Photo: Steve Garfield at https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevegarfield/ / CC BY 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Werner Klemperer was born on March 22, 1920 in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and was credited as a television actor, film actor and opera singer. Werner Klemperer died on December 6, 2000 at the age of 80. Listed accolades include Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (1968, 1969) and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (1969).
My Take
Werner Klemperer earns my deep admiration for the audacity of his most famous role. Playing a bumbling German colonel in a comedy that mocked Nazism, and winning two Emmys for it, was no small act for a Jewish actor from Cologne who had fled that very regime. Son of the legendary conductor Otto Klemperer, he was himself a violinist and conductor, which tells you the artistry ran in the blood. To turn villainy into farce while keeping a thread of irony and dignity takes real nerve. He passed in 2000, but his range and the depth of his life keep pulling me back to him.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Werner Klemperer
- Name (Japanese)
- ワーナー・クレンペラー
- Reading
- わーなー・くれんぺらー
- Born
- March 22, 1920 – December 6, 2000
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Monkey
- Origin
- Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
- Occupation
- television actor / film actor / opera singer / violinist / conductor
2. Background
Awards & achievements
- 1968 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
- 1969 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
- 1969 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
3. Links
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner%20Klemperer
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q77566
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Werner Klemperer born?
Born March 22, 1920.
When did Werner Klemperer die?
Died December 6, 2000, aged 80.
Where was Werner Klemperer from?
Werner Klemperer was from Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
What did Werner Klemperer do?
Werner Klemperer worked as television actor, film actor, opera singer, violinist, conductor.
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