List of Hogan's Heroes characters
Colonel Robert E. Hogan (portrayed by Bob Crane) – United States Army Air Forces Colonel Robert E. Hogan is the main protagonist of the series, senior officer among the prisoners of war at Stalag 13, and leader of a group of prisoners who secretly sabotage the German war effort and help allies to flee Germany.
He is a ladies' man, engaging in relationships with both Klink's secretaries, Helga and Hilda, and many of the civilian women with whom he comes into contact.
The character was named after the actor Robert Hogan by friend and series creator Bernard Fein, who actually appears in two episodes of the show.
After failing his entrance exams for law or medical school,[5] he received an appointment to a military academy and graduated 95th in his class.
Klink is, for the most part, portrayed as a cowardly and muddling career officer rather than a stereotypical evil German or ardent Nazi.
[8] Schultz seeks to avoid trouble at all costs, generally preferring to ignore the prisoners' suspicious activities, a desire he expresses with his catchphrase, "I know (see, hear) nothing!
"[9] Hogan and his crew often openly discuss or even carry out their operations in Schultz's presence and get him to ignore (and occasionally assist) them, either by bribing him (with chocolate bars or LeBeau's gourmet cooking) or pointing out how he could be implicated if he reports them to Klink.
He is friendly with camp's guard dogs, which makes it possible to use a hidden tunnel entrance located under a doghouse in the kennel.
Though claustrophobic, he sometimes facilitates Hogan's operations by hiding in small spaces, such as the safe in Colonel Klink's office, boxes, crates, or a dumbwaiter.
Actor Robert Clary was a French Jew and Holocaust survivor who was held in the Ottmuth and Buchenwald concentration camps during World War II.
He is also a skilled tailor, in charge of making or altering uniforms, civilian clothes, and other disguises as needed for missions or for prisoners to move out of Germany.
Often the British voices heard on the radio as being from "London" were done by Richard Dawson, using a different, more "posh", accent than the one he used for Newkirk.
In many episodes Kinch acts as the de facto second-in-command in Hogan's crew; it was notable for a 1960s television show to have an African-American actor identified in such a manner.
Kinch was also a boxer, having fought in Golden Gloves matches as a middleweight; because of this experience, in one episode he is recruited to fight a guard from Stalag 13.
Kinchloe has remarkable ability when participating in undercover activities, but due to his skin color, his roles outside of the camp are limited.
No mention was ever made on-screen explaining Kinchloe's departure from Stalag 13, and his role as radio operator was filled by Sgt.
He is from the fictional town of Bullfrog, North Dakota, and is revealed to be part Native American, when he receives a letter from one of his Sioux relatives.
Hovis did not want to remove his wedding ring to play the character, so to conceal it, Carter wears gloves in most of his appearances.
In the pilot episode, "The Informer", Carter is a lieutenant who escaped from another prisoner-of-war camp, staying at Stalag 13 before continuing his journey to England.
This cast change occurred after Leonid Kinskey, who played Russian Sergeant Vladimir Minsk in the pilot, declined to return for further episodes.
[19][18] Sergeant Richard Baker (portrayed by Kenneth Washington) – Following Dixon's departure from the show after season five, the series producers chose to create a new character rather than recast his part.
[15] Newkirk is elevated to Hogan's second-in-command (despite being lower in rank to both Sergeants Baker and Carter) during the sixth season.
Upon the death of Robert Clary in November 2022, Kenneth Washington and Nita Talbot are the last surviving cast members of Hogan's Heroes.
In the pilot episode,[19] Helga works as a manicurist in the prisoners' underground barber shop, but this is the only scene in the series that shows her cooperation as that extensive.
Lynn left Hogan's Heroes at the end of its first season, because her off-screen relationship with Bob Crane was causing trouble in her marriage.
Her role is very similar to Helga's, aiding the prisoners by providing information to Hogan and confirming details of the stories he tells Klink.
General Albert Burkhalter (portrayed by Leon Askin) is Klink's superior officer, and is in charge of Luftwaffe prison camps.
Burkhalter is mystified by Stalag 13's perfect record, unable to make sense of it in contrast with Klink's apparent incompetence.
[21] Colonel Rodney Crittendon (portrayed by Bernard Fox) is a Royal Air Force group captain.
