Biographical Summary by Rudolf Ulrich

from his book Österreicher in Hollywood, used by permission
English translation by Hyde Flippo

LEON ASKIN (Leo Aschkenasy)
18 September 1907, Vienna, Austria - 3 June 2005, Vienna, Austria

Leo Aschkenasy studied at the Apolloneum with Hans Thimig and at the Neue Schule für dramatischen Unterricht (later the Max Reinhardt-Seminar) in Vienna. In 1928 his artistic path led him to the Louise Dumont-Schauspielhaus in Düsseldorf, Germany. After that theater shut down he went to Düsseldorf's municipal theater (Städtisches Schauspiel zu Leopold Lindtberg). But in 1933 the brown-shirt dictatorship brought an end to his German theater work.

Leon Askin's autobiography, Quietude and Quest,
was published by the Ariadne Press in 1989.
Buy this book from Amazon.com (new or used)
 

He worked at his own political cabaret in Paris, and then at Jimmy Berg's “ABC” cabaret, Stella Kadmon's “Der liebe Augustin,” and with Otto Preminger at the Theater an der Josefstadt in Vienna. When Hitler's grasp extended to Austria in March 1938, Aschkenasy was forced once again to pull up his roots and flee to Paris. After France declared war on Nazi Germany, he was interned for a time at the Meslay du Maine prison camp, where some of his Viennese colleagues (Egon Eis, Max Schulz, Josef Than, and Hans Wilhelm) shared his fate. In early 1940 the war refugee managed to immigrate to the United States.

After starting out as a stage worker in Vermont, with the help of Erwin Piscator he became the artistic director of the semi-professional Washington Civic Theater. Despite language difficulties, the newcomer directed in English. His directorial style was still heavily influenced by Louise Dumont, but he later found his “own Askin style that also contained elements from Piscator.”¹

Beginning in 1942 the exile served with the Army Air Force as a public relations officer and chief editor of the AAF weekly Orientation Digest. When he returned to civilian life, Aschkenasy, now the new US citizen Leon Askin, founded the Veterans Memorial Stage in New York, with which Charlton Heston was also associated. The versatile artist worked for Felix Gerstmann's émigré troupe, The Players from Abroad, took on teaching duties at the American Theater Wing and Piscator's Dramatic Workshop, and supported Mady Christians on the board of the Equity Library Theater. Askin also had success on Broadway in 1950-51 alongside Gloria Swanson and José Ferrer in the Ben Hecht/Charles McArthur comedy “Twentieth Century.”

In February 1952 Askin went to Hollywood for his first film work. His success was great enough to keep him there until 1994. For more than four decades he appeared in over 40 screen works and some 130 television episodes as a highly respected supporting actor. Although Askin often played leading character roles on the stage, various factors typecast him in Hollywood. His heavy appearance, certain early stereotypical roles, and his far from accent-free English led studio bosses to arbitrarily limit Askin to one-sided role types, usually foreign traitors, shady Russians, or amusing and not-so-amusing villains. The actor considered his parts in the comedies Knock on Wood with Danny Kaye, Billy Wilder's One, Two, Three, Peter Ustinov's Hammersmith is Out, and Do Not Disturb with Doris Day among his best. Darryl F. Zanuck selected an Askin scene with Richard Burton in the religious drama The Robe to introduce this first Cinemascope film distributed worldwide by 20th Century Fox. On television Askin appeared in roles varying from the bumbling German General Burkhalter in the rather vapid but popular CBS comedy series “Hogan's Heroes,” to Karl Marx and Martin Luther in Steve Allen's imaginary Round Table arguments, Meeting of Minds.

B O O K
Hogan's Heroes: Behind the Scenes at Stalag 13

His Hollywood image after 1958 also had a strong influence on the roles he was offered in numerous German and Austrian feature films and TV movies. Between film engagements in Europe, Askin found time to produce significant stage productions. On top of that he was brilliant as an actor at Vienna's Burgtheater and on the stage in Berlin and Hamburg in works by Fritz Hochwälder, Friedrich Dürrenmatt, and Peter Weiss.

	Leon Askin's funeral was held at Vienna's Central Cemetery on June 9, 2005. Attending were Askin's widow, Anita Askin-Wicher (center), arm-in-arm with her Swedish cousin; author Rudolf Ulrich (left, next to his sister Johanna in white), and Vienna's cultural councilor, Andreas Mailath-Pokorny (far right), beside actor Klaus Maria Brandauer. Photo provided by Rudolf Ulrich.

Askin, who co-starred with Hollywood greats such as Anthony Quinn, Elizabeth Taylor, Burt Lancaster, and James Cagney, was also featured in many TV episodes and stage productions. Additionally, he was a film director, a docent, a member of the Oscar Selection Committee of the Academy of Motion Pictures, and the co-founder and president of the American National Theater and Academy (ANTA) West. In 1988 he was awarded the Austrian Distinguished Cross for Science and Art. In 1989 he published his autobiography Quietude and Quest, with his observations on “protagonists and antagonists on and off the stage.” In 1994 the actor returned to Vienna.

After his role in Houchang Allahyari's Viennale entry Höhenangst (Austria, 1994) and other movie, TV, and stage work, Leon Askin, who never viewed himself as a “Hollywood legend,” achieved late fame and honorary awards, including the title of Professor in 1996, in his birthplace. His updated autobiography, published in German in 1989 as Der Mann mit den 99 Gesichtern² (“The Man with 99 Faces”), recounts Askin's sometimes painful émigré fate, as well as his amazing artistic career.

1 Schnauber, Cornelius: “Leon Askin in gewichtigen Nebenrollen” in the Neue Züricher Zeitung, 24 Nov. 1983.
2 Askin, Leon: Der Mann mit den 99 Gesichtern, Böhlau, Vienna, 1989

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Askin Bio Copyright © 2004 Rudolf Ulrich, reprinted by permission

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