Howard Caine
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (March 2013) |
Howard Caine | |
|---|---|
 Caine in 1978 | |
| Born | Howard Cohen January 2, 1926 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | December 28, 1993 (aged 67) North Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Eden Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Occupation(s) | Film and television actor |
| Years active | 1953–1988 |
| Spouse |
Valerie Elson (m. 1991) |
Howard Caine (born Howard Cohen; January 2, 1926 – December 28, 1993) was an American character actor, probably best known as Gestapo Major Wolfgang Hochstetter in the television series Hogan's Heroes (1965–71). He also played Lewis Morris of New York in the musical film 1776 and Everett Scovill, a thinly disguised portrait of Charles Manson's attorney Irving Kanarek, in the television movie Helter Skelter.
He also appeared as Gestapo Colonel Feldkamp (who was killed in a car explosion) in season 2, episode 5 of Hogan's Heroes before taking on the more permanent role of Hochstetter.[citation needed]
Early life[edit]
Howard Caine was born on January 2, 1926, in Nashville, Tennessee, into a Jewish family. At the age of 13, Cohen moved with his family to New York City, where he began studying acting. Learning to suppress his Southern accent, he went on to become a master of 32 foreign and American dialects.[citation needed] Caine served in the United States Navy during World War II, from 1944 to 1946, fighting the Japanese in the Pacific Theatre. After the war, Caine studied drama at Columbia University, where he graduated summa cum laude.
Career[edit]
Caine appeared on Broadway in Wonderful Town, Inherit the Wind, Lunatics and Lovers, and Tiger at the Gates. He succeeded Ray Walston as "Mr. Applegate" in the original production of Damn Yankees. He was featured in such films as From the Terrace (1960), Pay or Die (1960), as the husband of the character portrayed by Judy Garland in Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), Brushfire (1962), The Man from the Diner's Club (1963), Pressure Point (1962), and Alvarez Kelly (1966).[1] He co-starred with Godfrey Cambridge and Estelle Parsons in Watermelon Man (1970). He appeared in 1776 (1972) as delegate from New York Lewis Morris.
Caine was also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
He acted in more than 750 live and filmed television programs, including the western series The Californians, Two Faces West, and The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters. He also appeared in Get Smart.
Caine is best remembered for his recurring role (37 episodes) as Major Wolfgang Hochstetter on the popular 1960s sitcom Hogan's Heroes (1965–1971). Prior to that he appeared on that show in two other roles, in the season one episode "Happy Birthday, Adolf" and the season two episode "The Battle of Stalag 13". The Major Hochstetter character first appeared later in season two. Hochstetter is a feared Gestapo officer who strongly suspects the prisoners, particularly Colonel Hogan, are engaged in clandestine activities, but he is never able to confirm his suspicions and usually ends up getting his comedic comeuppance. Hochstetter had several catchphrases, including (referring to Hogan) "Who is this man?" and "What is this man doing here?", and "I will surround this camp with a ring of steel." He would also shout "Baah!" as he leaves the room, when frustrated by the camp's incompetent commanding officer, Colonel Klink. The Major self-identifies as a Gestapo agent but usually dresses in the pre-war uniform of the SS Schutzstaffel.
Caine was featured as "Everett Scovill", a thinly disguised portrait of Charles Manson's attorney Irving Kanarek, in Helter Skelter (1976).
