Online Encyclopedia Search Tool

Your Online Encyclopedia

 

Online Encylopedia and Dictionary Research Site

Online Encyclopedia Free Search Online Encyclopedia Search    Online Encyclopedia Browse    welcome to our free dictionary for your research of every kind

Online Encyclopedia



Leon Askin

image:Askin_&_Manker.jpg
Leon Askin (left) and Paulus Manker in a coffeehouse in Vienna

Leon Askin (born September 18, 1907 as Leo Aschkenasy) is an Austrian actor.

Born into a Jewish family in Vienna, Askin wanted to be an actor already as a child. His dream came true, and in the 1930s he also worked as a cabaret artist.

Persecuted by the Nazis, Askin escaped to the United States via France, arriving in New York in 1940 with no money and less than a basic knowledge of English. When the U.S. entered the Second World War Askin joined the U.S. Army. While serving in the military he learned that his parents had been killed at Majdanek Concentration Camp near Lublin, Poland.

After the war, Askin went to Hollywood, invariably portraying foreign characters who speak English with a strong accent. He gained wide popularity by appearing as Gen. Albert Burkhalter in the sitcom Hogan's Heroes in the late 1960s.

As opposed to other exiled Austrians, Askin never refused to work again in his home country. In 1994 he permanently took up residence in Vienna, where he is still active.

External links

  • http://www.askin.at/
  • http://www.hogansheroesfanclub.com


Last updated: 02-07-2005 06:48:31
Last updated: 02-28-2005 11:03:05