Paul Hörbiger
Paul Hörbiger was an Austrian theatre and film actor.
Life and work
Paul Hörbiger was born in the Hungarian capital Budapest, then part of Austria-Hungary, the son of engineer Hanns Hörbiger, founder of the Welteislehre cosmological concept, and elder brother of actor Attila Hörbiger. In 1902, the family returned to Vienna, while Paul attended the gymnasium at St. Paul's Abbey in Carinthia. Having obtained his Matura degree, he served in a mountain artillery regiment of the Austro-Hungarian Army in World War I, discharged in 1918 with the rank of an Oberleutnant.After the war, Hörbiger took drama lessons and began his acting career in 1919 at the city theatre of Reichenberg. From 1920, he performed at the New German Theatre in Prague. His fame grew when in 1926 he was employed by director Max Reinhardt at the ensemble of the Deutsches Theater in Berlin, reaching a high point with his appointment at the Vienna Burgtheater in 1940. He also appeared at the 1943 Salzburg Festival, performing in the role as Papageno in Mozart's opera The Magic Flute.
From 1928 he appeared in more than 250 films, mostly lightweight comedies of the Wiener Film genre popular among German and Austrian audiences during the 1930s and 40s. In 1936, he established his own filming company Algefa jointly with director E. W. Emo. In 1938, like many other celebrities, he openly acclaimed the Austrian Anschluss to Nazi Germany and continued his career, appearing also in propaganda films like Wunschkonzert or Die grosse Liebe, which earned him an entry on Goebbels' Gottbegnadeten list. On the other hand, Hörbiger inconspicuously met with opposition circles around Theo Lingen and Oskar Sima. In the latter days of World War II, he was arrested for treason by the Nazi authorities.
After the war, he resumed his career playing the porter who "talks too much" in Carol Reed's British film classic The Third Man. Hörbiger, not speaking English at the time, learned his lines phonetically.
In the period 1947–49, he was chairman of the First Vienna FC football club.
Hörbiger remained one of the most popular German-speaking film actors of the 1950s and 1960s, starring in numerous Heimatfilm and Wiener Film productions. He again performed as the warm-hearted Viennese type and Heurigen singer, often together with Hans Moser and director Franz Antel. In his later years he again concentrated on theatre acting at the Burgtheater, where he last premiered in 1979 with Elias Canetti's Komödie der Eitelkeit.
Personal life
In 1921 he married the actress Josepha Gettke with whom he had four children. Hörbiger died in Vienna aged 86 and is buried in an Ehrengrab at the Vienna Zentralfriedhof. The actress Christiane Hörbiger, daughter from his brother Attila's marriage with Paula Wessely, is his niece. The actors Christian Tramitz and Mavie Hörbiger are grandchildren of Paul Hörbiger.Selected filmography
Sechs Mädchen suchen Nachtquartier Spione, as Chauffeur FranzThe Great Adventuress, as DetectiveSong, as SamThe Gallant Hussar, as Baron von KorporetzkyStrauss Is Playing Today, as LamperlhirschThe Lady with the Mask, as Michael - ein russischer BauernknechtDyckerpotts' Heirs Tales from the Vienna Woods, as Alois GuschlbauerHungarian Rhapsody, as KellnerDas Letzte Souper, as BalletmeisterDie Räuberbande The Weekend Bride, as SekretærThe Crazy Countess, as Friseur KoseAsphalt, as Ein DiebThe Woman Everyone Loves Is You, as DörsterleinMöblierte Zimmer, as KalinowskiEin kleiner Vorschuß auf die Seligkeit, as Theobald Nuddlich, FabrikantWhy Cry at Parting?, as Tortoni, ein IllusionistThe Convict from Istanbul, as VlastosThe Green Monocle, as SnyderWomen on the Edge, as Siegfried Nürnberger, sein ImpresarioThree Around Edith, as NickNever Trust a Woman, as JoachimThe Immortal Vagabond Delicatessen, as Josef, Diener bei WallisZwei Herzen im Dreivierteltakt, as Ferdinand - ein KutscherNur Du, as Graf Belmont, his stepfatherWie werde ich reich und glücklich?, as Geheimrat RegenDas alte Lied, as XandelTwo Hearts in Waltz Time Three Days Confined to Barracks, as Zippert, secretaryA Gentleman for Hire, as Prof. Amanuel WielanderThe Forester's Daughter, as Der alte BaronGrock, as Ein ungeschickter