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- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Maximilian Schell was the most successful German-speaking actor in English-language films since Emil Jannings, the winner of the first Best Actor Academy Award. Like Jannings, Schell won the Oscar, but unlike him, he was a dedicated anti-Nazi. Indeed, with the exception of Maurice Chevalier and Marcello Mastroianni, Schell was undoubtedly the most successful non-anglophone foreign actor in the history of American cinema.
Schell was born in Vienna, Austria on December 8, 1930, but raised in in Zurich, Switzerland. (Austria became part of Germany after the anschluss of 1938), then was occupied by the allies from 1945 until 1955, when it again joined the family of nations.) He learned his craft on the stage beginning in 1952, and made his reputation with appearances in German-language films and television. He was a fine Shakespearean actor, and had a huge success with "Richard III" (he has also appeared in as the eponymous prince in a German-language version of "Hamlet").
Schell made his Hollywood debut in 1958 in the World War II film The Young Lions (1958) quite by accident, as the producers had wanted to hire his sister Maria Schell, but lines of communication got crossed, and he was the one hired. He impressed American producers as his turn as the friend of German soldier Marlon Brando, and subsequently assayed the role of the German defense attorney in the television drama Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) on "Playhouse 90" in 1959. He was also cast in the big screen remake, for which he won the 1961 Academy Award for Best Actor, beating out co-star Spencer Tracy for the Oscar. He also won a Golden Globe and the New York Film Critics Circle Award for the role. Schell ultimately won two more Oscar nominations for acting, in 1976 for Best Actor for The Man in the Glass Booth (1975) and in 1978 as Best Supporting Actor for Julia (1977) (which also brought him the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor). He has twice been nominated for an Emmy for his TV work, and won the 1993 Golden Globe for best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a series, mini-series or made-for-TV movie for Stalin (1992).
Schell has also has directed films, and his 1974 film The Pedestrian (1973) ("The Pedestrian"), which Schell wrote, produced, directed, and starred in, was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar and won the Golden Globe in the same category. His documentary about Marlene Dietrich, Marlene (1984), was widely hailed as a masterpiece of the non-fiction genre and garnered its producers a Best Documentary Oscar nomination in 1985. In 2002, Schell released Meine Schwester Maria (2002) (My Sister Maria), a documentary about the career of and his relationship with Maria Schell. Since the 1990s, Schell has appeared in many German language made-for-TV films, such as the 2003 film Alles Glück dieser Erde (2003) (All the Luck in the World) and in the mini-series The Hard Cops (2004), which was based on Henning Mankell's novel. He has also continued to appear on stage, appearing in dual roles in the 2000 Broadway production of the stage version of "Judgment at Nuremberg", and most recently in Robert Altman's London production of Arthur Miller's play "Resurrection Blues" in 2006. He died on 31st of January 2014, aged 83, in Innsbruck, Austria.- Actor
- Producer
Ben Cross was born Harry Bernard Cross on December 16, 1947, in London, England. He was the son of Catherine (O'Donovan), a cleaning woman, from Keelraheen, Dunmanway, Ireland, and Harry Cross, an English doorman and nurse. He began acting at a very young age and participated in grammar school plays -- most notably playing "Jesus" in a school pageant at age twelve.
Ben left home and school at age 15 and worked various jobs, including work as a window washer, waiter and carpenter. He was master carpenter for the Welsh National Opera and property master at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham, England. Driven by his desire to be an actor, Ben accepted and overcame the enormous challenges and obstacles that came with the profession. In 1970, at age 22, he was accepted into London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) -- the alma mater of legendary actors such as Sir John Gielgud, Glenda Jackson and Sir Anthony Hopkins.
Upon graduation from RADA, Ben performed in several stage plays at Duke's Playhouse where he was seen in "Macbeth", "The Importance of Being Earnest", and Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman". He then joined the Prospect Theatre Company and played roles in "Pericles", "Twelfth Night" and "Royal Hunt of the Sun". Ben also joined the cast in the immensely popular musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and played leading roles in Peter Shaffer's "Equurs", "Mind Your Head" and the musical "Irma La Douce" -- all at Leicester's Haymarket Theatre.
In 1976, Ben's debut screen appearance came when he went on location to Deventer, Holland, to play Trooper Binns in Joseph E. Levine's World War II epic A Bridge Too Far (1977), which starred a very famous international cast -- namely Dirk Bogarde, Sir Sean Connery, Sir Michael Caine and James Caan. In 1977, Ben became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and performed in the premier of "Privates on Parade" as Kevin Cartwright and played Rover in a revival of a Restoration play titled "Wild Oats".
Ben's path to international stardom began in 1978 with his extraordinary performance in the musical "Chicago" in which he played Billy Flynn, the slick lawyer of murderess Roxie Hart. During his performance in this musical, he was recognized and recommended for a leading role in the multiple Oscar-winning Chariots of Fire (1981). The major success of Chariots of Fire (1981) opened the doors to the international film market. Ben followed up Chariots of Fire (1981) with strong and successful performances, most notably in the Masterpiece Theatre miniseries The Citadel (1983), in which he played a Scottish physician, Dr. Andrew Manson, struggling with the politics of the British medical system during the 1920s, and his performance as Ash Pelham-Martyn, a British cavalry officer torn between two cultures in the Home Box Office miniseries The Far Pavilions (1984). During the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, Ben appeared in a commercial for American Express with Jackson Scholz, a sprinter for the 1924 American Olympic team whose character was featured in the film Chariots of Fire (1981). In 1986, he subsequently replaced James Garner as the featured actor endorsing the Polaroid Spectra camera. Ben was also featured in GQ Magazine as one of the annual "Manstyle" winners in January 1985, followed by a featured photo shoot in March 1985.
Having stuck by his desire to choose quality roles over monetary potential, Ben enjoyed long-term success in the film industry, for over 40 years. He played several outstanding roles including his portrayal of Solomon, one of the most fascinatingly complex characters of the Bible, in the Trimark Pictures production Solomon (1997). Other outstanding roles included his Barnabus in the MGM remake of the miniseries Dark Shadows (1991); Sir Harold Pearson in the Italian production Honey Sweet Love... (1994); Ikey Solomon in the Australian production The Potato Factory (2000); and his role as Rudolf Hess in the BBC production Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial (2006).
Ben was a director, writer and musician, as well. Among many of his original works is the musical "Rage" about Ruth Ellis, which was performed in various regional towns in the London area. He also starred in it and played the role of the hangman. Ben's first single as a lyricist was released by Polydor Records in the late 1970s and was titled "Mickey Moonshine". Other works include "The Best We've Ever Had" and "Nearly Midnight", both written by Ben and directed by his son, Theo Cross. In addition, the original soundtrack for "Nearly Midnight" was written, produced and performed by his daughter, Lauren Cross. These works were performed in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 2002 and 2003, respectively. "Square One", directed by Ben, was performed at the Etcetera Theatre in London in 2004.
