Robert Clary, 'Hogan's Heroes' star who survived the Holocaust, dead at 96 - CNN

Reuters  — 

Paris-born histrion and vocalist Robert Clary, who survived 31 months successful Nazi attraction camps but aboriginal co-starred successful “Hogan’s Heroes,” the US sitcom acceptable successful a German World War II captive of warfare (POW) camp, has died astatine the property of 96.

Clary, who played strudel-baking French Corporal Louis Lebeau connected “Hogan’s Heroes” during its six seasons from 1965 to 1971, died Wednesday astatine his location successful Los Angeles, his granddaughter told the Hollywood Reporter.

“Robert was an astonishing man and incredibly talented not conscionable arsenic an histrion but besides a performer and a talented painter,” said David Martin, his erstwhile manager.

Clary was 16 successful September 1942 erstwhile helium was deported from Paris to Nazi attraction camps with 12 different members of his Jewish family. He was the lone 1 who survived. Clary spent 2.5 years successful the Ottmuth, Blachhammer, Gross-Rosen and Buchenwald attraction camps, enduring hunger, illness and forced labor.

He was freed erstwhile American troops liberated Buchenwald successful April 1945, but past learned that his household members, including his parents, had died successful the Holocaust.

It was with immoderate irony that Clary achieved his top fame playing for jokes successful a TV amusement acceptable successful a German POW camp. He said helium had nary concerns astir being successful a amusement that mocked the Nazis.

His quality was 1 of the POWs who outwitted their dimwitted German jailers and conducted espionage and sabotage to assistance the Allied cause.

“The amusement was a satire acceptable successful a stalag for prisoners of war, wherever conditions were not pleasant but successful nary mode comparable to a attraction camp, and it had thing to bash with Jews,” Clary told the Jerusalem Post successful 2002.

“Showbiz is similar a roller coaster and you instrumentality what roles are offered to you,” Clary added.

“Hogan’s Heroes” starred Bob Crane arsenic American Colonel Robert Hogan, with Richard Dawson, Larry Hovis and Ivan Dixon playing different POWs. The main German characters were bumbling campy commandant Colonel Klink, played by Werner Klemperer, and pliant defender Sergeant Schultz, played by John Banner. Both actors were Jews and had fled Europe due to the fact that of the Nazis.

Clary’s quality was known for his burgundy beret and his cooking skills, which were utilized to distract German officers with delicious cuisine portion his chap POWs were up to mischief.

“Hogan’s Heroes” was fashionable with TV viewers during its tally connected the CBS web and for decades afterward successful syndication adjacent though immoderate critics considered it successful atrocious taste.

Clary was calved arsenic Robert Max Widerman connected March 1, 1926, the youngest of his Polish tailor father’s 14 children from 2 marriages. He became a nonrecreational vocalist arsenic a teenager.

In the camps acceptable up by the Nazis to eradicate Europe’s Jews, helium was tattooed with the fig A-5714 and forced to excavation trenches, enactment successful a footwear mill and sing for his captors. The singing earned him a fewer other morsels of food, Clary said.

“I was 1 of the fortunate ones,” helium told the Asbury Park Press successful 2002. “First of all, due to the fact that I survived. Secondly, due to the fact that I was successful camps that were not arsenic atrocious arsenic others. I did not suffer. I did not enactment arsenic hard arsenic radical were moving successful brackish mines connected quarries. I was ne'er tortured. I was ne'er truly beaten. I was ne'er hanged. But I saw each these things.”

After the war, Clary’s singing vocation took disconnected successful France. He moved to the United States successful 1949 and comedian Eddie Cantor gave him nationalist TV exposure. Clary aboriginal joined Cantor’s girl Natalie.

Clary performed connected stage, successful tiny movie roles and successful impermanent spots connected TV earlier being formed successful “Hogan’s Heroes.” His biggest movie relation was successful manager Robert Wise’s “The Hindenburg” successful 1975, starring George C. Scott.

In 1980, alarm implicit radical trying to contradict the Holocaust prompted Clary to extremity his self-imposed soundlessness astir his experiences. He spent years traveling to schools successful the United States and Canada speaking astir the Holocaust. He besides wrote an autobiography, “From the Holocaust to Hogan’s Heroes.”

“We indispensable larn from history,” Clary told the Reno Gazette-Journal successful 2002, “which we don’t.”