Helmuth Lohner (24 April 1933 – 23 June 2015) was an Austrian actor, theatre director, and from 1997 to 2006 director of the

Theater in der Josefstadt The Theater in der Josefstadt is a theater in Vienna in the eighth district of Josefstadt. It was founded in 1788 and is the oldest still performing theater in Vienna. It is often referred to colloquially as simply ''Die Josefstadt''. Following ...

Early life

Born in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, Lohner initially trained as a commercial artist, while also taking private acting lessons. He made his acting début in 1952 at the municipal theatre in

Baden bei Wien Baden (Central Bavarian: ''Bodn''), unofficially distinguished from Baden (disambiguation), other Badens as Baden bei Wien (Baden near Vienna), is a spa town in Austria. It serves as the capital of Baden (district of Austria), Baden District in t ...

. He also appeared as

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

buffo at the Stadttheater Klagenfurt. From 1953 to 1963 he appeared in various productions of the Theater in der Josefstadt, as well as making numerous film appearances.

Career

Further engagements in Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Düsseldorf and Zurich followed. Between them he appeared at the

Burgtheater The Burgtheater (; literally: "Castle Theater" but alternatively translated as "(Imperial) Court Theater", originally known as '' K.K. Theater an der Burg'', then until 1918 as the ''K.K. Hofburgtheater'', is the national theater of Austria in ...

, and at the

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival () is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer, for five weeks starting in late July, in Salzburg, Austria, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart's operas are a focus of ...

several times, taking the roles of "Death", "The Devil" and "Jedermann" in

Hugo von Hofmannsthal Hugo Laurenz August Hofmann von Hofmannsthal (; 1 February 1874 – 15 July 1929) was an Austrian novelist, libretto, librettist, Poetry, poet, Playwdramatist, narrator, and essayist. Early life Hofmannsthal was born in Landstraße, Vienna, th ...

's play '' Jedermann'' (which by tradition is performed every year). He made his film debut in 1955 in

Josef von Báky Josef von Báky (23 March 1902, Sombor, Zombor, Austria-Hungary – 28 July 1966, Munich, West Germany) was a Hungarian filmmaker. He was also known as ''Josef v. Baky'' and ''József Báky''. He was born in the village of Zobor in the Kingdo ...

's '' Hotel Adlon''. From 1963 he was active in television as actor and director.

Personal life

Lohner married and divorced the German actress Susanne Cramer twice. Their daughter Konstanze Lohner is a pedagogue in Germany. He then married the German actress Karin Baal, with whom he had a daughter, actress Therese Lohner. In 2011, he married Elisabeth Gürtler-Mauthner. The couple lived together for 19 years before their marriage.

Death

Helmuth Lohner died aged 82 on 23 June 2015.

Selected works

As opera director

* 1994: ''

La belle Hélène ''La belle Hélène'' (, ''The Beautiful Helen'') is an opéra bouffe in three acts, with music by Jacques Offenbach and words by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. The piece parodies the story of Helen of Troy's elopement with Paris (mythology ...

'' by

Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach (; 20 June 18195 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera ''The Tales of Hoffmann''. He was a p ...

* 1997: ''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' ( ) is an operetta by the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The Libretto, librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein (writer), Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's ...

'' by

Franz Lehár Franz Lehár ( ; ; 30 April 1870 – 24 October 1948) was an Austro-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas, of which the most successful and best known is '' The Merry Widow'' (''Die lustige Witwe''). Life and career L ...

* 1999: '' Eine Nacht in Venedig'' by

Johann Strauss II Johann Baptist Strauss II (; ; 25 October 1825 – 3 June 1899), also known as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger or the Son (), was an List of Austrian composers, Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas as well ...

* 2002: '' Die Csárdásfürstin'' by

Emmerich Kálmán Emmerich Kálmán ( ; 24 October 1882 – 30 October 1953) was a Kingdom of Hungary, Hungarian composer of operettas and a prominent figure in the development of Operetta#Austria–Hungary, Viennese operetta in the 20th century. Among his most p ...

* 2005: ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (, ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It is a ''Singspiel'', a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue. The work premiered on ...

'' by

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

As theatre actor

* 1978: '' Das weite Land'' by

Arthur Schnitzler Arthur Schnitzler (15 May 1862 – 21 October 1931) was an Austrian author and dramatist. He is considered one of the most significant representatives of Viennese Modernism. Schnitzler’s works, which include psychological dramas and narratives ...

, directed by

Otto Schenk Otto Schenk (12 June 1930 – 9 January 2025) was an Austrian actor, stage director for plays and opera, and theatre director. He worked internationally at major houses such as the Vienna State Opera and the Metropolitan Opera in New York Cit ...

* 1987: '' Der einsame Weg'' by Arthur Schnitzler, directed by Thomas Langhoff * 1991–1993: ''Ein Jedermann'' (Salzburg festival) * 1999: ''Figaro lässt sich scheiden'' by

Ödön von Horváth Edmund Josef von Horváth (9 December 1901 – 1 June 1938) was an Austro-Hungarian playwright and novelist who wrote in German, and went by the ''nom de plume'' Ödön von Horváth (). He was one of the most critically admired writers of his g ...

