Leon Askin
Personal Info
Known For Actor
Gender Male
Birthday 1907-09-18
Deathday 2005-06-03 (97 years old)
Place of Birth Vienna, Austria
Also Known As Leo Aschkenasy
Leon Askin
Biography
Leon Askin (Born: September 18, 1907, Vienna, Austria-Hungary (now Austria), Height 6ft [1.83m]) was an Austrian-American actor who enjoyed a successful career in both theater and television. He is best known for his portrayal of General Albert Burkhalter in the hit sitcom "Hogan's Heroes," a role he played for six seasons from 1965 to 1971. Born Leo Aschkenasy in Vienna, Austria, in 1907, Askin developed an interest in acting at a young age. He studied at the Max Reinhardt Seminar, a prestigious acting school in Vienna, and began his career on the stage in the early 1930s. With the rise of the Nazi regime in Germany, Askin, a Jew, was forced to flee Austria in 1938. He emigrated to the United States, where he continued to work in theater. He also began appearing in films and television shows, often playing villainous roles due to his imposing stature and commanding presence. Askin's most famous role came in 1965 when he was cast as General Burkhalter in "Hogan's Heroes." The show, which chronicled the exploits of a group of American prisoners of war running a secret operation from a German POW camp, was a huge success, and Askin became a household name. After "Hogan's Heroes" ended in 1971, Askin continued to work steadily in television and film. He appeared in numerous guest roles on popular shows such as "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "The Rockford Files," and "Murder, She Wrote." He also had recurring roles on the soap operas "General Hospital" and "Santa Barbara." Askin's film credits include such movies as "The Dirty Dozen," "The Night of the Generals," and "The Boys from Brazil." He also continued to work in theater throughout his career, appearing in both Broadway and off-Broadway productions. Askin remained active in acting well into his later years. He published an autobiography, "Quietude and Quest: Protagonists and Antagonists in the Theatre, on and Off Stage as Seen Through the Eyes of Leon Askin," in 1997. He also received numerous awards for his work, including the Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art in 1988 and the Silver Cross of Honor in 1994. Askin died in Vienna in 2005 at the age of 97. He is remembered as one of the most versatile and talented actors of his generation.
Known For
Actor
as Waranovsky
as Rutte
as Francesco Del la Ribiola
as alter Adler
as Lo psichiatra
as Vater Gusenleitner
as Nachbar
as Don Carlucci
as Luker
as Moscow Anchorman
as Wolfgang
as Zebrewski
as Klotz-Sello
as Jason
as Prince Dimitri Marenka
as Regierungsrat Stukart
as Thor
as Overseer
as Dr. Gottlieb
as Dr. Krodt
as Amschel Talmeier
as Peppe Mangano
as Axel Kronstadt
as Chief Wellman
as Felix
as Alessandro VI
as Vicar General
as Oscar
as Commissar
as Morchek
as Inspector de Groote
as Colonel Kastorp
as Riva
as Langsdorf
as Samir
as Arnold Bebenek
as General Burkhalter
as The Count
as Roquelin
as Shop Superintendent
as Charles
as Flocke
as Medizinalrat Dr. Goll
as Baron
as Peripetchikoff
as Dr. Leupold
as Luigi Papagallo
as Dimitri Gorotschenko
as Luiz
as Anwalt Dr. Plauert
as Fritz Bernhardi
as Martin Borton
as Fernando
as Fernando
as Präsident
as Lajos Morva
as Ed Keller
as Anton Rubinstein
as Sergeant Steiner
as General Cordobas
as Alex Baxis
as Otto
as General Rabat
as Valentine Arko, Antique Dealer
as Anton Marcu
as Laslo Gromeck
as Pasha Hammam
as Dr. Stein
as Abidor
as Wu King
as Pierre Marchand
as Major Vasil
as King Ramayana
as Franz (uncredited)
as Reicher
as Joseph Ferdinand
as Drobash
as Gustave
as Felix Bassenak
as Mike Czerny
Writer
as Writer