Robert Clary

Robert Clary (born March 1, 1926 as Robert Max Widerman) is a French-born Jewish-American actor, published author, and lecturer.

Early life and career

Clary was the youngest of 14 children. At the age of 12, he began a career singing professionally. In 1942, as a result of his Jewish heritage, he was deported to the Nazi concentration camp, Buchenwald with 12 other members of his immediate family. Clary was the only survivor. ["The Buchenwald Report", prepared and finished three weeks after the liberation of Buchenwald by the Psychological Warfare Division of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force; first published in its entirety by Westview Press, with translation by David A. Hackett, 1999.] [Go-star.com [http://www.go-star.com/framer/clary.htm/ "Robert Clary"] ] When he returned to Paris after the war, he was ecstatic when he found that some of his siblings had not been taken away and had survived the Nazi occupation of France.

Clary returned to the entertainment business and began making songs that not only became popular in France, but in the United States as well. He came to the U.S. in October of 1949. One of Clary's first American appearances was a French language comedy skit on "The Ed Wynn Show" in 1950. Clary later met Merv Griffin and Eddie Cantor. This eventually led to Clary meeting Cantor's daughter, Natalie Cantor Metzger, whom he married in 1965. Cantor later got Clary a spot on the "Colgate Comedy Hour". His comedic skills were quickly recognized by Broadway, where he appeared in several popular musicals including "New Faces of 1952", which was produced as a film in 1954.

LeBeau on "Hogan's Heroes"

In 1965, Clary was offered the role of Corporal Louis LeBeau on a new TV sitcom called "Hogan's Heroes", and he accepted the role when the pilot sold. The series was set in a German POW camp during World War II, and Clary played one of the prisoners, who ran an underground Resistance unit from inside the camp.

After his stint on "Hogan's Heroes", Clary appeared in a handful of feature films with World War II themes including the made-for-television film, "Remembrance of Love" about the Holocaust. Clary also made notable appearances on "Days of Our Lives" and "The Young and the Restless".

Clary appeared in the fy|1975 "The Hindenburg" which dramatized a fictional plot to blow up the Nazi airship after it arrived at the Lakehurst, New Jersey Air Station. His character was a showman/escape artist who hoped to use the airship in one of his shows.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.robertclary.com/ The Official Robert Clary Website]
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