GeldsucherHer Grace Commands, as Hofdetektiv PipacThe Merry Wives of Vienna, as Anselm Leitner - HofratWalzerparadies, as Dr. PospischillDer Stumme von Portici The Squeaker, as Josuah Harras, Reporter- Errant Husbands, as Otto Rux, WeinhändlerMy Heart Longs for Love, as GehringThe Unfaithful Eckehart, as Karl MoorDer Kongreß tanzt, as Heurigen SingerSein Scheidungsgrund, as Rasmussen, HellseherDer verjüngte Adolar, as Prof. Haselhuhn, PrivatgelehrterPeace of Mind, as Dr. Egon BreitnerPoor as a Church Mouse, as Count Friedrich ThalheimDistorting at the Resort, as Fritz GarreisYou Don't Forget Such a Girl, as Direktor Leopold SchraderA Tremendously Rich Man, as LinkertonPeter Voss, Thief of Millions, as Bobby DoddOnce There Was a Waltz, as Franz PirzingerA Mad Idea, as EmilQuick, as Lademann, Quick's managerViennese Waltz, as Verleger HaslingerZwei glückliche Tage, as Pepi FreisingerDrei von der Kavallerie, as Peter, ein UlanA Blonde Dream, as VogelscheucheScampolo, as GabrielAnnemarie, die Braut der Kompanie, as Musketier Karl LehmannTrenck, as Löwenwalde, Präsident des österr. GerichtshofesFrederica, as Pfarrer BrionPaprika, as Dr. Paul SchröderThe Secret of Johann Orth, as LanikThe Invisible Front, as Kommisssar BorgmannThe Emperor's Waltz, as Graf EggersdorfThe Big Bluff, as Arthur RichmanTwo Good Comrades, as Fritz LehmannNo Day Without You, as Bonifazius, der MalerLiebelei, as Der alte Weyring - KammermusikerA Song for You, as SchindlerGreetings and Kisses, Veronika, as Paul RainerHomecoming to Happiness, as Karl GruberWaltz War, as Joseph LannerRomance in Budapest, as Murray Pál zongoramûvészScandal in Budapest, as Paul MurrayDes jungen Dessauers große Liebe, as Der KaiserMiss Madame, as Peter Valentin, ProkuristMy Heart Calls You, as Director Arvelle...heute abend bei mir, as Baron DenhoffThe Csardas Princess, as Feri von KerekesRoses from the South, as Johann StraußPlaying with Fire, as Dr. Alfred KramerSpring Parade, as Kaiser Franz Joseph', as Hubertus BehmerAn Evening Visit, as Karl Maria Fernebeck, ProkuristThe Gentleman Without a Residence, as Professor MangoldHearts are Trumps, as Paulsen
- ', as Johann StraußFresh Wind from Canada, as Meinkel, Angestellter Modehaus GranitzLast Stop, as Karl Vierthaler, StraßenbahnschaffnerDas Einmaleins der Liebe, as Alois WeinberlThe Royal Waltz, as König Max II. von BayernIf It Were Not for Music, as Florian Mayr, genannt 'Kraft-Mayr'Liebeslied, as PierreE lucean le stelle The Fairy Doll, as Anton Freiherr von KautzenbichlThree Girls for Schubert, as Franz SchubertA Hoax, as Peter Burgstaller, OberkellnerHis Daughter is Called Peter, as Dr. Felix SandhoferThe Cabbie's Song, as Ferdinand Strödl, FiakerkutscherLumpaci the Vagabond, as Lumpazivagabundus, KnieriemKinderarzt Dr. Engel, as Dr. EngelDuvod k rozvodu Peter im Schnee, as Dr.SonthoferCause for Divorce, as Toni BernhofThe Vagabonds, as HaselhofFlorentine, as Peter Russel - Kapitän der 'Florentine'Immer wenn ich glücklich bin..!, as Josef 'Pepi' Reinhold, TheaterdirektorEinmal werd' ich Dir gefallen, as Der BaronHeiraten – aber wen?, as Dr. Kramer - ChirurgHeimat, as Franz HeffterdingkLiebelei und Liebe, as Alexander Settegast - KochThe Blue Fox, as Stephan PaulusThe Stars Shine, as HimselfDrunter und drüber Men Are That Way, as Dody, Musik-ClownSalonwagen E 417, as Friedrich Christian LautenschlägerI Am Sebastian Ott, as Kriminalrat BaumannImmortal Waltz, as Johann Strauß VaterKitty and the World Conference, as HuberHochzeitsreise zu dritt Maria Ilona, as Ferdinand V., Kaiser von ÖsterreichA Mother's Love, as Notar Dr. KoblmüllerOpera Ball, as Georg DannhauserVienna Tales, as FerdinandFalstaff in Vienna, as Hofschneider Josef Sturm[Beloved Marx Augustin|Augustin (1940 film)|Beloved Augustin], as Der liebe Augustin - ein BänkelsängerOperetta, as Alexander GirardiHerzensfreud - Herzensleid, as Josef Radl - WeinbauerWunschkonzert, as HimselfOh, diese Männer, as Eberhard ReitingerWir bitten zum Tanz, as RoubléeBrüderlein fein, as Franz GrillparzerThe Great Love, as Alexander Rudnitzky, KomponistSo ein Früchtchen, as Kurt RuppertDie heimliche Gräfin, as Erzherzog Johann SylvesterWhom the Gods Love, as Von StrackLaugh, Pagliacci, as CanioLaugh Bajazzo, as CanioBlack on White, as Prof. KlausRomantische Brautfahrt, as Baron Dagobert SchatzbergheSchrammeln, as Hans SchrammelDie Zaubergeige, as Violinist Georg HelmesbergerDer Hofrat Geiger, as Hofrat Franz GeigerThe Angel with the Trumpet, as Otto Eberhard AltKleine Melodie aus Wien, as Professor GriebichlerThe Mozart Story, as Strack The Prisoner, as Dr. Bianchon - Armenarzt von ParisThe Third Man, as Karl - Harry's Porter', as der TodOne Night Apart, as Ferdinand Graf Lilienstein
