Udo Kier, a German actor who appeared in 275 roles in Hollywood and European cinema, has died at the age of 81, writes the British Guardian.
Cyrus died Sunday morning, his partner Delbert McBride confirmed.
The actor died in a hospital in Palm Springs, California, and the cause of death was not given.
Cyrus was known for his frequent roles as villains, monsters, and eccentrics; he played vampires and Nazis on several occasions. He appeared in films, television, music videos, and video games, and was often labeled a character actor for his memorable roles across European and Hollywood productions.
Kir was born Udo Kirspe in Germany in 1944; just hours after his birth, the hospital was bombed and he had to be rescued from the rubble of the maternity ward with his mother.
His childhood in post-war Germany was "terrible," he often said.
Cyrus often said that his career was shaped by chance. He sat on a plane next to Paul Morrissey, the director of Andy Warhol, who then cast him to play Frankenstein in Flesh for Frankenstein (1973) and then Dracula in Blood for Dracula (1974). He reunited with his friend Fassbinder and appeared in his films The Stationmaster's Wife, Lola, The Third Generation and Lili Marleen, as well as the mini-series Berlin Alexanderplatz.
In the 1980s, he met the provocative young Danish director Lars von Trier, who cast him in his 1987 TV production Medea, beginning a collaboration that would last decades. Cyrus, who was also godfather to von Trier's son, appeared in his projects "Epidemic," "Europa," "The Kingdom," "Breaking the Waves," "Dancer in the Dark," "Dogville," "Melancholia," and "Nymphomaniac: Vol. II."
Van Sant, impressed by Kira's roles as Frankenstein and Dracula, offered him his first American role in the 1991 film "My Own Private Idaho."
Madonna, a fan of the film, hired him in several of her videos. Kir also appeared in videos for the bands Supertramp, Korn and Eve.
During the 1990s, Cyrus played small but memorable roles in many Hollywood films, including "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective", "Johnny Mnemonic", "Armageddon", "End of Days" and "Blade".
Of his prolific career, he once said: "100 movies are bad, 50 movies can be watched with a glass of wine, and 50 movies are good."
Kir made his last film appearance in the political thriller "The Secret Agent," in which he played a Jewish Holocaust survivor trapped in the final years of Brazil's military dictatorship.
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