Leon Askin (; 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.
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.
AskinâÂÂs 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 ViennaâÂÂs "ABC" cabaret theater. His professional debut as an actor came in Vienna in 1926 in The Dutch Merchant.
Fleeing Austria in 1940 following persecution and physical abuse by the Sturmabteilung (SA) and Schutzstaffel (SS), Askin emigrated to the United States. 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 SupermanâÂÂfirst as a diamond smuggler in the 1953 episode "Superman in Exile", 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 WilderâÂÂs political satire One, Two, Three (1961), co-starring with James Cagney.
His most iconic role came in the sitcom Hogan's Heroes (1965âÂÂ1971), 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, episode: "Fearless Malph")
ThreeâÂÂs Company (1979, episode: "The Bake-Off")
Between 1977 and 1979, Askin appeared on PBSâÂÂs Meeting of Minds, portraying both Martin Luther and Karl Marx.
He also had a brief appearance as a Moscow news anchor in ' (1982), and although he was cast in Mel Brooksâ Young Frankenstein (1974), his scenes were ultimately cut from the final version.
Askin's credits on Broadway included portraying Mr. Prince in A Temporary Island (1948) and Second Beard in Twentieth Century (1950).
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)
Askin died from natural causes in Vienna on June 3, 2005, at the age of 97 and is interred at Vienna Central Cemetery.
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