Robert Clary was a French-born American actor. Best known for for his role as Corporal Louis LeBeau in the television sitcom series Hogan's Heroes. He also was cast in Days of Our Lives and The Bold and the Beautiful.
Clary was born in Paris, France, the youngest of 14 children 10 of whom died in German concentration camps during the Holocaust. By the time he was 12 he began singing professionally on a French radio station along with other children. In 1942 his dreams of making it in the show b... moreRobert Clary was a French-born American actor. Best known for for his role as Corporal Louis LeBeau in the television sitcom series Hogan's Heroes. He also was cast in Days of Our Lives and The Bold and the Beautiful.
Clary was born in Paris, France, the youngest of 14 children 10 of whom died in German concentration camps during the Holocaust. By the time he was 12 he began singing professionally on a French radio station along with other children. In 1942 his dreams of making it in the show business were halted when he was deported to a Nazi concentration camp because he was Jewish. His parents and four siblings were also taken but he was the only one who survived.
When he returned he began performing in night clubs and making songs that became popular in France and United States. In 1949 he migrated to the United States where he appeared on Broadway and a couple of films before getting a breakout role in Hogan's Heroes. He published an autobiography titled From the Holocaust to Hogan's Heroes in 2001.
