‘Ace Ventura,’ ‘Blade’ actor Udo Kier dies

Udo Kier, an actor with more than 200 credits to his name over his 60-year career, has died.

Kier was 81 years old.

His partner, Delbert McBride, said Kier died Nov. 23 in Palm Springs, Variety reported.

No cause of death was provided, according to The New York Times.

The Associated Press said Kier was “a longtime arthouse favorite” who also was a character actor in such films as “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” and “Blade.”

Kier was born Udo Kierspe in Cologne, Germany in 1944 as Allied forces bombed the area in World War II, the AP said. The hospital in which he was born was bombed shortly after his birth. His mother survived the attack, the Times said.

At 18, he moved to London to study English and was discovered by Michael Sarne at a coffee bar.

He had his big break in films produced by artist Andy Warhol, where Kier, according to Variety, brought "a haunting yet comically inept spin on the title characters" as Baron Frankenstein and Count Dracula.

In 1991, Kier was cast in a supporting role in “My Own Private Idaho,” alongside River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves.

He also appeared in supporting roles in “Armageddon,” performed in two of Madonna’s music videos and appeared in her coffee table book “Sex.”

Most recently, he was in “The Secret Agent,” which was featured at the Cannes Film Festival and is one of the films that may be up for an Oscar and other awards this season, the AP reported.