Ben resided all over the world, including London, Los Angeles, New York, Southern Spain, Vienna and Sofia. He was familiar with the Spanish, Italian and German languages and enrolled in a course studying Bulgarian. When he was not filming, he wrote music, screenplays and articles for English language publications. Ben Cross died at age 72 of cancer on August 18, 2020 in Vienna, Austria.- Actor
- Soundtrack
John Banner, who achieved television immortality for his portrayal of the Luftwaffe POW camp guard Sergeant Schultz in the TV series Hogan's Heroes (1965), was born on Tuesday, January 28th, 1910 in Vienna., which in 1938 was then the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The 28-year-old Banner, who was Jewish, was forced to flee from his homeland to avoid being captured after the Anschluss (union) between Nazi Germany and Austria. This occurred while he was engaged in a tour of Switzerland with an acting company. Unable to return to Austria due to Hitler's anti-Semitic policies of persecution, Banner emigrated to the United States of America as a political refugee.
Soon after reaching the United States, John Banner, who knew nothing of the English language, was hired to be a Master of Ceremonies to a musical revue. He had to learn his lines phonetically. The total immersion paid off in that he rapidly picked up English. His accent and "Nordic" look ironically meant that Banner was typecast in several films as Nazis during the 1940s. He survived the war portraying the same villains who were murdering every member of his family, who had been left behind in Austria. All of them perished in concentration camps; his biological parents and all of his siblings perished.
At the time of his emigration to the US, John Banner weighed a trim 180 pounds. He eventually added another 100 pounds to become the chubby character actor America would come to know and love in regular appearances in movies and on TV. He specialized in foreign-official types, such the his role as Soviet Ambassador in Fred MacMurray's comedy movie, Kisses for My President (1964).
In 1965, Bing Crosby Productions cast Banner as "Sergeant Schultz", in the wartime comedy television sitcom, Hogan's Heroes (1965). The show debuted on Friday evening, September 17th, 1965, on CBS channels. The series was a take-off on Billy Wilder's Stalag 17 (1953), although with much more humor and less drama. The bumbling Dutch uncle who Banner portrayed was a continent apart from the wickedly evil Nazis he had portrayed during World War II. Spectacularly inept as a guard of Allied prisoners of war, Sergeant Schultz was prone to ignoring the irregularities that transpired in the fictional Stalag 13, bellowing firmly, "I know nothing! I see nothing! Nothing!!!"
John Banner enjoyed the role but demurred when accused of portraying a "cuddly" Nazi. He told TV Guide, "I see Schultz as the representative of some kind of goodness in every generation."
Banner and Werner Klemperer (who portrayed the equally comical and bumbling "Colonel Klink", and who, like Banner, was a Jewish refugee who had escaped Hitler's reach), co-starred with the series' leading actor, Bob Crane, in The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz (1968), a bizarre movie "comedy" about a defecting East German athlete. The picture bombed and the trio went back to turning out the highly popular series without losing too much pride or momentum.
After the cancellation of Hogan's Heroes (1965) in 1971, Banner was signed for another TV show set in the past. The Chicago Teddy Bears (1971), which was set during the Prohibition era. Banner's "Uncle Latzi" was a close cousin of Schultz, but lightning did not strike twice and the series was canceled after only 13 episodes in a three month season.
John Banner died on his 63rd birthday, Sunday, January 28th, 1973, in his hometown and country of Vienna, Austria. His 63 year (including 16 Leap Days) lifespan consisted of 23,011 total days, equaling 3,287 weeks and 2 days.- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Maria Schell studied in a religious institution in Colmar (Haut-Rhin, France). She received a dramatic training in Zurich, Switzerland. To pay her studies, she was a secretary there. Besides being a film star; Maria appeared in plays in Zurich, Basel, in Vienna (Josefstad Theater), Berlin, Munich (Kammerspiel Theater), at the Salzburg Festival and went on provincial tours from 1963. Among the plays she performed there were such classics as William Shakespeare's "Hamlet", Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's "Faust" and such modern classics as "Pygmalion" by George Bernard Shaw.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Helmut Berger - Austrian born film actor, mostly known for starring in Luchino Visconti's films, which are now considered modern classics. Born Helmut Steinberger in Salzburg in 1944, he turned down a prospect of running a family hotel business and went to London where he worked as waiter to pay his way through drama school. Later he attended the University of Perugia in Italy and spent some time in France. His acting career began with French and Italian commercials and showed no signs of progress until he was picked up by Luchino Visconti out of pool of "extras" during the shooting of Sandra (1965) in 1964. Berger's relationships with Visconti, whose partner he remained for 12 years, brought him to the attention of press and allowed him to act in some Visconti's films such as The Damned (1969), Ludwig (1973) and Conversation Piece (1974). Visconti is said to view Berger as the very image of his idea of a "demonic, insane and sexually perverted" man. As a matter of fact Berger often portrayed anguished souls and sinister villains. His acting career continued throughout the 1970s but was temporarily broken up in the early 80s when he battled alcohol problem. He appeared in numerous French, Italian, German films and spent one season on American soap Dynasty (1981) but few directors used his gifts with the same skill as Visconti. His autobiography "Ich" (Me), in which he famously referred to his relationships with Visconti as "marriage" and claimed to be the director's widow, appeared in 1998. Berger is still very active appearing in TV series regularly. He also very modestly attributed his acting achievements to Visconti's directing.- Actress
- Additional Crew
Marisa Mell was born on 24 February 1939 in Graz, Austria. She was an actress, known for Danger: Diabolik (1968), The Great Swindle (1971) and Under Siege (1980). She was married to Henri Tucci. She died on 16 May 1992 in Vienna, Austria.- Gorgeous and appealing brunette knockout Herta-Maria Perschy was born on September 23, 1938, in Eisenstadt, Burgenland, Austria. Maria moved to Vienna at age 17 to study acting at the prestigious Max Reinhardt Seminar. After finishing her education in Vienna, Perschy moved to Germany for further training and began her career acting in German comedies in the mid-'50s (her teacher, 'Suzi Nicoletta', helped Perschy get a contract at Bavaria Film Studios). She went on to act in an eclectic array of movies in such genres as drama, horror, Western and action/adventure, made in Europe and the US. Maria was usually cast in sexpot roles in her English-language films. She was nominated for the Golden Laurel Award for Top Female New Face in 1964. In 1971 she suffered a burn injury while filming a movie in Spain; she underwent several operations and then resumed her career. In 1977 she moved to Los Angeles and was married to a writer, who committed suicide in 1983. In 1985 she moved back to her native Austria and continued to act in both plays and TV series.
