long time, and we were forced to reschedule to next year. Even during that time, Udo and I exchanged emails frequently, and we stayed in close contact. When we met in Milan at the end of September, he told me how much he was looking forward to the shoot starting up again next year. He was full of energy then as well, making me laugh with his usual ‘Udo-isms.’”
“I still can’t believe this. Udo wasn’t just an actor, he was truly an ‘icon’ of his time. We’ve lost a great ‘icon.’ There will never be another like him. Udo, rest in peace. I will never forget you.”
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