Leonid Kinskey

Leonid Kinskey (April 18, 1903 &mdash; September 8, 1998) was a Russian-born character actor who appeared in over a hundred movies and television shows. This includes his appearance in the pilot episode of Hogan's Heroes as the Russian POW, Sergeant Minsk.

Kinskey was born in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1903. He fled the chaos of the Russian Revolution and performed on the stage in both Europe and South America before he started acting in the United States in New York City in 1921. He performed in the road production of Al Jolson's musical, Wonder Bar, before making his first film appearace, in 1932, when was given a small part as a radical in the Ernst Lubitsch's comedy, Trouble in Paradise. A year later, he would play an agitator in the Marx Brothers' comedy, Duck Soup. He would continue to perform in small parts, mostly as foreigners and often in a comedic role, in such films as Les Misérables, The Lives of a Bengal Lancer, The Garden of Allah, The Big Broadcast of 1938, That Night in Rio, Three Blind Mice, Everything Happens at Night, and I Married an Angel. Kinskey's most famous role would be as Sasha, the humorous bartender in Rick's Cafe Americaine in Casablanca. He got the part, instead of the original choice, Leon Mostovoy because he was more humorous than Mostovoy and, based on his own testimony, he was Humphrey Bogart's drinking buddy.

During World War II, he was the person in Hollywood who helped to decide which Hollywood films would be sent to the Soviet Union. After the war, he appeared in fewer films, including, Alimony, Nancy Goes to Rio, Gobs and Gals, and The Helen Morgan Story, which was his final movie role. By then, he had started to appear on television, while also writing and directing several industrial films for major corporations.

His first television appearance was on The Spike Jones Show. He then appeared on such shows as Peter Gunn, Have Gun – Will Travel, The Jack Benny Program, 77 Sunset Strip, My Favorite Martian, Hogan's Heroes, Batman, and Mayberry R.F.D, with his last acting appearance being on The Chicago Teddy Bears in 1971''.

He died in 1998 in Fountain Hills, Arizona from a stroke.

Filmography

 * Salute to Stan Laurel (1965) (TV)
 * The Legend of Mandinga (1961) (voice)
 * The Helen Morgan Story (1957) (uncredited)
 * Glory (1956)
 * The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)
 * The People's Choice (1955) (TV Series)
 * Gobs and Gals (1952)
 * Honeychile (1951)
 * Nancy Goes to Rio (1950) (uncredited)
 * Bashful Romeo (1949)
 * The Great Sinner (1949) (uncredited)
 * Alimony (1949)
 * Monsieur Beaucaire (1946)
 * Can't Help Singing (1944)
 * That's My Baby! (1944)
 * The Fighting Seabees (1944)
 * Gildersleeve on Broadway (1943)
 * Presenting Lily Mars (1943)
 * El Circo (1943)
 * Let's Have Fun (1943)
 * Cinderella Swings It (1943)
 * Casablanca (1942)
 * Somewhere I'll Find You (1942) (uncredited)
 * The Talk of the Town (1942)
 * I Married an Angel (1942)
 * Brooklyn Orchid (1942)
 * Lady for a Night (1942)
 * Five Were Chosen (1942)
 * Ball of Fire (1941)
 * Week-End in Havana (1941)
 * Throwing a Party (1941)
 * Broadway Limited (1941)
 * That Night in Rio (1941)
 * So Ends Our Night (1941)
 * Down Argentine Way (1940)
 * He Stayed for Breakfast (1940)
 * Everything Happens at Night (1939)
 * Day-Time Wife (1939)
 * On Your Toes (1939)
 * The Spellbinder (1939)
 * Exile Express (1939)
 * The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939)
 * Flirting with Fate (1938)
 * The Great Waltz (1938)
 * Algiers (1938)
 * Professor Beware (1938) (uncredited)
 * Three Blind Mice (1938)
 * A Trip to Paris (1938)
 * The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938) (uncredited)
 * Outside of Paradise (1938)
 * Wise Girl (1937) (uncredited)
 * Candid Cameramaniacs (1937) (uncredited)
 * Nothing Sacred (1937) (uncredited)
 * My Dear Miss Aldrich (1937)
 * The Sheik Steps Out (1937)
 * One Hundred Men and a Girl (1937)
 * Make a Wish (1937)
 * Meet the Boy Friend (1937)
 * ''Married Before Breakfast (1937) (uncredited)
 * The Girl From Scotland Yard (1937)
 * Café Metropole (1937)
 * The Woman I Love (1937) (uncredited)
 * Maytime (1937) (uncredited)
 * Espionage (1937)
 * We're on the Jury (1937)
 * Love on the Run (1936) (uncredited)
 * The Garden of Allah (1936) (uncredited)
 * The Big Broadcast of 1937 (1936)
 * Violets in Spring (1936) (uncredited)
 * The General Died at Dawn (1936)
 * A Son Comes Home (1936) (uncredited)
 * Rhythm on the Range (1936)
 * The Road to Glory (1936)
 * Three Godfathers (1936) (uncredited)
 * Peter Ibbetson (1935) (uncredited)
 * I Live My Life (1935) (uncredited)
 * Goin' to Town (1935) (uncredited)
 * Les Misérables (1935)
 * The Gilded Lily (1935) (uncredited)
 * The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935) (uncredited)
 * We Live Again (1934)
 * Marie Galante (1934) (uncredited)
 * The Merry Widow (1934) (uncredited)
 * Straight Is the Way (1934) (uncredited)
 * Fugitive Road (1934)
 * Hollywood Party (1934)
 * Strictly Dynamite (1934) (uncredited)
 * Change of Heart (1934) (uncredited)
 * Manhattan Melodrama (1934) (uncredited)
 * The Cat and the Fiddle (1934) (uncredited)
 * Girl Without a Room (1933)
 * Duck Soup (1933)
 * Storm at Daybreak (1933) (uncredited)
 * Trouble in Paradise (1932) (uncredited)
 * The Big Broadcast (1932)

