John Banner studied for a law degree at the University of Vienna, but decided instead to become an actor.
14 Facts About John Banner
2.
John Banner emigrated to the United States, where he rapidly learned English.
3.
In 1942, John Banner enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps, underwent basic training in Atlantic City and became a supply sergeant.
4.
John Banner appeared on Broadway three times: in a musical revue called From Vienna, which ran for two months in 1939; and in two comic plays, Pastoral, in which he had a leading role, but which had a very brief run in November 1939; and The Big Two, which ran briefly in January 1947.
5.
Early on, before he became fluent in English, John Banner had to learn his lines phonetically.
6.
John Banner's first credited role was a German captain in Once Upon a Honeymoon, starring Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers.
7.
John Banner's typecasting did not please him, but these were the only roles he was offered.
8.
John Banner later learned that his family members who remained in Vienna had all perished in Nazi concentration camps.
9.
The year before the premiere of Hogan's Heroes, John Banner portrayed a World War II German "home guard" soldier in 36 Hours, starring James Garner.
10.
The comedy series Hogan's Heroes, in which John Banner played Sergeant Hans Schultz, the role for which he is most often remembered, debuted on the CBS Television Network in 1965.
11.
John Banner was loved not only by the viewers, but by the cast, as recalled by cast members during the Hogan's Heroes DVD commentary.
12.
In 1968, during the series' run, John Banner co-starred with fellow Hogan's Heroes actors Werner Klemperer, Leon Askin, and Bob Crane in the Cold War comedy The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz, starring Elke Sommer in the title role.
13.
John Banner's last acting appearance was in the March 17,1972, episode of The Partridge Family.
14.
John Banner then retired to France with his Paris-born second wife.