Obituaries : Howard Caine; Actor, SAG Board Member

Howard Caine, a versatile actor whose appearances ranged from Broadway drama to television comedy and who devoted much of his life to the unions that support the performing arts, is dead.

A spokesman for the Screen Actors Guild, where he had been on the National Board of Directors since 1982, said Caine was 67 and died of a heart attack Tuesday at his North Hollywood home.

Seen most widely as Major Hochstedder, the Gestapo commander on the long-running “Hogan’s Heroes” TV series, Caine appeared in more than 750 TV programs.

His film career started in 1960 with “From the Terrace” and included roles as Judy Garland’s husband in “Judgment at Nuremberg” and as Enrico Caruso in “Pay or Die.” His other movies included “Alvarez Kelly” and “The Man From the Diner’s Club.”

On Broadway he was in “Wonderful Town,” “Inherit the Wind,” “Damn Yankees” and “School for Scandal.”

Survivors include his wife, actress Valerie Webber Caine, a son, a sister and a brother.

Funeral services are scheduled for Sunday at noon in Eden Memorial Park, Mission Hills. Donations in Caine’s name may be made to the Actors Fund of America.