Robert Clary, Star of ‘Hogan’s Heroes’, Dead at 96

Robert Clary, who portrayed Corporal Louis LeBeau in the wartime sitcom Hogan’s Heroes, has died at age 96.

The actor died Wednesday (Nov. 16) morning at his home in Los Angeles, his granddaughter Kim Wright told The Hollywood Reporter. His cause of death has not been provided.

Hogan’s Heroes aired for six seasons from 1965 to 971, and starred Clary alongside Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer, and John Banner. The series took place in Stalag 13, a prisoner-of-war camp, and followed a group of Allied prisoners running a covert operation while detained.

Clary’s Corporal Louis LeBeau was a prisoner known for his friendly relationship with the camp’s guard dogs and his penchant for cooking. Reports state that he was the last surviving member of the show’s principal cast, following the 2008 death of Ivan Dixon.

Clary, born Robert Max Widerman, suffered a tragic upbringing having been deported to multiple concentration camps during the Holocaust, which cost him the lives of several siblings and his parents. In a 1988 interview with Sun-Sentinel, he referred to himself as “one of the lucky ones.”

In a statement from Clary’s niece, Brenda Hancock, she said, “He never let those horrors defeat him. He never let them take the joy out of his life. He tried to spread that joy to others through his singing and his dancing and his painting.”

She recalled him teaching others “don’t ever hate.” Hancock added, “He didn’t let hate overcome the beauty in this world.”

After Hogan Heroes, Clary went on to star in Days of Our Lives, The Young and the Restless, and The Bold and the Beautiful.