Robert Clary wasn’t your average Hollywood A-lister. Celebrated for being a Holocaust survivor, Clary’s journey to fame was far from an easy one.
Over the course of the French actor’s career, Clary has since opened up about those harrowing times in concentration camps and how he believed his knack for entertaining is what ultimately helped him survive.
Best remembered for his roles in Hogan’s Heroes and the popular soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, Clary’s resume and reputation were both big and impressive. Recognized and acknowledged for his professional work, on the other hand, some of Clary’s fans and followers may be wondering about the late actor’s personal life and marriage.
Robert Clary and Natalie Cantor’s relationship
Clary’s innate pull to entertainment was seemingly what led him to the love of his life. Back in 1950, while performing in a comedy skit on The Ed Wynn Show, Clary had the opportunity to meet Eddie Cantor.
Eddie Cantor, one of America’s earliest and most successful comedians, introduced Clary to his daughter, Natalie Cantor, and though it took some time, after being close friends for quite some time, the two eventually fell for one another.
At the peak of Clary’s career, the actor married. Natalie Cantor and Clary made their love official in May of 1965, and the couple remained happily together for decades. No stranger to the entertainment industry herself, Natalie Cantor, though not as active, was also an actor, according to The Jewish Virtual Library.
According to The Guardian, in December 1997, at the age of 81, Natalie Cantor sadly died, making Clary a widower.
Did Robert Clary and Natalie Cantor have any children together?
Probably due to his busy and ambitious agenda, Clary and Cantor never had children of their own. However, through his relationship with Cantor, Clary did gain a stepson, Michael Metzger.
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As time went on, Metzger had three daughters of his own who would, in turn, grow up looking at Clary as a grandfather. So even though the actor didn’t have biological children of his own, he was still able to experience fatherhood, at least to some extent.
Robert Clary’s recent death
Clary went on to live almost 25 years longer than his wife, but sadly, on November 16, 2022, the star died at the age of 96. NPR reported the actor’s fatalities were due to natural causes. When speaking on his life, one of Clary’s nieces shared:
“He never let those horrors defeat him … He never let them take the joy out of his life. He tried to spread that joy to others through his singing and his dancing and his painting … He didn’t let hate overcome the beauty in this world.”
The meaningful and touching tribute seemed fitting for someone like Clary.
A look back at Robert Clary’s most memorable acting roles
Clary was often most associated with playing the part of LeBeau on CBS’ Hogan’s Heroes, but the talented actor had many noteworthy roles over the course of his career. In 1952 Clary was celebrated and recognized for taking the screen as Aladdin in Thief of Damascus.
In the latter part of Clary’s career, he was no stranger to the soap opera. The actor found a way to land roles in seemingly every soap series and appeared in programs like The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of our Lives, The Young and the Restless, and General Hospital.
Though many were saddened to learn the tragic news of Clary’s passing, his reputation and legacy most definitely live on.