Maria Perschy died from cancer at age 66 on December 3, 2004; she was married twice and was survived by a daughter. - Actor
- Director
- Writer
As a nine-year-old boy, Leon Askin recited a 17-stanza eulogy for Emperor Franz Josef in front of the city hall in Vienna's 9th District. Little did the son of a salesman know then that he would one day be the student of Max Reinhardt and Louise Dumont, and discover Jura Soyfer while directing the political cabaret "ABC". Emigration brought him into contact with even more 20th-century luminaries: in 1938 he met Erwin Piscator, the founder of the school of Epic Realism, and worked with him for the next 30 years. On the set of Billy Wilder's One, Two, Three (1961), Wilder once exclaimed, "Here comes my professional!" Askin, who was often cast as the "funny villain", performed alongside Richard Burton, Doris Day and James Cagney. It is not merely exposure to big stars that distinguishes Leon Askin, though. He captured the hearts of critics and audiences with his impressive stage performances of "Faust" and "Shylock" on Broadway, which he also directed, and "Othello" in Hamburg. In addition, Askin made TV history as Gen. Burkhalter in the series Hogan's Heroes (1965).- Actor
- Director
- Additional Crew
Curd Jürgens (commonly billed as "Curt Jurgens" in anglophone countries) was one of the most successful European film actors of the 20th Century. He was born Curd Gustav Andreas Gottlieb Franz Jürgens on December 13, 1915, in Solln, Bavaria, in Hohenzollern Imperial Germany, a subject of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Of Franco-German parentage, Jürgens -- who was born during the closing days of the second year of the First World War -- would abandon the country of his birth after the end of World War II: Jürgens became an Austrian citizen in 1945 and lived part-time in France.
Jürgens entered the journalism profession after receiving his education, and married Louise Basler, an actress. Basler, the first of his five wives, encouraged him to switch careers and become an actor. He learned his new profession on the Vienna stage, which retained his loyalty even after he became an global film star. Jürgens was sent to a concentration camp for "political unreliables" in 1944, due to his anti-Nazi opinions. It was this experience in Nazi Germany that led him to become an Austrian citizen after the war.
His appearance in The Devil's General (1955) ("The Devil's General" (1955)), established him as a star of German cinema, and his role as Brigitte Bardot's older lover in Roger Vadim's ...And God Created Woman (1956) (And God Created Woman (1956)) made him an international star. Always interested in multilingual European actors with good looks and talent, Hollywood beckoned the 6' 4" Jürgens, casting him in The Enemy Below (1957) as a WWII German U-boat commander in a duel with American destroyer commander Robert Mitchum. He constantly was in demand to play Germany military officers (e.g., The Longest Day (1962), the most expensive black-and-white film ever made) -- indeed, his last role was as "The General" in the miniseries Smiley's People (1982) -- and Germanic villains (e.g., "Cornelius", the cowardly and treacherous trading company representative, in Lord Jim (1965)) for the rest of his life. One of his most famous roles in the English-language cinema was as the James Bond villain, "Karl Stromberg", in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977); it was Moore's favorite Bond film.
Jürgens considered himself primarily a stage actor and often performed on the Vienna stage. Though the world knew him as a cinema actor, he also directed several films and wrote several screenplays and an autobiography, "Sixty and Not Yet Wise" (1975). His death from a heart attack in 1982 in Vienna was front-page news across Austria and Germany.- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Director
The son of conductor Karl Böhm began his acting career on stage in Germany. In Europe, he is still best known for his role in the Sissi (1955) series, although he later starred in several movies of cult director Rainer Werner Fassbinder. After 1981, he was exclusively involved in charitable work in Ethiopia.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Stunts
Tall, lean, austere-looking Austrian character actor, whose chiselled features appeared on screen in small parts from 1945. Friedrich was the younger brother of renowned Viennese stage and film actor and director Leopold von Ledebur, both descended from a distinguished aristocratic family (their forebears included several high-ranking luminaries among the clergy, as well as political and military leaders). As a cavalry officer in an Ulan (Light Cavalry) Regiment of the Austro-Hungarian Army, he saw action during the First World War. Friedrich was a superb rider, a skill which later stood him in good stead as a trainer of horses for the film industry. After the war, having gained an engineering diploma (which he rarely, if ever, put to use), he spent the next two decades travelling the world, working all manner of odd jobs from gold mining to deep sea diving, to riding and winning prize money at rodeos. Having finally settled down in the United States in 1939, he eventually anglicised his name to 'Frederick'.
A close friendship with a fellow adventurer, the director John Huston, paved the way for more substantial character roles in Hollywood. The first and best of these was as the laconic cannibal Queeqeg, chief harpooneer on the ship "Pequod" in Huston's Moby Dick (1956). This is unquestionably the role for which he is best remembered. Friedrich came to specialise in eccentric character roles, ranging from stoic Indian chiefs to Vikings, from German Field Marshals to imposing Pirate Captains and Spanish aristocrats. Latterly white-maned, he popped up in a wide variety of genres, from historical epics, to spy thrillers and European westerns, even as one of the monastic guardians of the devil in the "The Howling Man" episode of The Twilight Zone (1959).
The actor was first married to English actress, poet and noted wit Iris Tree. His second wife (from 1955) was the Countess Alice Hoyos, who was descended from a titled Spanish dynasty, latterly resident in Austria.- Actor
- Producer
Popular leading man in 1940's Hollywood who, with his suave demeanor, exotically handsome looks and well-modulated voice, was first called upon to portray mysterious or villainous characters. Soon he would be teamed with other "exotics" (e.g. Maria Montez and Sabu) in a series of escapist adventures, filmed in glorious Technicolor and set in lands of fable, which proved most popular with movie audiences of the World War II years. But with the end of the war, his career (like that of Montez) would decline. He ultimately returned to his city of birth to pursue opportunities in commercial photography.- Ulla Jacobsson was an International Swedish Actress and became world-famous with the film One Summer of Happiness (1951) (English title: "One Summer of Happiness", German title: "Sie tanzte nur einen Sommer") and Smiles of a Summer Night (1955) ("Smiles of a Summer Night"), which Zarah Leander made as a musical in Vienna and also the Swedish version in Stockholm. She became better known in the UK for her part of the daughter of a missionary (played by Jack Hawkins) in Zulu (1964). She married an Austrian doctor and lived in Vienna, where she died of cancer in 1982.
- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Georg Wilhelm Pabst is considered by many to be the greatest director of German cinema, in his era. He was especially appreciated by actors and actresses for the humane way in which he treated them. This was in contrast to some of his contemporaries, such as Arnold Fanck, who have been characterized as martinets.- Music Department
- Composer
- Writer
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart grew up in Salzburg under the regulation of his strict father Leopold who also was a famous composer of his time. His abilities in music were obvious even when Mozart was still young so that in 1762 at the age of six, his father took him with his elder sister on a concert tour to Munich and Vienna and a second one from 1763-66 through the south of Germany, Paris and London. Mozart was celebrated as a wonder child everywhere because of his excellent piano playing and his improvisations.
