Hideo Kojima Honors Udo Kier, 200+ Film Legend and OD Actor, as a True Icon

Udo Kier, the face you recognize from a hundred movies and then some, has died at 81. If you have ever watched a midnight horror, a glossy studio thriller, or, yes, played a certain classic RTS, you have seen him. And in a very on-brand bit of timing, his next big role was set to be in Hideo Kojima's game OD.

Where you know Udo from (and why he was everywhere)

• Over 200 films, including cult staples like Flesh for Frankenstein, the comic-book carnage of Blade, and a chaotic turn in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.
• Games, too: he voiced in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2, and was lined up to star in Kojima's OD alongside Hunter Schafer and Sofia Lillis.

Kojima remembers an icon

Kojima posted a long tribute on Twitter, saying the OD shoot had been pushed because of the strike and bumped to next year. Even during the delay, he and Kier kept trading emails. They met in Milan at the end of September, and Kier was apparently buzzing about getting back to work, cracking jokes in his very Udo way.

"I am at a loss for words. It all happened far too suddenly... Because of the strike, we weren't able to shoot "OD" for a long time and we were forced to reschedule to next year... When we met in Milan at the end of September, he told me how much he was looking forward to the shoot... Udo wasn't just an actor. He was truly an "icon" of his time. We've lost a great "icon." There will never be another like him. Udo, rest in peace. I will never forget you."

That tracks. Kier always felt like someone beamed in from a stranger, cooler movie dimension. Of course he was still throwing out Udo-isms in Milan.

What this means for OD

Right now, it is unclear how much of Kier's performance for OD was completed before his passing. He was a major presence when Kojima unveiled the game at The Game Awards in 2023, and OD has been brewing for a while — footage leaked more than a year before it was officially announced — so there is a decent chance a lot of Kier's work is already in the can. But until Kojima Productions says more, it is a wait-and-see situation.

One last perfect Kier anecdote

Metal Gear Solid's Snake himself, David Hayter, chimed in with a tribute that feels exactly right for Kier's mystique:

"Udo Kier hit on me when we were both auditioning for KILLING ZOE. I was very flattered."

Udo Kier didn't just show up. He left an imprint. There really won't be another like him.