Sad news is coming in today as we’ve just learned of the passing of The Human Centipede star Dieter Laser. Word of the actor’s death comes straight from his Facebook account, with a post informing his fans of Dieter’s passing which occurred back in late February. “Leider müssen wir euch mitteilen, dass Dieter Laser am 29. Februar 2020 verstorben ist,” the post reads, which translates to: “We are very sorry to have to inform you that Dieter Laser passed away on February 29, 2020.”
A veteran actor, Laser had been performing professionally since the ’60s. He won a Best Actor award in Germany for his role in the film John Glückstadt in 1975. Laser would appear in many other German film roles over the following years, and perhaps the most famous of them all would be the villainous Dr. Josef Heiter in the controversial 2009 film The Human Centipede (First Sequence) by director Tom Six. In 2016, Laser would return to the franchise in a new role when he portrayed prison warden Bill Boss in Six’s sequel The Human Centipede 3 (Final Sequence). Some of his other notable roles include Mantrid in Lexx, Prof. Otto Blaettchen in The Ogre, and Mr. Winter in Big Girls Don’t Cry.
I’m totally shocked Dieter passed away. He was a force of nature, an unique human being and an iconic actor. I’m so damn proud we created pop culture together. Wished we could have made many more movies. RIP my friend, you will live forever on screen! pic.twitter.com/ERGEsY5aZV
— Tom Six (@tom_six) April 9, 2020
No additional information has yet been made available about Laser’s passing, so the his cause of death isn’t clear. We offer our condolences to his family and friends. As perhaps the brightest spot of the dark franchise, one thing that’s certain moving forward is that anyone who’s seen the Human Centipede films will never forget Laser’s great work, and he has built a legacy that will live on for some time to come. Rest in peace.
You can watch the official trailer for The Human Centipede below.
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