Udo Kier, the German actor and cult icon, who collaborated with Andy Warhol and Lars von Trier, died Sunday morning, according to his partner, artist Delbert McBride. He was 81.

Among the more than 200 films in his expansive body of work, Kier’s breakout collaborations with Warhol are among his most celebrated. Kier starred in the titular roles in both 1973’s “Flesh for Frankenstein” and 1974’s “Blood for Dracula.”

Both directed by Paul Morrissey and produced by Warhol, the films are subversive, sultry reimaginings of the classic Hollywood monsters, with Kier bringing a haunting yet comically inept spin on the title characters.

Then, at the Berlin Film Fest, Kier met future two-time Oscar-nominated director Gus Van Sant, who Kier credits with securing him an American work permit and SAG card.

In 1991, Van Sant introduced Kier to American audiences with his drama My Own Private Idaho, loosely based on Shakespeare’s “Henry IV.” Kier appeared in a supporting role alongside stars River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves.

Kier began his lifelong collaboration with von Trier in the late ’80s with “Epidemic,” then appeared in the 1991 film “Europa” before appearing in several episodes of von Trier’s long-running horror-thriller series “The Kingdom” through the 1990s and aughts.

Their other film collaborations include “Breaking the Waves,” “Dancer in the Dark,” “Dogville,” “Melancholia” and “Nymphomaniac: Vol. II.”

Last May, Kier appeared in Kleber Mendonça Filho’s awards frontrunner The Secret Agent. The film earned star Wagner Moura the best actor at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

“I liked the attention, so I became an actor,” he said in 2024.  After working between Europe and the U.S. for decades, Kier settled in Los Angeles and Palm Springs, where he cultivated interests in art, architecture and collecting.

He was a fixture at the Palm Springs Film Fest, where he warmly received accolades from fans.