Cohen (Caine), Howard Elmer E. ., RM3

Howard Caine (born Howard Cohen; January 2, 1926 – December 28, 1993) was a popular American character actor, probably best known as Gestapo agent Major Wolfgang Hochstetter in the television series Hogan's Heroes. He also played Lewis Morris of New York in the musical film 1776, and Everett Scovill, a thinly disguised portrait of Charles Manson's attorney Irving Kanarek, in the television movie, Helter Skelter.

Howard Caine was born in Nashville, Tennessee into a Jewish family. At the age of 13, his family moved to New York City. After his family's arrival in New York, he began to study acting, where he learned to erase his southern accent, while also learning 32 foreign and American accents. After serving in the U. S. Navy during World War II, he continued his studies at The School of Drama of Columbia University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude.

Military Service
He joined the United States Navy sometime after graduating high school in 1944, because he wanted to fight the Japanese in the Pacific Theater. It appears he never got the chance. He was trained to be Radioman and first shows up. muster reports on USS George K. Mackenzie (DD-836) as Seaman 1st Class Radioman. He was part of the commissioning crew. The vessel was commissioned on July 13, 1945, close to the end if the war.  While onboard he was promoted to 3rd Class Petty Officer Radioman. 

After shakedown off Cuba, Mackenzie returned to Boston, Massachusetts on 15 September 1945 and subsequently participated in the Navy Day celebrations on 27 October at Savannah, Georgia She served with the Operational Development Force at Norfolk, Virginia, her home port, and conducted training exercises and escort duties along the Atlantic seaboard. It appears He was muster out of the service on May 31, 1946 

Acting Career
He appeared on Broadway in Wonderful Town, Inherit the Wind, Lunatics and Lovers and Tiger at the Gates. He succeeded Ray Walston as "Mr. Applegate" in the original production of Damn Yankees. He was featured in such films as From the Terrace (1960), Pay or Die (1960), Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), Brushfire (1962), The Man from the Diner's Club (1963), Pressure Point (1962) and Alvarez Kelly (1966). He co-starred with Godfrey Cambridge and Estelle Parsons in Watermelon Man (1970). He was a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science.

He acted in more than 750 live and filmed television programs, including the western series, The Californians, Two Faces West, and The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters. He may be best-remembered as Major Hochstetter on Hogan's Heroes (1965). He was featured as "Everett Scovill", a thinly disguised portrait of Charles Manson's attorney Irving Kanarek, in Helter Skelter (1976).

From his early childhood in Tennessee, Caine had always been fascinated with the Appalachian five-string bluegrass banjo and began mastering it in the mid-1960s. From the summer of 1970 until his death in 1993, he had taken trophies at 29 prominent banjo and fiddle contests in the southland for both Best Traditional Banjo and Traditional Singing. He was also a popular folk singer and appeared at a number of prominent folk clubs and folk festivals.

Caine died of a heart attack on December 28, 1993.