Udo Kier Passes Away Aged 81, Hideo Kojima Pays Tribute With Post About Discussing OD With Him

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Udo Kier, a highly productive and well-known actor, has died at the age of 81. Throughout his extensive career, he appeared in many films and TV shows, including Blade and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and also lent his talents to video games. He was famous for roles like Yuri in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2, and was recently working on the upcoming horror game OD from Kojima Productions.

It was really sad to hear about Kier Dullea. Hideo Kojima shared a post about him, and it turned out they’d actually been emailing each other a lot! He said they were supposed to work together on OD, but the actors’ strike at the time unfortunately stopped that from happening. It’s cool to know they still kept in touch even then.

Kojima expressed his shock and sadness, saying the news came unexpectedly. The actors’ strike had delayed filming of ‘OD’ until next year, but he and Udo remained in regular contact via email. When they met in Milan in late September, Udo was enthusiastic about the upcoming shoot and full of his characteristic energy and humor. Kojima recalled that Udo had made him laugh with his usual funny quirks.

He continued, still shocked by the news. Udo wasn’t simply an actor; he was a true icon of his generation. It’s a huge loss – there will never be anyone quite like him. Rest in peace, Udo. I’ll always remember him.

Hideo Kojima explained that the recent SAG-AFTRA strike in late 2024 and early 2025 impacted the development of OD. Primarily, the strike meant actors weren’t available for crucial tasks like scanning their likenesses and environments, and for recording dialogue and voiceovers.

Kier’s career stretches back to the 1960s, when he starred in Road to Saint Tropez. Over the years, he’s appeared in many films, including Blade, Flesh for Frankenstein, Armageddon, Johnny Mnemonic, and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

Kier lent his voice to several video games, notably as a key performer in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 and its expansion, Yuri’s Revenge. He also voiced Dr. Peter Straub in Call of Duty: WW2 and Erich in Martha is Dead. He was scheduled to contribute to the game OD, but his recent passing leaves the future of his work on the project uncertain, as it’s currently unknown how much he had finished at Kojima Productions.

OD was first shown in 2023, but its development has been delayed. This is because Kojima Productions was simultaneously working on Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and faced disruptions from the SAG-AFTRA strikes. While the studio seems to be back to working on the horror game, they’ve also announced a new espionage-themed project called Physint.

Image credit: Picture Alliance / DPA / Oliver Berg

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2025-11-24 16:41