John Banner (January 28, 1910-January 28, 1973) was an Jewish Austrian actor. Ironically, he is best known for his role as a German soldier, the comedic Sgt. Schultz on the television sitcom Hogan's Heroes. Banner was born in in Vienna, Austria. Because of his Jewish heritage, he was transported to a concentration camp before being released out of occupied Germany. Luckily for him, the time he spent in the concentration camp was during the early stages of Nazi rule, when extermination policies were not fully implemented yet.
Before Banner came to acting, he studied law for two semesters. His feature film credits include over 40 films and over 70 television appearances, including Mr. Ed, The Partridge Family, The Lucy Show, and Perry Mason. He had a small role in a color episode of The Adventures of Superman, playing a somewhat hapless character that to some extent anticipated his Sgt. Schulz characterization.
Banner died of an abdominal hemorrhage on his 63rd birthday in Vienna. He was buried at the cemetery in Mauer in Liesing, the 23rd Bezirk of Vienna. His grave can be found under Gruppe 57 Reihe 2 Nummer 26.
