Early life

Kier was born in Cologne, near the end of World War II. The hospital where he was born was bombed moments after his birth. In his youth he worked as an altar boy and cantor. He moved to the United Kingdom to learn the English language.

Career

In 1966, Kier was cast in the lead role for the film Road to St. Tropez. One of the most important films in his early career was Andy Warhol's Frankenstein in 1973. Another film, Blood for Dracula in 1974, was filmed by Paul Morrissey for Andy Warhol's studio and produced by Vittorio de Sica and Roman Polański, with Kier playing the lead roles of young doctor Frankenstein and young count Dracula. Kier has appeared in a number of other vampire movies, such as Die Einsteiger (1985), Blade (1998), Modern Vampires (1998), Shadow of the Vampire (2000), Dracula 3000 and Bloodrayne (2006). In the 1980s Kier worked with Hungarian director Gábor Bódy and appeared in a number of his projects. Their most successful work together was Narcissus and Psyche in 1980.

He has worked with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Walerian Borowczyk, and Dario Argento and has starred in many horror and vampire movies such as Flesh For Frankenstein (1973) and Blood for Dracula (1974) (produced by Andy Warhol and directed by Paul Morrissey), the horror classic Suspiria (1977), the vampire Hollywood blockbuster Blade (1998), and the independent film Shadow of the Vampire (2000), produced by Nicolas Cage.

He has appeared in all of Lars von Trier's movies since 1987's Epidemic (with the exceptions of The Idiots, The Boss of it All and Antichrist).

He made an appearance in cult movie My Own Private Idaho (1991) directed by Gus van Sant. Well-known film appearances were in Ace Ventura:Pet Detective (1994) with Jim Carrey as a billionaire, Ronald Camp, in Barb Wire with Pamela Anderson, as a NASA flight psychologist in Armageddon, and as Ralphie in the film Johnny Mnemonic. He has also frequently worked with German director Christoph Schlingensief.

Kier also made an appearance in Madonna's 1992 book called Sex, as well as the video for her disco hit "Deeper and Deeper" from the album Erotica. Kier appeared in Korn's music video "Make Me Bad", in Eve's music video "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" and in the music video for "Die Schöne und das Biest" by defunct German band Rauhfaser.

He also starred as the psychic Yuri in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 and its expansion, Yuri's Revenge, played the villainous Lorenzini in the 1996 film The Adventures of Pinocchio, and then later reprised his role in the 1999 sequel The New Adventures of Pinocchio. He also voiced Professor Pericles in Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated.

A documentary on his life and career entitled ICH-UDO...der Schauspieler Udo Kier (ME-Udo...the actor Udo Kier) was filmed for ARTE, the French-German culture channel in Europe, and released in 2012. 2013 the Documentary won the New York Festival "Finalist Certificate".

Personal life

Kier moved to Palm Springs, California in 1991.

Filmography

Film

• Road to St. Tropez (1966)
• La stagione dei sensi (1969)
• Mark of the Devil (1970)
• Proklisis (1970)
• Erotomaneis (1971)
• Anilikes amartoles (1972)
• The Salzburg Connection (1972)
• Andy Warhol's Frankenstein (1973)
• Joseph Balsamo (fr) (1973, TV miniseries)
• Blood for Dracula (1974)
• The Last Word (1975)
• Histoire d'O (1975)
• Exposé (1976)
• Spermula (1976)
• Suspiria (1977)
• The Fifth Commandment (1978)
• Hungarian Rhapsody (1979)
• Nárcisz és Psziché (1980)
• Lulu (1980)
• Docteur Jekyll et les femmes (1981)
• The Island of the Bloody Plantation (1983)
• Der Unbesiegbare (1985)
• Verführung: Die grausame Frau (1985)
• Egomania - Insel ohne Hoffnung (1986)
• Epidemic (1987)
• Medea (1988)
• 100 Jahre Adolf Hitler - Die letzte Stunde im Führerbunker (1989)
• Das Deutsche Kettensägenmassaker - Die Erste Stunde Der Wiedervereinigung (1990)
• My Own Private Idaho (1991)
• Europa (1991)
• Terror 2000 - Intensivstation Deutschland (1992)
• Josh and S.A.M. (1993)
• For Love or Money (1993)
• Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)
• Rotwang muß weg! (1994)
• A Trick of Light (1995)
• Ausgestorben (1995)
• Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
• Nur über meine Leiche (1995)
• United Trash (1996)
• Barb Wire (1996)
• Breaking the Waves (1996)
• The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996)
• Betty (1997)
• Prince Valiant (1997)
• Armageddon (1998)
• Blade (1998)
• Ice (1998)
• Modern Vampires (1998)
• Killer Deal (1998)
• End of Days (1999)
• History Is Made at Night (1999)
• Besat (1999)
• The Debtors (1999)
• Unter den Palmen (1999)
• The New Adventures of Pinocchio (1999)
• Critical Mass (2000)
• Citizens of Perpetual Indulgence (2000)
• Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
• Dancer in the Dark (2000)
• Red Letters (2000)
• Just One Night (2000)
• Doomsdayer (2000)
• Double Deception (2001)
• Die Gottesanbeterin (2001)
• Invincible (2001)
• Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 (2001)
• All the Queen's Men (2001)
• Revelation (2001)
• Auf Herz und Nieren (2002)
• Broken Cookies (also directed) (2002)
• FeardotCom (2002)
• Mrs Meitlemeihr (2002)
• Pigs Will Fly (2002)
• Montewood Hollyverità (2003)
• Love Object (2003)
• Dogville (2003)
• Gate to Heaven (2003)
• Paranoia 1.0 (2004)
• Sawtooth (2004)
• Jargo (2004)
• Modigliani (2004)
• Evil Eyes (2004)
• Dracula 3000 (2004)
• Surviving Christmas (2004)
• Children of Wax (2005)
• One More Round (2005)
• Headspace (2005)
• Wit's End (2005)
• Manderlay (2005)
• John Carpenter's Cigarette Burns (2005)
• BloodRayne (2006)
• Pray for Morning (2006)
• Holly (2006)
• Crusade in Jeans (2006)
• Fall Down Dead (2007)
• Grindhouse (Segment: "Werewolf Women of the SS") (2007)
• Halloween (2007)
• The Mother of Tears (2007)
• Pars: Operation Cherry (2007)
• Tell (2007)
• Far Cry (2008)
• 1½ Knights - In Search of the Ravishing Princess Herzelinde (2008)
• Lulu and Jimi (2009)
• House of Boys (2009)
• Soul Kitchen (2009)
• Metropia (voice) (2009)
• My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? (2010)
• Chuck (2010)
• Borgia (2011)
• Die Blutgräfin (2011)
• Keyhole (2011)
• Melancholia (2011)
• The Theatre Bizarre (2011)
• Iron Sky (2012)
• Night of the Templar (2012)
• UFO In Her Eyes (2012)
• Nymphomaniac (2013)
• Beethoven's Treasure Tail (2014)
• The Forbidden Room (2015)
• Iron Sky: The Coming Race (2017)

Television

• Seaquest DSV (1993) - Episode "Give me Liberté"
• The Kingdom (1994)
• Tracey Takes On... (1996) - Episode "Death"
• The Kingdom II (1997)
• Altes Geld (2015)

Animation

• Justice League (2002)
• The Batman (2004)
• Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated (2010-2013)
• Beware the Batman (2013-2014)

Video games

• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 (2000)
• Command & Conquer: Yuri's Revenge (2001)

[ Source: Wikipedia ]