From his early childhood in Tennessee, Caine had always been fascinated with the Appalachian five-string bluegrass banjo and began mastering it in the mid-1960s. From the summer of 1970 until his death in 1993, he took trophies at 29 prominent banjo and fiddle contests in the southland for both Best Traditional Banjo and Traditional Singing. He was also a popular folk singer and appeared at a number of prominent folk clubs and folk festivals.[2]
Death[edit]
Caine died of a heart attack on December 28, 1993, five days short of his 68th birthday.[3]
Partial credits[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Marty | Bartender | TV play | |
| 1957 | The Californians | Schaab | TV series | 8 episodes, 1957–1958 |
| 1959 | Peter Gunn | Rafael Blanco | TV series | Episode "The Briefcase" |
| 1959 | Lawman | Newt Whittaker | TV series | Episode "Warpath" |
| 1960 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Pawnbroker Employee | TV series | Season 6 Episode 1: "Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat" |
| From the Terrace | Creighton Duffy | Film | ||
| Pay or Die | Enrico Caruso | Film | ||
| Pete and Gladys | Burke | TV series | Episode "Pete Takes Up Golf" | |
| Gunsmoke | Brady | TV series | "Big Tom" | |
| 1961 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Mr. Dahl | TV series | Season 7 Episode 7: "You Can't Be a Little Girl All Your Life" |
| Two Faces West | Jethro | TV series | Episode "The Vials" | |
| Judgment at Nuremberg | Hugo Wallner | Film | ||
| 1962 | My Three Sons | Police Sergeant | TV series | Episode "Chip Leaves Home" |
| Brushfire | Vlad | Film | ||
| Straightaway | Carson | TV series | Episode "Full Circle" | |
| Leave It to Beaver | A crooked dairy foreman | TV series | Episode "Eddie, the Businessman" | |
| 87th Precinct | Meinig | TV series | Episode "Idol in the Dust" | |
| Pressure Point | Tavern Owner | Film | ||
| Fair Exchange | Assorted roles | TV series | 4 episodes | |
| 1963 | The Man from the Diner's Club | Claude Bassanio | Film | |
| The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis | R.J. Crumley | TV series | Episode "The Call of the, Like, Wild" | |
| The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters | The Indian, "Afraid-of-His-Horse" | TV series | Episodes "The Day of the Pawnees, Part 1" and "Part 2" | |
| The Twilight Zone | Nick Bloss | TV series | Episode "He's Alive" | |
| 1965 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Mr. Setlin | TV series | Season 3 Episode 22: "Thou Still Unravished Bride" |
| Get Smart | Dr. Fish | TV series | Episode "The Day Smart Turned Chicken" | |
| My Favorite Martian | The Sultan, English | TV series | Episode "The Bottled Martin" | |
| 1965-1971 | Hogan's Heroes | Major Wolfgang Hochstetter, German | TV series | 37 as Maj. Hochstetter, 1 as Major Keitel in "Happy Birthday, Adolf" (1966) and 1 as Colonel Feldcamp in "The Battle of Stalag 13" (1966) |
| 1966 | Death Valley Days | Various roles | TV series | 3 episodes |
| Alvarez Kelly | McIntyre | Film | ||
| The Doomsday Flight | L.A. dispatcher | TV film | ||
| 1967 | Rango | Gayfor Ashton | TV series | Episode "Gunfight at the K.O. Saloon" |
| Get Smart | Various roles | TV series | 4 episodes | |
| The Rat Patrol | Major Bracken | TV series | Episode "The Violent Truce Raid" | |
| 1970 | Watermelon Man | Mr. Townsend | Film | |
| 1972 | 1776 | Lewis Morris | Film | |
| 1976 | Helter Skelter | Everett Scoville | TV film | |
| 1978 | The Paper Chase | Mr. Bond | TV series | Episode "The Seating Chart" |
| 1979 | Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo | Voice | TV series | |
| 1980 | Marilyn: The Untold Story | Billy Wilder | TV film | |
| 1982 | Forced Vengeance | Milt Diamond | Film | |
| 1984 | Challenge of the GoBots | Voice | TV series | |
| 1983 | The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show | Voice | TV series | |
| 1986 | The New Adventures of Jonny Quest | Voice | TV series | |
| 1988 | The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd | Mr. Endakis | TV series | Episode "Here's Another Cryptic Message from Upstate" |
| 1988 | War and Remembrance | Lord Maxwell Beaverbrook | TV miniseries | 2 episodes, final appearance |
References[edit]
- ^ "Howard Caine Dies; 'Hogan's' Actor, 67". The New York Times. January 4, 1994.
- ^ Piekiel, Bob (May 2010). "Howard Caine (Major Hochstetter) An Interview with Lyle Caine". Banjo Newsletter. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
- ^ "Actor Howard Caine dies of heart attack at 67". The Tuscaloosa News. Associated Press. December 30, 1993. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
External links[edit]
- Howard Caine at IMDb
- Howard Caine at the Internet Broadway Database
- Howard Caine at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Howard Caine at Find a Grave
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 1926 births
- 1993 deaths
- Male actors from New York (state)
- Male actors from Nashville, Tennessee
- American male film actors
- American male musical theatre actors
- American male stage actors
- American male television actors
- Burials at Eden Memorial Park Cemetery
- Jewish American male actors
- Singers from New York City
- Male actors from Los Angeles
- United States Navy personnel of World War II
- United States Navy sailors
- 20th-century American male actors
- 20th-century American singers
- 20th-century American male singers
- Military personnel from Tennessee
- 20th-century American Jews
- Jewish actors on Hogan's Heroes