Cameras Stop Rolling
Behind those familiar salutes and catchphrases stood real people with intriguing stories. The cast of Hogan's Heroes brought laughter to millions, but their personal tales tell us much more than just comedy.
John Banner (Sergeant Hans Schultz)
"I see nothing! I know nothing!" became the catchphrase that endeared Sergeant Schultz to millions. The irony of Banner's role runs deep, though. He was a resident of Austria but fled his homeland in 1938 when Hitler annexed Austria, later serving in the United States Army Air Corps.
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
John Banner (Sergeant Hans Schultz) (Cont.)
Banner lost much of his family during the Holocaust. In a way, this made his portrayal of the bumbling sergeant who turned a blind eye to the prisoners' schemes all the more poignant. Before finding his iconic role, he had appeared in over 40 films.
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
John Banner (Sergeant Hans Schultz) (Cont.)
Banner made his television debut on a 1950 episode of The Lone Ranger. His career continued after Hogan's Heroes, with roles in The Baileys of Balboa and Uncle Latzi in The Chicago Teddy Bears. Banner was married once and died on his 63rd birthday, January 28, 1973.
"The War is Over!" - Hogan's Heroes' Best Hoax - 1968 by Shatner Method
Bob Crane (Colonel Robert Hogan)
The charismatic leader of Hogan's Heroes met a tragic end that shocked Hollywood. Born July 13, 1928, in Waterbury, Connecticut, Crane began his life as a drummer in middle school before finding success as an innovative radio DJ in the 1950s.
CBS, Hogan's Heroes (1965–1971)
Bob Crane (Colonel Robert Hogan) (Cont.)
After transitioning to acting, Crane got his iconic role as Colonel Hogan in 1965. The show's six-season run catapulted him to stardom, but his post-Hogan life proved challenging, and here’s why.
Maury Foldare and Associates, Hollywood., Wikimedia Commons
Bob Crane (Colonel Robert Hogan) (Cont.)
His famous sitcom, The Bob Crane Show, flopped in 1975. Crane's life then took darker turns as he became obsessed with video technology, using it to record encounters with women. Crane was then murdered while performing in a dinner theater in Scottsdale on June 28, 1978.
BOB CRANE SHOW, THE (1975) Ep. 1 "Mid-Term Blues" Bob Crane, Patricia Harty by sfinthecity
Larry Hovis (Technical Sergeant Andrew Carter)
This explosives expert of the POW team began his entertainment work far from the actor's studio. It all started for him as a singer with Capitol Records. Hovis's strongest-selling song was fittingly titled "We Could Have Lots of Fun" before he moved to acting through local theater productions.
LeBeau Almost Shoots General Burkhalter | Hogan's Heroes by Clean Comedy Clips
Larry Hovis (Technical Sergeant Andrew Carter) (Cont.)
Hovis’ talents go beyond performing. He wrote the screenplay for the 1966 film Out of Sight and co-produced game shows after the Hogan's Heroes era. We saw him as the lovably naive explosives expert, but prior to this, he was part of The Andy Griffith Show.
20 Celebrities You Didn’t Know Were On The Andy Griffith Show by Mayberry Man
Larry Hovis (Technical Sergeant Andrew Carter) (Cont.)
A dedicated family man, Hovis remained married to Ann Corrigan from 1955 to 1995. The man’s post-sitcom career included touring in the musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas before his life was cut short by esophageal cancer.
Classic TV Theme: Hogan's Heroes by David Gideon
Sigrid Valdis (Fraulein Hilda)
Valdis started out as a model before making the leap to acting in the late '50s. She got some small roles in movies like Marriage on the Rocks (1965) and Our Man Flint (1966). Furthermore, she popped up on TV shows like The Wild Wild West.
02 Woman with fur collar in Hogan's heroes by Fourrures Passion
Sigrid Valdis (Fraulein Hilda) (Cont.)
However, her big break came when she was brought onto Hogan’s Heroes in its second season. She stepped in for Cynthia Lynn's character, Helga. Valdis married Bob Crane, the star of Hogan’s Heroes, on October 16, 1970, in a ceremony held on the sitcom’s set.
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
Sigrid Valdis (Fraulein Hilda) (Cont.)
She then retired from acting after her son’s birth to focus on her family. However, their marriage faced challenges due to Crane's controversial personal life. In 2004, she returned to her childhood home in Westwood and died on October 14, 2007.
