Anton Hasenhut (1 June 1766 – 6 February 1841) was an Austrian comic actor, known particularly for the character

Thaddädl Thaddädl (a diminutive of the first name ''Thaddäus'') is a kind of stock character or ''funny person'' of the ''Alt-Wiener Volkstheater'' towards the end of the 18th century, which was developed by Anton Hasenhut (1766-1841) following the Vienne ...

. He was in the theatre company of Karl von Marinelli and later of Emanuel Schikaneder.

Life

Hasenhut was born in Petrovaradin (now in

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) in 1766. His father Joseph Hasenhut, originally a surgeon, left

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to become a member of a travelling theatre, and was its director by 1766. Anton was the eldest of 15 children; there is a story that the affected squeaking or trumpeting voice, that he later used effectively in comic roles, was acquired as a child in imitation of his crying siblings. His first acting appearances were in his father's theatre company, and he was later a member of various companies in Brünn (

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), Wiener Neustadt and Ödenburg (

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), playing foolish boys and comic servants."Hasenhut, Familie"
''Oesterreiches Musiklexikon Online''. Retrieved 3 March 2022. In 1789 he was engaged by Karl von Marinelli at the Theater in der Leopoldstadt in Vienna. In the

Singspiel A Singspiel (; plural: ; ) is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera. It is characterized by spoken dialogue, which is alternated with ensembles, songs, ballads, and arias which were often strophic, or folk- ...

''Der Lebende Sack'', by the composer Wenzel Müller and dramatist Karl Friedrich Hensler, he created the character

, a role in which he soon became popular, Hensler adding a Thaddädl episode to subsequent plays at the theatre; it became part of the history of ' ("Old Viennese folk theatre"). Hasenhut stayed with the theatre until Marinelli's death in 1803.

Schikaneder's theatre company, and later years

From 1803 to 1819 he was in Emanuel Schikaneder's company at the Theater an der Wien, and appeared in many comic roles. Appearances included leading roles in Schikaneder's ''Anton der dumme Gärtner'' and ''Pfändung und Personalarrest'', and the title role in ''Rochus Pumpernickel'' by Matthäus Stegmayer. Clemens Brentano wrote for him in 1813 the festive play ''Viktoria und ihre Geschwister''. During this period he made guest appearances in

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, Regensberg and elsewhere; in

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in 1817 he was a failure, leaving the city after one performance. After 1819 his successful years were over. He made guest appearances in provincial theatres, but failed to get a permanent position in Vienna. From 1825 to 1827 he was director of a theatre in

Mödling Mödling () is the capital of the Austrian Mödling (district), district of the same name located approximately 15 km south of Vienna. Mödling lies in Lower Austria's industrial zone (Industrieviertel). The Mödlingbach, a brook which rises ...

. Hasenhut died in poverty in Vienna in 1841, aged 74. The dramatist Franz Grillparzer wrote that the actor remained a memory of his earlier years; no comedian had ever again made him laugh so heartily as Hasenhut had done.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hasenhut, Anton 1766 births 1841 deaths People from Petrovaradin Austrian male comedians Male actors from the Austrian Empire