🎬 Movies Mates PEOPLE
Leon Askin
Acting
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 Uni…
Read full 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.
Biography expanded
BODY OF WORK
Leon Askin's Filmography
Select any movie to open its full Movies Mates details page.
Ene mene muh – und tot bist du
Kubanisch rauchen
as Waranovsky
Die Bräute
as Rutte
Black Flamingos - Sie lieben euch zu Tode
No Poster
Leon Askin - (Über)Leben und Schauspiel. Private Anmerkungen
as Himself
No Poster
Glück auf Raten
No Poster
Die Fernsehsaga – Eine steirische Fernsehgeschichte
as alter Adler
No Poster
Deadly Love
OcchioPinocchio
as Lo psichiatra
Fear of Heights
as Vater Gusenleitner
Hitler Stole My Ideas
Odd Jobs
as Don Carlucci
Savage Island
as Luker
First Strike
Frightmare
as Wolfgang
Airplane II: The Sequel
as Moscow Anchorman
Going Ape!
as Zebrewski
Parapsycho: Spectrum of Fear
No Poster
Die gelbe Nachtigall
as Jason
No Poster
Verurteilt 1910
as Regierungsrat Stukart
No Poster
Perahim - die zweite Chance
Doctor Death: Seeker of Souls
as Thor
Genesis II
as Overseer
The World's Greatest Athlete
as Dr. Gottlieb
Hammersmith Is Out
as Dr. Krodt
Death Knocks Twice
as Peppe Mangano
The Maltese Bippy
as Axel Kronstadt
A Fine Pair
as Chief Wellman
God's Police Patrol
as Felix
Lucrezia
as Alessandro VI
The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz
as Oscar
The Perils of Pauline
as Commissar
The Caper of the Golden Bulls
as Morchek
Guns for San Sebastian
as Vicar General
Double Trouble
as Inspector de Groote
What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?
as Colonel Kastorp
Do Not Disturb
as Langsdorf
John Goldfarb, Please Come Home!
as Samir
Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace
as Charles
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
as Flocke
Lulu
as Medizinalrat Dr. Goll
One, Two, Three
as Peripetchikoff
Blind Justice
as Dr. Leupold
Always Trouble with the Bed
as Luigi Papagallo
No Poster
Towarisch
as Dimitri Gorotschenko
Weit ist der Weg
as Luiz
Bis dass das Geld euch scheidet…
as Anwalt Dr. Plauert
Pension Schöller
as Fritz Bernhardi
No Poster
Der Traum des Mr. Borton
as Martin Borton
Mistress of the World - Part II
as Fernando
Mistress of the World - Part I
as Fernando
No Poster
Die Irre von Chaillot
as Präsident
No Poster
Entscheidung
as Lajos Morva
Rebel Flight to Cuba
as General Cordobas
No Poster
Der Mann im Manne
as Ed Keller
The Last Blitzkrieg
as Sergeant Steiner
The Peter Tchaikovsky Story
as Anton Rubinstein
Der Schinderhannes
Spy Chasers
as Alex Baxis
Carolina Cannonball
as Otto
Valley of the Kings
as Valentine Arko, Antique Dealer
Secret of the Incas
as Anton Marcu
Knock on Wood
as Laslo Gromeck
The Veils of Bagdad
as Pasha Hammam
No Poster
Three Lives
as Dr. Stein
The Robe
as Abidor
China Venture
as Wu King
South Sea Woman
as Pierre Marchand
Desert Legion
as Major Vasil
Road to Bali
as King Ramayana
Assignment: Paris
as Franz (uncredited)