John Banner was born in Vienna on January 28, 1910. Ironically, because of his accent, this Austrian-Jewish actor spent much of his Hollywood career playing Nazis, starting with the propaganda drama Seven Miles from Alcatraz (1942). He acted in a dozen American films—in both comedic and dramatic roles—before landing the role for which he is best remembered, the incompetent, strudel-guzzling Sgt. Schultz on Hogan's Heroes.

In 1961, he portrayed Nazi leader Rudolf Hess in the gritty film Operation Eichmann, which starred future Hogan's Heroes colleague Werner Klemperer. In 1968, Banner, Klemperer and Bob Crane costarred in the Hoganesque comedy flick The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz. John later starred as Dean Jones' lovable, goofy Uncle Latzi in the short-lived CBS sitcom, The Chicago Teddy Bears. (1971).He died on his birthday in 1973 from an abdominal hemorrhage.