In 1769 he became the concertmaster of the Archbishop and was knighted by the Pope in Rome. Working in Salzburg he nevertheless travelled around Europe to meet other composers and orchestras. But in 1781 after a dispute with the Archbishop he left Salzburg and went to Vienna where he married Constanze Weber from Mannheim. In Vienna he also started his friendship with Joseph Haydn and a time of many work pieces. In the last year of his life, for example, he wrote one of his masterpieces, "Die Zauberflöte". Although some of his operas were successful he could not make money from this and died in poverty at the age of 36, having even on his last day worked on a "Requiem". He was buried in a communal grave which could not be precisely identified years later.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Helmut Qualtinger was born on 8 October 1928 in Vienna, Austria. He was an actor and writer, known for The Name of the Rose (1986), Der Paukenspieler (1971) and End of the Game (1975). He was married to Vera Borek and Seidler, Leomare. He died on 29 September 1986 in Vienna, Austria.- Actor
- Producer
- Art Department
His real name was Theodor Friedrich Emil Janenz, and in the early 1900s, he was already working in the theater under Max Reinhardt's company. Important movies where he defined himself as a convincing actor were Passion (1919) and Quo Vadis? (1924), followed by The Last Laugh (1924) (aka The Last Laugh) in 1924 and Variety (1925) (aka Variety) in 1925. In 1928, he became the first male leading actor to receive the academy award for The Last Command (1928) directed by Josef von Sternberg. In 1929, Stenberg directed him in his world famous movie The Blue Angel (1930) (aka The Blue Angel) co-starring the young Marlene Dietrich (her first role). Later on, he concentrated on theater and dedicated his acting skills to the Nazi regime and also took part in the realization of Ohm Krüger (1941) in 1941, an expensive anti-British film production. When the Second World War ended, the US government cleaned his image, and he converted to Catholicism. He played in a few more German movies, but his career never recaptured its brilliance.- Sieghardt Rupp was born on 14 June 1931 in Bregenz, Vorarlberg, Austria. He was an actor, known for A Fistful of Dollars (1964), Weininger's Last Night (1990) and Das Feuerschiff (1963). He was married to Gotlinde Rupp. He died on 20 July 2015 in Vienna, Austria.
- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Hungarian-born Karoly Vidor spent the First World War as a lieutenant in the Austro-Hungarian infantry. Following the armistice, he made his way to Berlin and worked for the German film company Ufa, as editor and assistant director. In 1924, he emigrated to the U.S. and, for several years, earned his living as a singer in Broadway choruses and (at one time) with a Wagnerian troupe. While little detail is extant of this period in his career, it enabled him to accumulate the means with which to finance his own project: an experimental short film entitled The Bridge (1929). On the strength of this, he was signed by MGM to co-direct his first feature film The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932). For the remainder of the decade, Vidor worked with relatively undistinguished material at various studios, notably RKO (1935) and Paramount (1936-37). In 1939, he joined Columbia, where he remained under contract until 1948.
Vidor's career is something of an enigma. Never a particularly prolific filmmaker, his output has been variable. It includes a good-looking, but decidedly stodgy romance, The Swan (1956) (starring Grace Kelly in her penultimate screen role); and the interminably dull remake of A Farewell to Arms (1957). On the other side of the ledger is the lavish showbiz biopic of singer Ruth Etting, Love Me or Leave Me (1955), for which Vidor elicited powerhouse performances from his stars Doris Day and James Cagney. Frank Sinatra, also, gave one of his best performances as nightclub entertainer Joe E. Lewis, descending into alcoholism in The Joker Is Wild (1957). Other Vidor standouts are Ladies in Retirement (1941), a gothic Victorian thriller, tautly directed and maintaining its suspense, despite a relatively claustrophobic setting (among the cast, as Lucy the maid, was actress Evelyn Keyes, who became Vidor's third wife in 1944). Finally, two Rita Hayworth vehicles, the breezy musical Cover Girl (1944), and Vidor's principal masterpiece, the archetypal film noir Gilda (1946). This cleverly plotted, morally ambiguous tale of intrigue and ménage-a-trois was one of Columbia's biggest money-earners to date.
Some of the wittier dialogue in "Gilda" was voiced in re-takes, long after primary filming had been completed. The same applies to the two main musical numbers, the show-stopping "Put the Blame on Mame", and "Amado Mio". Yet, under Vidor's direction, all the dramatic and musical elements blended perfectly. The film has an undeniably electric atmosphere, largely due to the chemistry between the three leads. When the same material was later re-worked as Affair in Trinidad (1952) (with a bigger budget), that chemistry was notably absent.
In 1948, Vidor fell out with studio boss Harry Cohn, taking him to court for alleged verbal abuse and exploitation. He wanted out of his contract. Having just married Doris Warner, daughter of Warner Brothers president Harry M. Warner, Vidor sensed opportunities in working at a more prestigious studio. Cohn wasn't going to let him go quietly. It was pretty much all over, when actor Steven Geray testified, that he had himself been on the receiving end of invective at the hands of Vidor on the set of "Gilda". Glenn Ford, who thought Vidor opportunistic, then went on the stand, relating, that Cohn routinely used foul language on everyone around him, rather than aiming at any individual in particular. The fact that Vidor was not the easiest man to get along with, became evident during filming of the Liszt biopic Song Without End (1960). Both his stars (Dirk Bogarde and Capucine) found him to be ill-tempered and erratic. However, since Vidor died before the film was completed (George Cukor taking over), other factors may have played a part. In the final analysis, for "Gilda" alone, Charles Vidor deserves a niche in Hollywood heaven.- Leopoldine Konstantin was born on 12 March 1886 in Brünn, Moravia, Austria-Hungary [now Brno, Czech Republic]. She was an actress, known for Notorious (1946), Lola Montez (1918) and Die Insel der Seligen (1913). She was married to Geza Herczeg and Alexander Strakosch. She died on 14 December 1965 in Hietzing, Vienna, Austria.
- Actor
- Writer
- Director
A portly, somewhat grubby and bohemian-looking character star, Hugo Haas was one of the most celebrated Czech actors back in the 30s, a comic star who only grew in stature as he delved creatively into writing, directing and producing. The Nazi invasion forced him to leave his beloved country and come to the United States. Like a fish out of water, he had to start small. Beginning as an announcer on US broadcasts to the Eastern Europe underground, he also offered his talents as a narrator of propaganda films.
After the war, Haas revitalized his acting career with flashy, thick-accented support roles, often as a slick, seedy villain in lavish costumers. He enjoyed a certain amount of popularity and with the money he made, he began financing his own independent films in the 50s, taking total creative control with almost a Svengali-like obsession.
