Hiram Keller
Encyclopedia
Hiram Keller born Hiram Keller Undercofler Jnr., was an America
n stage and film actor who appeared starred in Europe
an films. He is best known for his role as Ascyltus in Federico Fellini
's 1969 film Satyricon
.
's prestigious Actors Studio
in New York. His first stage engagement took him to Broadway
. From 1967 until his departure to appear in Fellini's Satyricon, he played role of Woof in the original line-up stage production of Hair
, directed by Galt MacDermot
, Gerome Ragni
and James Rado. In addition, Keller worked as a model and acted in the New York underground scene with Andy Warhol
.
hired him for the leading role in his gloomy-looking adaptation of the novel fragment Satyrica of Petronius as his preferred candidate for the role since Pierre Clémenti
was no longer available. His role as Ascyltus helped boost Keller's career internationally. The screenwriter and long-time employee of Fellini Bernardino Zapponi
wrote of Keller's representation:
... Has a very photogenic smile and is full of knowledge as required by his role. (Bernardino Zapponi: My friend Fellini, Munich 1997, p. 61)
After this success, Keller received a number of major roles in mostly Italian productions. He starred with Giancarlo Giannini
in Alberto Lattuada
's comedy Sono stato io!, the male lead role opposite Jane Birkin
in the Anthony M. Dawson-directed horror movie Seven Dead in the Eyes of the Cat, the main role in the science fiction thriller The Secret of Life
(with Klaus Kinski
), Catherine Breillat
's Une vraie jeune fille and drama in the historical film Rivuole Cesare Roma!. In 1970, he also appeared in an Italian-French-German-Bulgarian co-production of Jules Verne
's The Courier of the Czar, directed by John Phillip Law
.
In 1982 he starred with his wife, Kristina St. Clair the Jamaican film production Countryman.
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
n stage and film actor who appeared starred in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an films. He is best known for his role as Ascyltus in Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI , was an Italian film director and scriptwriter. Known for a distinct style that blends fantasy and baroque images, he is considered one of the most influential and widely revered filmmakers of the 20th century...
's 1969 film Satyricon
Satyricon (film)
Satyricon is a 1969 Italian fantasy drama film written and directed by Federico Fellini. It is loosely based on Petronius's work, Satyricon, a series of bawdy and satirical episodes written during the reign of the emperor Nero and set in imperial Rome.-Plot:The film opens on a graffiti-covered...
.
Broadway
Keller received his dramatic training at Lee StrasbergLee Strasberg
Lee Strasberg was an American actor, director and acting teacher. He cofounded, with directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed as "America's first true theatrical collective"...
's prestigious Actors Studio
Actors Studio
The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street in the Clinton neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded October 5, 1947, by Elia Kazan, Cheryl Crawford, Robert Lewis and Anna Sokolow who provided...
in New York. His first stage engagement took him to Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. From 1967 until his departure to appear in Fellini's Satyricon, he played role of Woof in the original line-up stage production of Hair
Hair (musical)
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement...
, directed by Galt MacDermot
Galt MacDermot
Galt MacDermot is a Canadian composer, pianist and writer of musical theatre. He won a Grammy Award for the song African Waltz in 1960. His most successful musicals have been Hair and Two Gentlemen of Verona...
, Gerome Ragni
Gerome Ragni
Gerome Bernard Ragni was an American actor, singer and songwriter, best known as the co-author of the groundbreaking 1960s Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical.-Early life:...
and James Rado. In addition, Keller worked as a model and acted in the New York underground scene with Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
.