Klink's One Date with Fraulein Hilda is a Bust - Hogan's Heroes - 1968 by Shatner Method
Werner Klemperer (Colonel Wilhelm Klink)
Jewish by birth, Klemperer made one condition clear when accepting the role of the bumbling Nazi colonel: “If they ever wrote a segment whereby Colonel Klink would come out the hero, I would leave the show”. This stance added depth to his portrayal of the incompetent camp commandant.
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
Werner Klemperer (Colonel Wilhelm Klink) (Cont.)
Born in 1920 in Cologne, Germany, Klemperer's family fled Nazi Germany in 1933, settling in Los Angeles. After serving in the US Army's Special Services during WWII, he built a respectable film occupation. Here, he earned critical acclaim as Emil Hahn in 1961's Judgment at Nuremberg.
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) - We Were Doing Our Duty Scene (9/11) | Movieclips by Movieclips
Werner Klemperer (Colonel Wilhelm Klink) (Cont.)
Following the sitcom's conclusion in 1971, Klemperer took over stage work. He even picked up a Tony Award nomination for his character of Herr Schultz in the Broadway revival of Cabaret. His final performance came as Colonel Klink in a 1993 episode of The Simpsons.
Steve Garfield at https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevegarfield/, Wikimedia Commons
Robert Clary (Corporal Louis LeBeau)
His life story proves more extraordinary than any script. Clary's portrayal of the French chef and patriot Louis LeBeau carried profound personal resonance. He was the youngest of 14 children, one whose early singing practice was interrupted when he was deported to Nazi concentration camps.
Hogan's Heroes Clips, Robert Clary Tribute [March 01, 1926 - November 16, 2022] by Mark M. OldRidge
Robert Clary (Corporal Louis LeBeau) (Cont.)
At Buchenwald, Clary performed for SS soldiers every other Sunday. He later mentioned to The Hollywood Reporter: “Singing, entertaining, and being in kind of good health at my age, that's why I survived”. After the war, he built a successful career recording popular songs.
William Morris Agency (management), Wikimedia Commons
Robert Clary (Corporal Louis LeBeau) (Cont.)
Beyond acting, Clary became an accomplished painter and speaker about the Holocaust. He married Natalie Cantor, daughter of singer Eddie Cantor, in 1965, and they remained together until 1997. Clary himself, the last surviving main cast member, lived to the remarkable age of 96.
Capitol Records, Wikimedia Commons
Richard Dawson (Corporal Peter Newkirk)
The witty British corporal on screen became one of America's most beloved game show hosts in real life. Dawson's journey began when he ran away from home at 14, lying about his age to join the British Merchant Navy. He pursued boxing before reinventing himself as a comedian.
Maury Foldare & Associates, Beverly Hills-publicity agency, Wikimedia Commons
Richard Dawson (Corporal Peter Newkirk) (Cont.)
This was when he changed his name to Richard Dawson. His post-Hogan's Heroes career flourished with appearances on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In and as a fan-favorite panelist on Match Game. But, it was as host of Family Feud that he truly became a household name.
The Life of Richard Dawson Corporal Peter Newkirk Hogan's Heroes by Cool Classics
Richard Dawson (Corporal Peter Newkirk) (Cont.)
Known for kissing female contestants (a practice that would raise eyebrows today), he hosted an astounding 1000 episodes across two tenures from 1976–1985 and 1994–1995. The father of three children continued acting occasionally, notably appearing opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Running Man.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
Ivan Dixon (Staff Sergeant James Kinchloe)
Here comes an African American actor who leveraged his Hogan's Heroes success into a directing occupation. Dixon, who portrayed the vital radio operator keeping the prisoners connected to Allied forces, was the only primary cast member to depart before the series concluded.
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
Ivan Dixon (Staff Sergeant James Kinchloe) (Cont.)
As per reports, he left after Season 5 to pursue other opportunities. Dixon's career started on Broadway in productions like The Cave Dwellers and the landmark A Raisin in the Sun. Before joining the popular sitcom, he had already built a good resume.
Fancy Dress From a Suitor | A Raisin in the Sun (1961) | Now Playing by NOW PLAYING
Ivan Dixon (Staff Sergeant James Kinchloe) (Cont.)
These included several television guest appearances and film roles, especially his 1957 debut in Something of Value. After Hogan's Heroes, Dixon's directing talents shone through with movies like Trouble Man. At age 76, he passed away from complications from kidney failure.