This time around, however, there was little of the adulation he had reaped so easily back in his homeland. With such lurid titles as Pickup (1951), Thy Neighbor's Wife (1953), and Bait (1954), these vehicles smacked hard of sensationalism and he and his films were generally dismissed. Many were badly acted and obviously cheap and cheesy in production values. A recurring "Blue Angel"-styled theme appeared in many of Hugo's starring vehicle whereas an older respectable man was seduced and ruined by the charms of a much younger hussy (blonde, busty bombshells such as Cleo Moore, Beverly Michaels, and (former "Miss Universe") Carol Morris.
Haas' reputation was so tainted by these so-called vanity projects that he was quickly dubbed the "foreign Ed Wood", which was unfair given his earlier reputation. Haas was planning to return to his native land in 1968 when the Russians seized control. Profoundly disheartened and depressed by the current state of affairs in his country, the homesick actor, who also suffered from an asthmatic condition, died shortly after of heart failure. He should be better remembered today than he is. He is solid proof that Hollywood has a way of sometimes robbing a person of his artistic creativity or integrity.- Actor
- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Karl Welunschek was born on 26 May 1955 in Vienna, Austria. He was an actor and director, known for Crooks (2024), Volksvernichtung oder Meine Leber ist sinnlos (2000) and Der teure Johann (1977). He died on 14 April 2023 in Vienna, Austria.- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
During the heyday of German silent cinema, Rudolf Klein-Rogge was the prototype for the master criminal, the irredeemable arch villain or mad scientist. Born in Cologne, he served as a cadet in a Prussian military academy before finishing his matriculation. He then began to attend acting classes and studying art history in Berlin and Bonn, making his debut on the stage in 1909. After playing in theatres in towns and cities along the Rhine and northern Germany for nearly ten years, he started making films in 1919.
His villainous roots first came to the fore in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), but he really established his reputation in a series of classic expressionist films written by his then-wife Thea von Harbou and directed by Fritz Lang. Of these, the most memorable were his forceful Moriarty-inspired portrayals of the titular character in Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922), and its later sequel, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933). The latter, which has an evil mastermind directing his empire from a madhouse, was so obviously aimed at the Hitler regime, that it was banned by Joseph Goebbels. Klein-Rogge's other noteworthy appearances include King Etzel in Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924) and Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild's Revenge (1924); and his insane scientist C.A. Rothwang, creator of the robot creature in Fritz Lang's masterpiece Metropolis (1927). A powerful personality possessed of an almost hypnotic stare and a strong, resonant voice, Klein-Rogge continued on through the 1930's in supporting roles. However, the period of expressionist cinema in Germany had all but run its course and he died in relative obscurity in Graz, Austria, in April 1955.- Franz Kafka was born into a German-speaking Jewish family in Prague, Austrian Empire, in 1883. His father, Hermann Kafka, was a business owner and a domestic tyrant, frequently abusing his son. Kafka later admitted to his father, "My writing was all about you...". He believed that his father broke his will and caused insecurity and guilt, that affected his whole life. Their tensions come out in "The Trial" and in "The Castle" in form of a hopeless conflict with an overwhelming force. His mother, Julie Lowy, came from an intellectual, spiritual family of the Jewish merchant and brewer Jakob Lowy. Although her influence was diminished by his dominating father, she shared her son's delicate nature. Kafka had a few relationships with women and was engaged, but never made a family.
He finished the German National Gymnasium in 1901, and graduated from the German University in Prague as Doctor of Law in 1906. He worked for insurance companies for the rest of his life. His profession shaped the formal, cold language of his writings which avoided any sentimental interpretations, leaving it to the reader. In 1908 Kafka published eight short stories compiled under the title "Meditation". In 1911 he became interested in Yiddish theater, that absorbed him more than abstract Judaism. In 1912 he began writing "The Judgment", which was more than an autobiography, providing a therapeutical outlet for his wrecked soul. The same year he started "Metamorphosis" about a traveling salesman, who transformed into a giant bug. In 1914 he wrote "In the Penal Colony" and "The Trial", which is regarded to be his best work. His style remains unique, though literary connections may be traced to Edgar Allan Poe, E.T.A. Hoffmann and Nikolay Gogol, as well as to Chinese parables, to the Bible and Talmud.
As a Jew Kafka experienced social tensions and isolation from the German community, so very few of his writings could find readers during his life. His three sisters later died in the Nazi concentration camps. He suffered from clinical depression, social anxiety, insomnia, and tuberculosis, complicated by laryngitis, that caused him the loss of his voice before his death in 1924. He was comforted by his girlfriend Dora Diamant, who had broken away from her Hasidic shtetl in Poland. She was 19 when they met in 1923 and Kafka wrote to her parents, asking for their permission to marry her. Their answer was negative, because Kafka presented himself as a non-religious Jew. He asked Dora to destroy his manuscripts after his death, but she kept about 20 notebooks of his writings and 35 private letters, that were reportedly confiscated by the Gestapo in 1933 and are not yet recovered. His university friend Max Brod became his editor, biographer and literary agent, who preserved and published most of Kafka's works posthumously, including the unfinished novels "The Trial", "The Castle", and "America". - Peter Simonischek was born on 6 August 1946 in Graz, Austria. He was an actor, known for Toni Erdmann (2016), The Interpreter (2018) and Sapphire Blue (2014). He was married to Brigitte Karner and Charlotte Schwab. He died on 29 May 2023 in Vienna, Austria.
- Heinz Reincke was born on 28 May 1925 in Kiel, Germany. He was an actor, known for Es muß nicht immer Kaviar sein (1977), The Country Doctor (1987) and Geschichten aus der Heimat (1983). He was married to Elfi Petsch, Erni Mangold and Herta Maria Gessulat. He died on 13 July 2011 in Vienna, Austria.