Notable TV Guest Appearances

 * The Chicago Teddy Bears playing "Butcher" in episode: "The Big Grab" (episode # 1.5) 15 October 1971
 * O'Hara, U.S. Treasury playing "Mortician" in episode: "Operation: Bribery" (episode # 1.4) 8 October 1971
 * Mayberry R.F.D. playing "Professor Radetsky" in episode: "Alice and the Professor" (episode # 3.21) 22 February 1971
 * Mayberry R.F.D. playing "Professor Radetsky" in episode: "The Harp" (episode # 3.12) 30 November 1970
 * Good Morning, World playing "Dr. Crandell" in episode: "Hutton's Mutts" (episode # 1.25) 12 March 1968
 * Daktari playing "Chip" in episode: "Judy and the Jailbirds" (episode # 3.9) 31 October 1967
 * The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. playing "Enzo Cannaloni" in episode: "The Low Blue C Affair" (episode # 1.23) 23 February 1967
 * Batman playing "Professor Overbeck" in episode: "The Mad Hatter Runs Afoul" (episode # 2.36) 5 January 1967
 * Batman playing "Professor Overbeck" in episode: "The Contaminated Cowl" (episode # 2.35) 4 January 1967
 * The Man from U.N.C.L.E. playing "Ferenc Pifnic" in episode: "The Jingle Bells Affair" (episode # 3.15) 23 December 1966
 * Perry Mason playing "Vyacheslav Gerznov" in episode: "The Case of the Tsarina's Tiara" (episode # 9.23) 20 March 1966
 * Honey West playing "Conrad Wicherly #2" in episode: "It's Earlier Than You Think" (episode # 1.19) 21 January 1966
 * Amos Burke, Secret Agent playing "Juan Bagulesco" in episode: "The Prisoners of Mr. Sin" (episode # 3.7) 27 October 1965
 * Hogan's Heroes playing "Vladimir Minsk" in episode: "The Informer" (episode # 1.1) 17 September 1965
 * The Rogues playing "Max" in episode: "Plavonia, Hail and Farewell" (episode # 1.11) 29 November 1964
 * My Favorite Martian playing "Professor Hammershlag" in episode: "Extra! Extra! Sensory Perception!" (episode # 2.6) 1 November 1964
 * Dr. Kildare playing "Sam Weiss" in episode: "Tomorrow Is a Fickle Girl" (episode # 3.25) 19 March 1964
 * 77 Sunset Strip playing "Pete Kramer" in episode: "5: Part 2" (episode # 6.2) 27 September 1963
 * 77 Sunset Strip playing "Pete Kramer" in episode: "5: Part 1" (episode # 6.1) 20 September 1963
 * The Joey Bishop Show playing "Boris Kinkoff" in episode: "Joey's Dramatic Debut" (episode # 2.26) 16 March 1963
 * The Dick Powell Show playing "Max" in episode: "The Great Anatole" (episode # 2.6) 30 October 1962
 * Bachelor Father playing "Boris Dobkin" in episode: "Will Success Spoil Jasper?" (episode # 5.24) 6 March 1962
 * Pete and Gladys playing "Leon" in episode: "Will the Real Michele Tabour Please Stand Up?" (episode # 2.20) 5 February 1962
 * Have Gun – Will Travel playing "Prince Radchev" in episode: "The Hunt" (episode # 5.20) 3 February 1962
 * The Joey Bishop Show playing "Actor" (as Leonid Kinsky) in episode: "A Letter from Stella" (episode # 1.17) 17 January 1962
 * The Joey Bishop Show playing "Stowalski" (as Leonid Kinsky) in episode: "A Windfall for Mom" (episode # 1.3) 4 October 1961
 * The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor playing "Kochinskey" in episode: "Tobey's Place" (episode # 3.1) 29 September 1961
 * Guestward, Ho! playing "Nikita Kornoloff" in episode: "Hooten's Statue" (episode # 1.28) 13 April 1961
 * The Ann Sothern Show playing "Instructor" in episode: "Always April" (episode # 3.20) 23 February 1961
 * The Jack Benny Program playing "Sir Gay Finskey" in episode: "Don's Anniversary" (episode # 11.13) 15 January 1961
 * Harrigan and Son playing "Ladislaus" in episode: "There's No Fool Like an Old Fool" (episode # 1.8) 9 December 1960
 * The Alaskans playing "Ivan" in episode: "Sign of the Kodiak" (episode # 1.34) 29 May 1960
 * Bachelor Father playing "Hair Stylist" in episode: "The Blonde Issue" (episode # 3.20) 28 January 1960
 * The Millionaire playing "Woody" in episode: "Millionaire Charles Bradwell" (episode # 5.37) 10 June 1959
 * Peter Gunn playing "Stashek" in episode: "February Girl" (episode # 1.30) 20 April 1959
 * Studio One playing "Himself" in episode: "Balance of Terror" (episode # 10.17) 27 January 1958
 * Telephone Time playing "Josef Demchuk" in episode: "Rabbi on Wheels" (episode # 2.29) 25 April 1957
 * TV Reader's Digest playing "Karl" in episode: "Top Secret" (episode # 1.6) 21 February 1955
 * Lux Video Theatre playing "Actor" in episode: "Hold Back the Dawn" (episode # 5.4) 16 September 1954
 * The Spike Jones Show playing "Fox" in episode: "Pinocchio" (episode # 1.17) 24 April 1954
 * Passport to Danger playing "Solov" in episode: "Monte Carlo" 1954