Howard Caine
Encyclopedia
Howard Caine was a popular character actor, probably best known as Gestapo
agent Major Wolfgang Hochstetter in the television series Hogan's Heroes
.
At the age of 13 Howard Cohen moved with his family from his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee
to New York City
, where he began studying acting. Learning to erase his Southern accent, he went on to became a master of 32 foreign and American dialect
s. After serving in World War II
- he joined the United States Navy
fighting the Japanese in the Pacific theater - Caine continued his studies at The School of Drama, Columbia University
, where he graduated summa cum laude.
He 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), Judgment at Nuremberg
(1961), Brushfire
(1962), The Man from the Diner's Club
(1963), Pressure Point (1962) and Alvarez Kelly (1966). He co-starred with Godfrey Cambridge
and Estelle Parsons
in Watermelon Man
(1970). He was a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science.
He acted in more than 750 live and filmed television programs, including the 1961 episode "The Vials" of the western
series Two Faces West
. He may be best-remembered as Major Hochstetter on Hogan's Heroes
(1965). He was featured as "Everett Scovill", a thinly disguised portrait of Charles Manson's attorney Irving Kanarek
, on Helter Skelter (1976).
A native of Tennessee
, Caine had always been fascinated with the Appalachian five-string banjo, and began mastering it in the mid-'60s. From the summer of 1970 until his death in 1993, he had taken 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.
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
agent Major Wolfgang Hochstetter in the television series Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes is an American television sitcom that ran for 168 episodes from September 17, 1965, to March 28, 1971, on the CBS network. The show was set in a German prisoner of war camp during the Second World War. Bob Crane had the starring role as Colonel Robert E...
.
At the age of 13 Howard Cohen moved with his family from his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he began studying acting. Learning to erase his Southern accent, he went on to became a master of 32 foreign and American dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
s. After serving in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
- he joined the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
fighting the Japanese in the Pacific theater - Caine continued his studies at The School of Drama, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, where he graduated summa cum laude.
He appeared on Broadway in Wonderful Town
Wonderful Town
Wonderful Town is a musical with a book written by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Leonard Bernstein...
, Inherit the Wind
Inherit the Wind (play)
Inherit the Wind is a play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee. The play, which debuted in 1955, is a parable that fictionalizes the 1925 Scopes "Monkey" Trial as a means to discuss the then-contemporary McCarthy trials.-Background:...
, Lunatics and Lovers and Tiger at the Gates. He succeeded Ray Walston
Ray Walston
Ray Walston was an American stage, television and film actor best known as the title character on the 1960s situation comedy My Favorite Martian. In addition, he is also remembered for his roles as Luther Billis in South Pacific , Mr. Applegate in Damn Yankees , J.J...
as "Mr. Applegate" in the original production of Damn Yankees
Damn Yankees
Damn Yankees is a musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., during a time when the New York Yankees dominated Major League...
. He was featured in such films as From the Terrace
From the Terrace
From the Terrace is a 1960 American drama film directed by Mark Robson and starring Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Myrna Loy, Barbara Eden, Ina Balin, and Leon Ames....
(1960), Pay or Die
Pay or Die
Pay or Die is a 1960 film starring Ernest Borgnine, Zohra Lampert, Howard Caine, Alan Austin, and Robert F. Simon. It is a dramatization of the career of crusading New York City police officer Joseph Petrosino, a pioneer in the fight against organized crime in America...
(1960), Judgment at Nuremberg
Judgment at Nuremberg
Judgment at Nuremberg is a 1961 American drama film dealing with the Holocaust and the Post-World War II Nuremberg Trials. It was written by Abby Mann, directed by Stanley Kramer, and starred Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Maximilian Schell, Werner Klemperer, Marlene Dietrich, Judy...
(1961), Brushfire
Brushfire (film)
Brushfire! is a 1962 low budget black-and-white jungle warfare adventure exploitation film produced, directed and co-written by Jack Warner, Jr the only son of Jack L. Warner of Warner Bros.. Warner planned on making two more films under his Obelisk Productions company but they were never produced...
(1962), The Man from the Diner's Club
The Man from the Diner's Club
The Man from the Diner's Club is a 1963 comedy film made by Ampersand and Dena Productions and released by Columbia Pictures.-Production:...
(1963), Pressure Point (1962) and Alvarez Kelly (1966). He co-starred with Godfrey Cambridge
Godfrey Cambridge
-External links:*...
and Estelle Parsons
Estelle Parsons
Estelle Margaret Parsons is an American theatre, film and television actress and occasional theatrical director.After studying law, Parsons became a singer before deciding to pursue a career in acting. She worked for the television program Today and made her stage debut in 1961...
in Watermelon Man
Watermelon Man (film)
Watermelon Man is a 1970 American comedy-drama film directed by Melvin Van Peebles and based on the book The Night the Sun Came Out on Happy Hollow Lane by Herman Raucher...
(1970). He was a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science.
He acted in more than 750 live and filmed television programs, including the 1961 episode "The Vials" of the western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
series Two Faces West
Two Faces West
Two Faces West is a 39-episode half-hour syndicated television western series set in Gunnison in southwestern Colorado, which aired from October 17, 1960, to July 31, 1961. It stars Scottish native Charles Bateman in the dual roles of twin brothers, Rick January, M.D., and Marshal Ben January...
. He may be best-remembered as Major Hochstetter on Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes is an American television sitcom that ran for 168 episodes from September 17, 1965, to March 28, 1971, on the CBS network. The show was set in a German prisoner of war camp during the Second World War. Bob Crane had the starring role as Colonel Robert E...
(1965). He was featured as "Everett Scovill", a thinly disguised portrait of Charles Manson's attorney Irving Kanarek
Irving Kanarek
Irving A. Kanarek is a retired criminal defense attorney best known for representing Charles Manson and "Onion Field" killer Jimmy Lee Smith....
, on Helter Skelter (1976).
A native of Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, Caine had always been fascinated with the Appalachian five-string banjo, and began mastering it in the mid-'60s. From the summer of 1970 until his death in 1993, he had taken 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.