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Handsome Austrian leading man Robert Hoffman spent three years studying drama at the Poule Vanneck academy in Paris. Already multi-lingual, he also learned how to ride and fence -- which proved useful as his career took off. He first came to fame as the titular star of The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1964), which was filmed in the Canary Islands by a French company and later dubbed into English. This seemed to have typecast Hoffman as globetrotting adventurers or rugged action heroes in European co-productions, ranging from Edgar Wallace-inspired potboilers (Again the Ringer (1965)) and crime melodramas (Grand Slam (1967), A Black Veil for Lisa (1968)) to giallo horror (Death Carries a Cane (1973)) and peplum (The Last Roman (1968)). A favorite especially among Italian and French audiences in the 60s, he starred alongside international players like Orson Welles, Laurence Harvey, Anita Ekberg and Claudia Cardinale. Hoffman's career suffered a severe setback in 1971 when he broke his leg in several places while jumping from a wall onto a horse during the filming of Nights and Loves of Don Juan (1971). The quality of roles began to diminish, and, by the early 80's, Hoffman was reduced to making commercials and appearing in small supporting roles on television in shows like Kommissar Rex (1994), Tatort (1985) and even a couple of episodes of Dallas (1978). After having spent several years living in Rome and Madrid, Hoffman eventually returned to his home town of Salzburg where he died on July 4 2022 at the age of 82.- Music Department
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Beethoven was the child of a Flamian musician family and became a member of the electoral orchestra of Bonn in 1783. In 1787 he studied at Mozart's in Vienna and in 1792 he moved all to Vienna becoming a student of Joseph Haydn. The Vienna High Society loved him as a piano player as well as as composer. In 1802 his deafness became serious making Beethoven a real eccentric until his death in 1827.- Actor
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Austrian-born actor, photographer and champion Alpine skier. Horst Ebersberg was born in Kitzbühel to physician Dr. Lothar Ebersberg and his wife Annette. Both parents were skilled alpinists. Annette was also a close acquaintance of film maker Leni Riefenstahl. It had been intended that their son would follow his father into the medical profession. However, Horst (a close friend of the legendary Toni Sailer) excelled in sports at the Stella Matutina Jesuit School in Feldkirch, twice becoming Alpine Ski Master in 1955. With some assistance from the renowned Austrian mountaineer and explorer Heinrich Harrer, Horst was able to obtain a sports scholarship from the University of Denver in Colorado. As a sideline, he worked as a journalist and photographer for the Denver Post. Between 1963 and 1969, he featured as a supporting actor in many American films and TV series, often typecast as German soldiers. He made recurring appearances as different characters in 12 O'Clock High (1964), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964), Combat! (1962), Hogan's Heroes (1965) and Mission: Impossible (1966).
Upon his return to Europe, Horst did further journalistic work for the illustrated magazines 'Quick' and 'Bunte'. He retired to his home town Kitzbühel in 1990. From 2007 to 2011, he published his own paper, the 'Kitzbüheler Beobachter'. Horst was twice married. He had two daughters (Hannah and Miriam Ebersberg) with his second wife Sabine (née Opperer)- Actress
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Lída Baarová was born on 14 September 1914 in Prague, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary [now in Czech Republic]. She was an actress, known for Die Fledermaus (1937), Virginity (1937) and Jsem devce s certem v tele (1933). She was married to Kurt Lundwall and Jan Kopecky. She died on 28 October 2000 in Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.- Actress
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Charming, dainty Heidelinde Weis shot to instant stardom after her dual role in the three-part miniseries Die Frau in Weiß (1971), based on the 19th century novel by mystery writer Wilkie Collins. In Germany, this production ended up being classified as a 'Straßenfeger' (which translates to 'street sweeper'), since it was viewed by so many people that the streets were literally empty when the show went to air. Weis, as the titular mystery 'woman in white' and the gentle, soulful Laura Fairlie, excelled in a cast which included Christoph Bantzer, Pinkas Braun, Eric Pohlmann and Helmut Käutner.
Austrian-born Weis attended a trade school and then studied acting at the prestigious Max-Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna from 1957 to 1958. The following year, she became an ensemble member of the Theater in der Josefstadt. Since then, she has performed in classical plays on many stages throughout Germany and Austria. The screen saw her first in Wolfgang Liebeneiner's romantic comedy Ich heirate Herrn Direktor (1960), already cast as the female lead opposite Gerhard Riedmann and Hans Söhnker. She played the titular heroine in several popular motion pictures, including Dead Woman from Beverly Hills (1964) and the historical biopic Liselotte von der Pfalz (1966) (this won her a German Film Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role). Likewise, on the small screen, she headlined as Mary Rose (1961) and Eurydike (1964), and co-starred with Claus Biederstaedt in the 20-part series Meine Frau Susanne (1963).
Through the succeeding decades, Weis made guest appearances in a number of popular crime series (Der Kommissar (1969), Derrick (1974), etc.), enjoyed a recurring role in the dynastic TV drama Das Erbe der Guldenburgs (1987) and had starring turns in tele-movies like Quadrille (1986), Die selige Edwina Black (1987) and the revenge drama Gabriellas Rache (1994). She co-starred with Christiane Hörbiger in the comedy series Neue Freunde, neues Glück (2005) and Das Glück ist ein Kaktus (2011); and with Peter Weck in Glück auf vier Rädern (2006) and Ein Ferienhaus auf Ibiza (2008). In the turbulent 'odd couple' comedy Liebe für Fortgeschrittene (2008), she played a tough businesswoman involved with an eccentric gardener (Günther Maria Halmer).
In addition to her acting career, Heidelinde Weis also enjoyed success as a singer and writer of chansons, releasing a trio of albums between 1975 and 1979.
The actress had her fair share of personal setbacks, including the loss of her husband of 38 years, Hellmuth Duna, in 1998. She survived both breast cancer (2010) and bladder cancer (2016). In 2022, she published a delightfully optimistic autobiography, entitled 'Das Beste kommt noch' (The Best is yet to come). Sadly, she passed away on November 24 2023 in her hometown of Villach, Kärnten, at the age of 83.- Music Department
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Being the son of a violinist Vivaldi started playing the violin himself early in his life. In 1703 he became priest and in 1716 the director of a conservatory of the church in Venice. Being a famous violinist he gave concerts all over Europe also composing a lot of violin concerts and other string works. There is not much information about his life only that he died in poverty in Vienna.- Actor
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David Cameron was born on 21 January 1933 in Camberwell, Surrey, England, UK. He was an actor and director, known for Robot Jox (1989), Mrs. Dally (1966) and Suddenly, Last Summer (1959). He was married to Gerlinde Bernhard, Dorothea 'Pumpi' Gräfin v. Lamberg, Hildegard Knef and Shirley Cameron. He died on 7 August 2012 in Vienna, Austria.- Actress
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Christiane Hörbiger descended from a famous dynasty of thespians, one of three siblings born to the Austrian acting couple Paula Wessely and Attila Hörbiger. She was also a niece of the equally renowned character actor Paul Hörbiger. Educated in Vienna, Christiane graduated from a commercial school with a diploma and seemed to be destined for an apprenticeship as a confectioner. When that fell through, her parents had little choice but to grant her wish to become an actress. She duly made her film debut at the age of 16, billed as Christel Wessely-Hörbiger, co-starring with her father in the bucolic Heimatfilm Der Major und die Stiere (1955). A brief attendance at the Max Reinhardt Academy then followed and was rounded off with dance and singing tuition under the auspices of Alma Seidler. From 1959 to 1966, Hörbiger developed her acting skills on the classical stage, first in Heidelberg and later as an ensemble member of the famed Vienna Burgtheater. In addition to guest appearances in Munich and Salzburg, she had regular engagements at the Pfauenbühne in Zurich between 1967 and 1985, in plays by, among others, Schiller, Molières and Shakespeare. Her wide repertoire on stage and screen included anything from unhappy lovers to prim widows, from careworn or depressed mothers to elegant, wealthy dowagers or down-to-earth spouses, and, latterly, grandmothers.
