Leon Askin, who played General Burkhalter on Hogan's Heroes, died on June 3,
2005 in Vienna, Austria at age 97.
Born - September 18, 1907
Died - June 3, 2005
As a nine year-old boy, Leon Askin recited a 17-stanza eulogy for Emperor
Francis Joseph in front of the city hall of Vienna's ninth district. Little
did the son of a salesman know then that he would one day be the student of
Max Reinhardt and Louise Dumont, and discover Jura Soyfer while directing
the political cabaret ABC. Emigration brought him into contact with even more
20th-century luminaries: in 1938 he met Erwin Piscator, the founder of the
school of Epic Realism, and worked with him for the next 30 years. On the
set of his movie One, Two, Three, director Billy Wilder once exclaimed, "Here
comes my professional!" Askin, who was often cast as the "funny
villain", performed alongside Richard Burton, Doris Day and James Cagney.
It is not merely exposure to big stars that distinguishes Leon Askin, though.
He captured the hearts of critics and audiences with his impressive stage
performances of "Faust" and "Shylock" on Broadway, which
he also directed, and "Othello" in Hamburg. In addition, Leon Askin
made TV-history as General Burckhalter in the series Hogan's Heroes.
From the Internet Movie Database - mini-biography by avacca@psmedia.com
