Kenneth Mars, an actor best known for his performance as a German playwright in the original movie version of 'The Producers' died on Saturday at his home.
According to the New York Times, Mars' family confirmed that the 75-year-old died from pancreatic cancer.
In 'The Producers' (1968), written and directed by Mel Brooks, Mars played Franz Liebkind, a Nazi enthusiast whose play 'Springtime for Hitler' is the basis for a scheme by two showmen (Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder) to con investors by putting on a sure-fire Broadway flop.
Brooks also cast Mars in 'Young Frankenstein' (1974) as a police inspector with a malfunctioning artificial arm who is on the trail of the monster (Peter Boyle) created by a descendant of the original Dr Frankenstein (Mr. Wilder).
Mars was born in Chicago and appeared on Broadway in 'The Affair' in 1962 and on the television shows 'Get Smart' and 'Gunsmoke'.
He went on to divide his time between the big and small screens and also provided voices for numerous cartoon shows.
He played a marshal tracking the title characters in 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' (1969) and a Croatian musicologist in the Barbra Streisand comedy 'What’s Up, Doc?' (1972).
He also appeared in two Woody Allen films, 'Radio Days' (1987) and 'Shadows and Fog' (1991).
On television his long list of credits included 'Columbo', 'Murder, She Wrote', 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' and 'Malcolm in the Middle', where he had a recurring role as a German ranch owner.
He is survived by two daughters, Susannah Mars Johnson and Rebecca Mars Tipton, and six grandchildren.