Hörbiger's first breakthrough on the screen came via television, co-starring with Willy Millowitsch in the series Donaug'schichten (1965) (as the daughter of a cook and amateur sleuth involved in various criminal cases). Her role as a countess in Das Erbe der Guldenburgs (1987), a sprawling family saga sometimes described as Germany's answer to Dallas (1978), introduced her to an even wider audience. She was also the eponymous heroine of Julia - Eine ungewöhnliche Frau (1999), as a Viennese barrister who takes a job as a provincial district judge with resulting consequences to both her professional and private life. Her few big screen appearances included the Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated satire Schtonk (1992), which lampooned the Hitler Diaries hoax of 1983 and was a nod to Charles Chaplin's The Great Dictator (1940). For her role as Herman Goering's willful (but fictitious) grandniece Freya von Hepp, Hörbiger was awarded a Bambi Film Prize in 1992.
Until her retirement in 2019, Christiane Hörbiger continued to make prolific appearances in TV films and as an occasional series guest star. She was often referred to as the preeminent Grand Dame of German television. In 2003, Hörbiger became a founding member of the Deutsche Filmakademie. A strong advocate of racial tolerance and equality, she was appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador to Austria that same year. Hörbiger was married twice: her first husband (divorced) was the director Wolfgang Glück, her second the Swiss journalist Rolf R. Bigler. Until her passing in November 2022, she had resided variously in Zurich and in the spa town of Baden bei Wien.- Music Department
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German Romantic composer Johannes Brahms was born in Hamburg in 1833 and died in Vienna, Austria in 1897. A perfectionist, he often compared himself unfavorably to composers such as Beethoven and ended up destroying many compositions without their ever being heard. While basically conservative, he showed musical growth throughout his four symphonies and occasionally borrowed wilder folk themes, such as in his Hungarian Dances, and he explored a vast range of human emotion in his Violin Concerto.
Although he never married, much of his later life involved a seemingly unending devotion to Clara Schumann, widow of composer Robert Schumann - both of whom were long-time friends to Brahms.- Music Department
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Antonin Dvorak was a son of butcher, but he did not follow his father's trade. While assisting his father part-time, he studied music, and graduated from the Prague Organ School in 1859. He also was an accomplished violinist and violist, and joined the Bohemian Theatre Orchestra, which was under the baton of Bedrich Smetana in 1860s. For financial reasons he quit the orchestra and focused on composing and teaching. He fell in love with one of his students, but she married another guy. Her sister was available, so Dvorak married the sister, Anna, in 1873, and they had nine children.
Dvorak's early compositions were influenced by Richard Wagner and Johannes Brahms, and with their promotion his music became performed in European capitals and received international acclaim. His performances in 1880s of Slavonic Dances, the Sixth Symphony and the Stabat Mater were a success in England, and Dvorak received an honorary doctorate from Cambridge. He made a successful concert tour in Russia in 1890, and became a professor at the Prauge Conservatory. In 1892 he received an invitation to America from Jeaunnette Thurber, the founder of he National Conservatory of Music in New York City. Dvorak was the Director of the National Conservatory in New York for three years (1892-95), where he also taught composition and carried on his cross-cultural studies.
Dvorak broadened his experiences through studying the music of the Native Americans and African Americans, many of whom became his students and friends. Dvorak was inspired by the originality of indigenous American music and culture, as well as by the spirituals and by the singing of his African American students. Dvorac incorporated his new ideas, blended with his Bohemian roots, into his well-known Symphony No.9 in E minor "From the New World". He worked on this symphony for most of the spring and summer of 1893, and made it's glorious premiere in Carnegie Hall in December, 1893. In America he also wrote the remarkable Cello Concerto and two string quartets, including the Quartet in F ("The American"). Dvorak was doing very well in New York financially, but his heart was in Prague and he left America for his Czech Motherland. He had a big family with his wife and nine children in Prague. He became the Director of the Prague Conservatory in 1901 and kept the position until his death in 1904.- Martin Miller was born on 2 September 1899 in Kremsier, Moravia, Austria-Hungary [now Kromeriz, Czech Republic]. He was an actor, known for Exodus (1960), Peeping Tom (1960) and The Pink Panther (1963). He was married to Hannah Norbert. He died on 26 August 1969 in Innsbruck, Austria.
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Marika Rokk was born in Cairo on the 3rd of November 1913. As a child she moved to Hungary. In Paris at the Moulin Rouge she started her career as a dancer, soon moving on to Broadway New York City, USA.
She made her first films Why Sailors Leave Home (1930) in London, & also Kiss Me Sergeant (1930) in London, U.K.
After that she made 2 very fine films in Hungary, her home.
Miss Rokk made her first German film: Light Cavalry (1935) in 1935 it made her a Star overnight. Soon she married German Film Director Georg Jacoby and her 2nd German film was Der Bettelstudent (1936), directed by him.
In 1939 she made It Was a Gay Ballnight (1939) with superstar Zarah Leander and started filming the first German color film Frauen sind doch bessere Diplomaten (1941) which was finished and released two years later.
The couple had one child, Gabriele Jacoby. Miss Rökk also married Fred Raul. She retired from films in the 1960s but continued to perform in Operetta's like "Die Blume von Hawaii" & others on the stage across Europe before retiring to Baden, Austria. She died of a heart attack May 16, 2004.- Actress
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Hilde Krahl was born on 10 January 1917 in Brod, Austria-Hungary [now Slavonski Brod, Croatia]. She was an actress, known for Das Glas Wasser (1960), No Greater Love (1952) and Träumerei (1944). She was married to Wolfgang Liebeneiner. She died on 28 June 1999 in Vienna, Austria.- Gerhard Zemann was born on 21 March 1940 in Vienna, Austria. He was an actor, known for Kommissar Rex (1994), Stockinger (1996) and Die Hausmeisterin (1987). He died on 14 April 2010 in Salzburg, Austria.
