Leon Askin

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Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person Leon Askin (Template:IPA; born Leo Aschkenasy, 18 September 1907 – 3 June 2005) was an Austrian actor best known in North America for portraying the character General Burkhalter on the TV situation comedy Hogan's Heroes. From the 1950s onward he had a steady career on both sides of the Atlantic.

Life and career

Leon Askin was born as Leo Aschkenasy into a Jewish family in Vienna, Austria-Hungary, on September 18, 1907. His parents, Malvine (née Susman) and Samuel Aschkenasy, were later murdered in the Treblinka extermination camp during the Holocaust.<ref name="FilmRefBio">Template:Cite web</ref>

Askin’s first experience with performance came during World War I, when, as a child, he recited a poem before Emperor Franz Joseph. In the 1920s, he studied acting under Louise Dumont and Max Reinhardt. In the 1930s, he directed politically charged works by playwright Jura Soyfer at Vienna’s "ABC" cabaret theater.

Fleeing Austria in 1940 following persecution and physical abuse by the Sturmabteilung (SA) and Schutzstaffel (SS), Askin emigrated to the United States.<ref name="FilmRefBio" /> During World War II, he served as a staff sergeant in the United States Army Air Forces. After the war, he began a career in Hollywood, often cast as foreign characters with thick accents.

Askin appeared as Anton Rubinstein in a Disneyland television episode about Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. He was featured in the series Adventures of Superman—first as a diamond smuggler in the 1953 episode "Superman in Exile",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and later as a South American leader in a color episode. His film work included the role of Abidor, a Syrian guide, in The Robe (1953).

Askin continued working steadily in film and television through the 1950s and 1960s. Notable appearances include Pension Schöller (1960), and a key supporting role in Billy Wilder’s political satire One, Two, Three (1961), co-starring with James Cagney.

His most iconic role came in the sitcom Hogan's Heroes (1965–1971), in which he portrayed the stern and blustering General Albert Burkhalter, appearing in 67 episodes. The character served as the superior officer to the inept Colonel Klink and frequent target of manipulation by the POWs.

Askin made guest appearances on numerous television shows including:

The Restless Gun (1957, episode: "The Shooting of Jett King")

My Favorite Martian (1965, episode: "Martin of the Movies")

The Monkees (1967, episode: "The Card Carrying Red Shoes")

Daniel Boone (1969, episode: "Benvenuto... Who?")

Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers (1974, episode: "Fiddler in the House")

Happy Days (1978, season 6, episode 8)

Three’s Company (1979, episode: "The Bake-Off")

Between 1977 and 1979, Askin appeared on PBS’s Meeting of Minds, portraying both Martin Luther and Karl Marx.

He also had a brief appearance as a Moscow news anchor in Airplane II: The Sequel (1982), and although he was cast in Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein (1974), his scenes were ultimately cut from the final version.

Selected filmography

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Road to Bali (1952)

Desert Legion (1953)

The Veils of Bagdad (1953)

Knock on Wood (1954)

Secret of the Incas (1954)

Valley of the Kings (1954)

Son of Sinbad (1955)

The Last Blitzkrieg (1959)

Lulu (1962)

Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace (1962)

Do Not Disturb (1965)

What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966)

Double Trouble (1967)

The Caper of the Golden Bulls (1967)

The Perils of Pauline (1967)

The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz (1968)

A Fine Pair (1968)

Guns for San Sebastian (1968)

The Maltese Bippy (1969)

Death Knocks Twice (1969)

Hammersmith Is Out (1972)

The World's Greatest Athlete (1973)

Going Ape! (1981)

Frightmare (1983) Template:Div col end

Death

File:Grab von Leon Askin auf dem Wiener Zentralfriedhof.JPG
Leon Askin's grave located at Vienna Central Cemetery.

Askin died from natural causes in Vienna on June 3, 2005, at the age of 97 and is interred at Vienna Central Cemetery.<ref>Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 25047-25048). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.</ref>

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1952 Assignment – Paris! Franz Uncredited
1952 Road to Bali King Ramayana
1953 Desert Legion Maj. Vasil
1953 South Sea Woman Pierre Marchand
1953 China Venture Wu King
1953 The Robe Abidor
1953 The Veils of Bagdad Pasha Hammam
1954 Knock on Wood Laslo Gromeck
1954 Secret of the Incas Anton Marcu
1954 Valley of the Kings Valentine Arko
1955 Carolina Cannonball Otto
1955 Son of Sinbad Khalif
1955 Spy Chasers Col. Alex Baxis
1958 Der Schinderhannes Rochus Eppelsheimer
1959 The Last Blitzkrieg Sergeant Steiner
1959 Abschied von den Wolken Gen. Cordobas
1960 Mistress of the World Fernando
1960 Pension Schöller Fritz Bernhardi
1960 Until Money Departs You Dr. Plauert
1960 Weit ist der Weg Luiz
1961 Immer Ärger mit dem Bett Luigi Papagallo
1961 Blind Justice Strafverteidiger Dr. Leupold
1961 One, Two, Three Peripetchikoff
1962 Lulu Dr. Goll
1962 The Testament of Dr. Mabuse Flocke
1962 Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace Charles
1965 John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! Samir
1965 Do Not Disturb Langsdorf
1966 What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? Col. Kastorp
1967 Double Trouble Inspector de Groote
1967 The Caper of the Golden Bulls Morchek
1967 The Perils of Pauline Commisar
1968 The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz Oscar
1968 Guns for San Sebastian Vicar General
1968 A Fine Pair Chief Wellman
1968 Template:Ill Felix
1968 Lucrezia Alessandro VI
1969 The Maltese Bippy Axel Kronstadt
1969 Death Knocks Twice Pepe Mangano
1972 Hammersmith Is Out Dr. Krodt
1973 Doctor Death: Seeker of Souls Thor
1973 Genesis II Overseer
1973 The World's Greatest Athlete Dr. Gottlieb
1974 Young Frankenstein Herr Waldman Uncredited / Scene Deleted
1974 Karl May Klotz-Sello
1974 Perahim – die zweite Chance
1975 Parapsycho – Spectrum of Fear
1981 Going Ape! Zebrewski
1982 Airplane II: The Sequel Moscow Anchorman
1983 Frightmare Wolfgang
1984 A Stroke of Genius
1985 Savage Island Luker
1985 Stiffs Funeral Director
1985 First Strike
1986 Odd Jobs Don Carlucci
1987 Deshima Frank Nievergelt
1994 OcchioPinocchio The Psychiatrist
1994 Höhenangst Vater Gusenleitner
1994 Adolf Lanz – Mein Krampf Josef Lanz von Liebenfels
1995 Tödliche Liebe
1998 Black Flamingos – Sie lieben euch zu Tode
1999 Kubanisch rauchen Waranovsky
2001 Ene mene muh – und tot bist du (final film role)

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1965-1971 Hogan's Heroes General Burkhalter Recurring role; 67 episodes
1967 The Monkees Nicolai S2:E9, "The Card Carrying Red Shoes"
1969 Daniel Boone Roquelin 1 episode
1978 Happy Days Prof Himmel S6:E8, "Fearless Malph"
1979 Three's Company Mr. Hoffmeier S3:E18, "The Bake-Off"
1982 The Scooby & Scrappy-Doo/Puppy Hour Additional voices
1983 Kottan ermittelt Rudolf Wasservogel 3 episodes
1985 Diff'rent Strokes Doshenko Episode: "Russian Embassy"

Decorations and awards

See also

References

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