He was a bloodthirsty vampire, an androgynous Adonis and a psychopathic killer. He's a friend of the director Lars von Trier. He gives an impressive performance in almost every one of his films. His face and his pale green eyes have etched themselves into the minds of his audiences. Udo Kier is one of the few German actors to achieve global fame via Hollywood. In the past fifty years, he has been in more than 250 films, ranging from art-house productions to blockbusters. Kier first major role was as a sinister upright citizen called Hans. The fact that he ended up staying in Hollywood was down to serendipity, like so much else in his life.