Film
Two years later, Keller was in Fellini's Satyricon, his feature film debut. The Italian director Federico FelliniFederico Fellini
Federico Fellini, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI , was an Italian film director and scriptwriter. Known for a distinct style that blends fantasy and baroque images, he is considered one of the most influential and widely revered filmmakers of the 20th century...
hired him for the leading role in his gloomy-looking adaptation of the novel fragment Satyrica of Petronius as his preferred candidate for the role since Pierre Clémenti
Pierre Clémenti
Pierre Clémenti was a French actor.Born in Paris, Clémenti studied drama and began his acting career in the theatre. He secured his first minor screen roles in 1960 in Yves Allégret's Chien de pique performing alongside Eddie Constantine...
was no longer available. His role as Ascyltus helped boost Keller's career internationally. The screenwriter and long-time employee of Fellini Bernardino Zapponi
Bernardino Zapponi
Bernardino Zapponi was an Italian novelist and screenwriter best known for his films written in collaboration with Federico Fellini.- Biography :Zapponi was born in Rome in 1927...
wrote of Keller's representation:
... Has a very photogenic smile and is full of knowledge as required by his role. (Bernardino Zapponi: My friend Fellini, Munich 1997, p. 61)
After this success, Keller received a number of major roles in mostly Italian productions. He starred with Giancarlo Giannini
Giancarlo Giannini
Giancarlo Giannini is an Italian actor and dubber.Giannini was born La Spezia, Liguria, Italy. He studied at the Accademia Nazionale d'Arte Drammatica in Rome, and made his film debut in a small part in Fango sulla metropoli in 1965...
in Alberto Lattuada
Alberto Lattuada
Alberto Lattuada was an Italian film director.Lattuada was born in Milan, the son of composer Felice Lattuada...
's comedy Sono stato io!, the male lead role opposite Jane Birkin
Jane Birkin
Jane Mallory Birkin, OBE is an English-born actress and singer who lives in France. In recent years she has written her own album, directed a film and become an outspoken proponent of democracy in Burma.- Early life :...
in the Anthony M. Dawson-directed horror movie Seven Dead in the Eyes of the Cat, the main role in the science fiction thriller The Secret of Life
The Secret of Life
"The Secret of Life" is the title of a song written and recorded by American country music artist Gretchen Peters. It was then recorded by Faith Hill and released in April 1999 as the fifth single from her album Faith. It peaked at number 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart...
(with Klaus Kinski
Klaus Kinski
Klaus Kinski, born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski , was a German actor. He appeared in more than 130 films, and is perhaps best-remembered as a leading role actor in Werner Herzog films: Aguirre, the Wrath of God , Nosferatu the Vampyre , Woyzeck , Fitzcarraldo and Cobra Verde .-Early...
), Catherine Breillat
Catherine Breillat
Catherine Breillat is a French filmmaker, novelist and Professor of Auteur Cinema at the European Graduate School.-Life and career:Breillat was born in Bressuire, Deux-Sèvres, but grew up in Niort...
's Une vraie jeune fille and drama in the historical film Rivuole Cesare Roma!. In 1970, he also appeared in an Italian-French-German-Bulgarian co-production of Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
's The Courier of the Czar, directed by John Phillip Law
John Phillip Law
John Phillip Law was an American film actor with over one hundred movie roles to his credit. He was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of actress Phyllis Sallee and the brother of actor Thomas Augustus Law .He was best known for his roles as the blind angel Pygar in the science fiction cult...
.
In 1982 he starred with his wife, Kristina St. Clair the Jamaican film production Countryman.
Personal life and death
Keller was married to actress Kristina St. Clair from 1981 to 1987 and had a daughter named Serena. The last years he spent with his family in his native Atlanta, Georgia. He died there on January 20, 1997 of liver cancerLiver cancer
Liver tumors or hepatic tumors are tumors or growths on or in the liver . Several distinct types of tumors can develop in the liver because the liver is made up of various cell types. These growths can be benign or malignant...
.
Filmography
- 1969 Fellini Satyricon (Satyricon)
- 1970 La Notte dei Fiori
- 1970 The Courier of the Czar
- 1973 Sono stato io!
- 1973 Morte negli occhi del gatto
- 1974 Roma rivuole Cesare
- 1974 Lifespan
- 1976 Une vraie jeune fille
- 1982 CountrymanCountryman (film)Countryman is an independent action/adventure film directed by Dickie Jobson. It tells the story of a Jamaican fisherman whose solitude is shattered when he rescues two Americans from the wreckage of a plane crash. The fisherman, called Countryman, is hurled into a political plot by the...