Colonel Hogan’s Secret Life
It led to an actor’s violent death
Hogan’s Heroes was a popular American sitcom that aired from 1965 to 1971, and which was accused of making comedy out of the tragedy of World War II and Nazism— although in different ways from the highly successful but similar BBC productions Dad’s Army and Allo Allo.
However, some years after Hogan’s Heroes stopped filming, there was a genuine tragedy involving Robert (Bob) Crane, the actor who played the central character of Colonel Hogan.
Even during the period of the show’s transmission, Crane’s private life was far from what it should have been. It was known among his fellow professionals that he was “a ladies man” who had no trouble attracting female company, despite being married with five children. His first marriage ended in divorce in 1970, shortly before he married his second wife, but they were far from being the only two women in his life.
But extra-marital affairs were only part of his sexual appetite. Despite being able to take advantage of a sizable squad of willing partners, he grew bored of normal sex and wanted more. It was this plunge into perversity that would eventually cost him his life.
After Hogan’s Heroes finished its run, Crane made the acquaintance of a sales manager for Sony electronics named Henry Carpenter…
