French actor and concentration camp survivor, Robert Clary dies

• Robert Clary survived concentration camps in WWII.
• He was the only survivor of his family.
• He died at the age of 96.

French film actor and WWII Nazi concentration camp survivor Robert Clary passed away on Wednesday November 16 at the age of 96. Clary was the only member of his family to survive the Auschwitz Nazi death camp.

In addition, he devoted himself to cinema, becoming a star of the famous American war comedy series Hogan’s Heroes. Clary was mentored by Eddie Cantor and married one of his five daughters. His only granddaughter broke the news of his death.

Robert Clary’s life before becoming an actor

Robert Clary was born Robert Max Widerman in Paris, France on March 1, 1926. He was one of 14 children in his Orthodox Jewish family. Clary was just 16 when he was incarcerated in a concentration camp in Ottmuth, Poland, according to the Florida Sun-Sentinel, and later in Buchenwald.

The actor attributed his survival to his youth, good health, and ability to sing and play music. He had performed on the radio since he was 12 years old and performed for members of the SS every other Sunday at Buchenwald, one of the Schutzstaffel concentration camps. FILED UNDER: Robert Clary Dies

He survived the holocaust

At first, Clary was reluctant to talk about his experiences at Buchenwald, but eventually he began lecturing, traveling the world, and telling his story. “Singing, entertaining, and somewhat in good health at my age, that’s why I survived,” said Clary during an interview in 2015.

Clary was held in concentration camps for 31 months where he worked in a factory that made 4,000 wooden shoe heels a day and had the identification number “A-5714” tattooed on his left forearm. He was the only one of his captured family to make it out alive. FILED UNDER: Robert Clary Dies

Robert Clary’s great career

Before appearing on Hogan’s Heroes, Clary had a brief film career. He appeared in A New Kind of Love with Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, Ten Tall Men and Thief of Damascus before becoming LeBeau.

When asked by an interviewer from the Television Academy how he would like to be remembered, he said: “I don’t care. I’m serious. I really don’t care. Will they remember me as a good person? Good. Will they remember me as a dirty Jew? It’s okay. I don’t care because I won’t be here. I’m not going to worry about that… When I’m dead, I’m dead, who cares? I will never know. Nobody is going to tell me, not even God. Is God going to say to me: ‘Do you know what they are saying about you?'» ARCHIVED UNDER: Robert Clary Dies

Robert Clary’s death

His only granddaughter broke the news, according to The Hollywood Reporter. She said that he passed away peacefully at his home on the morning of November 17. “Last living star,” commented one Twitter user.

“His performance in the 1970s disaster movie The Hindenburg has always been a highlight for me. Famous for comedy, he was also a talented dramatic actor.” “May his memory be forever.” “In our hearts forever.”