Robert Clary, Star of Hogan's Heroes, Dead at 96

Robert Clary, star Hogan's Heroes, has passed away. He was 96 years old. 

The French actor and singer, who was also a Holocaust survivor, died at home in Los Angeles Wednesday morning.

Clary starred as Corporal LeBeau in World War II sitcom Hogan's Heroes for its six seasons from 1965 to 1971. He was the last surviving member of the series' main cast. In 2001, he released a memoir titled From the Holocaust to Hogan's Heroes, and detailed his 31 months in Auschwitz after not speaking about his experience for almost 40 years.

"For 36 years I kept these experiences during the war locked up inside myself," said Clary. "But those who are attempting to deny the Holocaust, my suffering and the suffering of millions of others have forced me to speak out."

After his liberation, Clary began his performing career singing in dance halls and eventually moved to Los Angeles in 1949. Over the course of his career, he starred in films like Ten Tall Men, Thief of Damascus, A New Kind of Love, and The Hindenburg, as well as series including Days of Our Lives, The Young and the Restless, and The Bold and The Beautiful. 

Clary's wife of 32 years, Natalie Cantor, passed away in 1997.

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines and harboring dad-aged celebrity crushes. She was previously a reporter/producer at Decider and is a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.