, directed by

Luc Bondy Luc Bondy (17 July 1948 – 28 November 2015) was a Swiss theatre and film director. Life and career upright=1.3, '' Charlotte Salomon'' at the Salzburg Festival 2014 Trained in Paris with the theatre teacher Jacques Lecoq, he received a jo ...

Partial filmography

* ''Das Licht der Liebe'' (1954) – (uncredited) * ''An der schönen blauen Donau'' (1955) * '' Hotel Adlon'' (1955) – Erzherzog Karl * '' Urlaub auf Ehrenwort'' (1956) Grenadier Richard Hellwig * '' My Sixteen Sons'' (1956) * '' King in Shadow'' (1957) – Count Holck * '' Salzburg Stories'' (1957) – Franz * ''Wie schön, daß es dich gibt'' (1957) – Rainer * '' Widower with Five Daughters'' (1957) – Dr. Klaus Hellmann * ''

The Spessart Inn ''The Spessart Inn'' () is a 1958 West German musical comedy film directed by Kurt Hoffmann. It starred Liselotte Pulver and Carlos Thompson. Plot In the late years of the 18th century, Felix and Peter, two journeymen, are travelling across t ...

'' (1958) – Felix * '' Stefanie'' (1958) * '' The House of Three Girls'' (1958) – Moritz von Schwind * '' Eva'' (1959) – Ein Student * ' (1959) – Martin Graf Waldau / Count Waldau * '' Marili'' (1959) – Peter Markwart * '' Mrs. Warren's Profession'' (1960) – Frank Gardner * '' Pension Schöller'' (1960) – Peter Klapproth * ''Immer will ich dir gehören'' (1960) – Klaus Stettner * '' My Husband, the Economic Miracle'' (1961) – Tommy Schiller – ein Journalist * ''Mann im Schatten'' (1961) – Franz Villinger * '' You Must Be Blonde on Capri'' (1961) – Hannes Niklas * ' (1961) – Oliver Fleming * ''Im sechsten Stock'' (1961) – Jojo, Arbeiter * ''So toll wie anno dazumal'' (1962) – Susannes Traummann #3 (uncredited) * ' (1962) – Nikolaus Tschinderle * ''

The Seventh Victim ''The Seventh Victim'' is a 1943 American horror film directed by Mark Robson and starring Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, Isabel Jewell, and Kim Hunter. Written by Charles O'Neal and DeWitt Bodeen, and produced by Val Lewton for RKO Radio Pictu ...

'' (1964) – Gerald Mant * ' (1965, TV film) – Carl Joseph von Trotta * ' (1965, TV film) –

Don Juan Don Juan (), also known as Don Giovanni ( Italian), is a legendary fictional Spanish libertine who devotes his life to seducing women. The original version of the story of Don Juan appears in the 1630 play (''The Trickster of Seville and t ...

* ' (1968, TV Mini-Series) – Manfred Krupka * '' Hannibal Brooks'' (1969) – Willi * ''

Liliom ''Liliom'' is a 1909 play by the Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnár. It was well known in its own right during the early to mid-20th century, but is best known today as the basis for the Rodgers and Hammerstein 1945 musical ''Carousel''. P ...

'' (1971, TV Movie, directed by

) – Liliom * ''Der Paukenspieler'' (1971) – Friedrich Hofstetter * ' (1973, directed by

) – The Count * ''

Derrick A derrick is a lifting device composed at minimum of one guyed mast, as in a gin pole, which may be articulated over a load by adjusting its Guy-wire, guys. Most derricks have at least two components, either a guyed mast or self-supporting tower ...

: '' (1974, TV Series episode) – Alfred Balke * ''Aus nichtigem Anlass'' (1976, TV film) – Ullrich Wältzing * ' (1981, TV film) – Fedor Protasov * ''Shalom Pharao'' (1982) – Joseph (voice) * ''Der elegante Hund'' (1987–1988, TV Series) – Alois Stange * ' (1989, TV Movie) – Leo Kaminski * ''Mozart und da Ponte'' (1989) – Narrator * ' (1990, TV film) – Gottfried von Yosch * ''Harms'' (2013) – Onkel * ' (2015, TV film) – Hans Perner

Decorations and awards

* 1980 Kainz Medal * 1988 Nestroy Ring * 1991 Gold Honorary Medal of Vienna * 1992 Kammerschauspieler * 2001 Nestroy nomination for Best Actor * 2003 Honorary Member of the

* 2003

Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class The Austrian Decoration for Science and Art () is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria and forms part of the Austrian national honours system. History The "Austrian Decoration for Science and Art" was established by the National C ...

* 2006 Gold Medal for services to the City of Vienna

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lohner, Helmuth 1933 births 2015 deaths Male actors from Vienna Austrian theatre directors Austrian male musical theatre actors Austrian male film actors Austrian male television actors 20th-century Austrian male actors 21st-century Austrian male actors Recipients of the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class