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Theo Lingen was born on 10 June 1903 in Hanover, Germany. He was an actor and director, known for M (1931), The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933) and Till Eulenspiegel: Wie Eulenspiegel sich einmal erbot, zu fliegen (1936). He was married to Marianne Zoff. He died on 10 November 1978 in Vienna, Austria.- Music Department
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Schubert was musically educated at the "Hofkapelle" in Vienna where he sang as a boy but then had to quit in order to help his father at school. Four years later, he became an independent composer and was destined to live in poverty from then onwards. Having an introverted personality, Schubert played his songs mostly amongst a couple of friends who shared his romantic passion. Within his short life Schubert composed many pieces of music, including eight symphonies.- Actor
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To paraphrase the Beatles, one could say that, like Michelle and Ma Belle, Peter Alexander and Music are words that go together well, for the Austrian entertainer (musician, singer and actor) was associated with music from cradle to tomb. Born in Vienna in 1926, the son of a banker and his wife, Peter Alexander Neumayer (his full name) entered the world of music courtesy of his grandfather who owned a music store in Pilsen. The boy was only five when he joined the Vienna Boys' Choir. And as Peter Alexander had another passion, acting, it is no wonder that he became a... singing actor ! But all in due time: In his early twenties, the young man first started studying medicine. Naturally he soon realized he was on the wrong track and changed for drama studies at the Reinhard-Seminar in Vienna. After graduating he appeared in several plays and even played in a cabaret. At the same period, Peter Alexander's love for music resurfaced and he recorded his first songs in 1951. Success was on the cards as several of his songs became big hits. He even won the German Song Contest in Munich in 1952. From then on, Peter Alexander, who had played in the theater, but never in films, started working for the big screen. Actually, his first appearances were brief and he was always billed as a singer, a dancer, a musician or himself. But his being a star of song gradually implied a star actor status. As a matter of fact, Peter Alexander soon got top-billed, and in dozens of light comedies, which attracted millions of German-speaking spectators. In such films as Ich bin kein Casanova (1959), Die Abenteuer des Grafen Bobby (1961) and nearly all the others, Alexander was not what can be called a character actor embodying a a different role in each of those films, but he was invariably the charming, well-bred, joyful man, fond of "Festlicher Stimmung" (festive mood) and Lust (good laughs), often named Peter, in short, close to the kind of guy he was in real life. Of course, all this had nothing much to do with art and if Peter Alexander's name is still remembered fondly by the older generation in Austria and Germany, it must be recognized that he has not left any imprint in film history. Peter Alexander was synonymous with a joyful time meant for immediate consumption and that was that. An exception though: 'Wolfgang Liebeneiner' qv)'s Schweik's Years of Indiscretion (1964), in which for once he did not play a nice guy close to who he was, but 'Jaroslav Hasek''s well-known "hero", the prototype of the dumb soldier who drives his superiors crazy. Peter Alexander 's portrayal of this archetypal character was just excellent and it makes you regret that the comedian was not offered more demanding roles during the two decades when he was at the top of his career. After 1972, as commercial German cinema was spiraling down into the abyss, Peter Alexander left his film career to devote himself to TV shows and, of course, to songs, songs, songs . He died in early 2011 at the age of 84. History does not record whether.. he sang his last words!- Actor
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Joseph Egger was born on 22 February 1889 in Donawitz, Styria, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]. He was an actor, known for A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965) and Das alte Försterhaus (1956). He was married to Erna. He died on 29 August 1966 in Gablitz, Lower Austria, Austria.- Actress
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Hannelore Auer was born on 30 May 1942 in Linz, Austria. She was an actress, known for Holiday in St. Tropez (1964), Hotel der toten Gäste (1965) and Übermut im Salzkammergut (1963). She was married to Heino and Alfred Prinz von Auersperg. She died on 8 November 2023 in Kitzbühel, Austria.- Actor
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Ady Berber was born on 4 February 1913 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]. He was an actor and producer, known for Der Mörder mit dem Seidenschal (1966), Dr. Mabuse vs. Scotland Yard (1963) and The Return of Dr. Mabuse (1961). He was married to Anna Berber. He died on 3 January 1966 in Vienna, Austria.- Arthur Schnitzler was born on 15 May 1862 in Vienna, Austrian Empire [now Austria]. He was a writer, known for Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Late Fame and The Affairs of Anatol (1921). He was married to Olga Gussmann. He died on 21 October 1931 in Vienna, Austria.
- Hedwig Bleibtreu was born on 23 December 1868 in Linz, Upper Austria, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]. She was an actress, known for The Third Man (1949), Der Spieler (1938) and Pygmalion (1935). She was married to Alexander Roempler and Peter Petersen. She died on 24 January 1958 in Vienna, Austria.
- Vilma Degischer was, first of all, a famous and a very good theatre actress. She was born in Vienna on November, the 17th 1911. After attending school, she wanted to be a dancer and was taught ballet by Grete Gross, Gertrude Bodenwieser and Ellinor Tordis. However, after some time, she found the acting talent in herself.
She decided to attend the Wiener Reinhardt Seminar where she learned how to be a good actress. After graduating from the seminar, she played in various Austrian and German theatres, especially in Berlin, Vienna and Salzburg. Here, it is important to mention her debut in Berlin in 1930s where she played Hermia in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. It was directed by Max Reinhardt.
The first turning point in her theatre career was the year 1939 when she started to actively work in the Viennese theatre "Theater in der Josefstadt." She stayed there for long and up till now her name is well remembered there. Vilma became a "salondame" and got a number of main roles in plays. Above all, it is necessary to mention such roles as Helen in "Der Schwierige", Generalin in "Der Walzer der Toreros", unforgettable Königin in "Die Jüdin von Toledo", Marie in "Das Konzert" or Mother Carmen in "Maria Pineda".
Later, in the 1940s Vilma Degischer broadened her repertoire and started to play in musicals, films, and even some mini series. Most people probably remember her portrayal of the cruel archduchess Sophie in Ernst Marischka's three parts of "Sissi" (1955, 1956, 1957) with Romy Schneider and Karlheinz Böhm. Besides, there were other roles in movies: as Livia Argan in Ernst Marischka's beautiful movie interpretation of Franz Werfel's "Der veruntreute Himmel" (1958) with Annie Rosar and Hans Holt; as sister Wilhelmina in Otto Preminger's "The Cardinal" (1963) with Romy Schneider; as Mrs. Shelby in "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (1965) and many other roles. At the end of her life, one could admire her in a minor role in the mini series "The Strauss Dynasty" (1991) by Marvin J. Chomsky with Anthony Higgins and Stephen McGann.
Vilma Degischer died on May, the 3rd 1992 at the age of 80. She was married once to the actor Hermann Thimig with whom she had two daughters. In her long career, she was awarded with the "Ehrenkreuz für Wissenschaft und Kunst erster Klasse", "Kainz Medaille" and was given a title "Kamerschauspielerin".
People who remember her know how much she appreciated elegance, perfection of acting, good manners, and culture. She will always be remembered by people who share her values. A great actress from a great country! - Louise Martini was born on 10 November 1931 in Vienna, Austria. She was an actress, known for Der Fall Mata Hari (1966), Madame Sans-Gêne - Die schöne Wäscherin (1968) and Blick von der Brücke (1967). She was married to Heinz Wilhelm Schwarz and Bill Grah. She died on 17 January 2013 in Vienna, Austria.