- ', as Dechant von KöstendorfThe Black Forest Girl, as DomkapellmeisterThe Orplid Mystery, as Musik-Clown 'The Great Teatch'', as Carl MillöckerDer Teufel führt Regie, as Pierre DarcyDer alte Sünder, as Ferdinand BauerDie Frauen des Herrn S., as Sokrates
- ', as Franz JungwirtVeronika the Maid, as Jansen sen.Der fidele Bauer, as Matthias ScheichelroitherWhen the Evening Bells Ring, as Lehrer StormHello Porter, as Professor Ferdinand GodaiVoices of Spring, as Lukas, HausmeisterMy Name is Niki, as Hieronymus SpitzMein Herz darfst du nicht fragen, as Geheimrat HollbachThe Land of Smiles, as Professor Ferdinand LichtMikosch Comes In, as Dr. PaliwecI Lost My Heart in Heidelberg, as Josef DegenerYou Only Live Once, as Karl Heinemann1. April 2000, as AugustinHannerl, as Hermann GerstingerDie Fiakermilli, as Honigberger, PianistWe'll Talk About Love Later, as Geschäftsführer der 'Fledermaus'The Rose of Stamboul, as Mehemed Pascha', as PräsidentYoung Heart Full of Love, as LandesstallmeisterGrandstand for General Staff, as Oberst v. LeuckfeldThe Dancing Heart, as Fürst Life Begins at Seventeen, as Jacques PeronneThe Private Secretary, as Portier JuliusDie Perle von Tokay, as Ferencz Körös von Köröshazy, General a.D.The Abduction of the Sabine Women, as Professor Martin GollwitzThe Faithful Hussar, as Eberhard WackerMy Sister and I, as Christines VaterThe Gypsy Baron, as BarinkayThe Beautiful Miller, as Albert Krügler
- ', as Bruder MartinSchützenliesel, as KasparA Parisian in Rome, as Professor RothVictoria in Dover, as Prof. LandmannBaron Tzigane, as BarinkaySecrets of the City, as Herbert KleinThe Blue Danube, as SchröderMarriage Sanitarium, as Professor Thomas EschenburgOne Woman Is Not Enough?, as Spielwaren-Ladenbesitzer SchrattDie Deutschmeister, as Kaiser Franz JosephBandits of the Autobahn, as Vater HeinzeThe Happy Wanderer, as Dr. Peters, Tonis VaterMy Leopold, as Gottlieb WeigeltDu mein stilles Tal, as Herr KramerDie Försterbuben, as Michael Schwarzaug, GastwirtCharley's Aunt, as August SallmannBademeister Spargel, as Engelbert SpargelAnd Who Is Kissing Me?, as BauerLügen haben hübsche Beine Hilfe - sie liebt mich, as Brösel, Angestellter bei "Tourist"', as August Knieriem, SchusterHer Corporal, as Gottfried LamplWas die Schwalbe sang, as Philipp MeyenDas Donkosakenlied, as Professor HartmannManöverball, as Erzherzog RoderichDie Christel von der Post, as Ferdinand Brenneis, HotelbesitzerDer schräge Otto, as Vater MüllerThe Winemaker of Langenlois, as Korbinian Grammelshuber, Verwalter… und die Liebe lacht dazu, as Graf Ferdinand von Ausberg
- ', as Gustav PrebichlLemke's Widow, as Fürst LudwigHoch droben auf dem Berg, as Ferdinand BronederDer schönste Tag meines Lebens, as DirektorHeimweh … dort, wo die Blumen blühn, as AbtVienna, City of My Dreams, as Vater LehnertCandidates for Marriage, as Ferdinand HaslingerHello Taxi, as Franz Schwarzl', as Generalfeldmarschall RadetzkySebastian Kneipp, as Erzherzog JosephHeimat – Deine Lieder, as Heimleiter
- ', as SchulzKauf dir einen bunten Luftballon, as Professor Engelbert', as BergerDer Orgelbauer von St. Marien, as Franz Burgmann und Josef BurgmannDrei Liebesbriefe aus Tirol, as Dr. FranzDance with Me Into the Morning, as Johann Ebeseder
- ', as Der nasse EliasDie lustigen Vagabunden, as GeorgeDon't Fool with Me, as Raimund ValentinOur Crazy Nieces, as Franz EierleinIm singenden Rößl am Königssee, as Amtsgerichtsrat ZwickerFerien vom Ich, as BlümchenDie ganze Welt ist himmelblau, as Mr. MuckenhuberI Learned It from Father, as Julius KnackertDie große Kür, as Franz HaslingerHappy-End am Attersee, as Severin PetermannDer Alpenkönig und der Menschenfeind, as AstragalusCall of the Forest, as Gustl WegrainerDas ist mein Wien , as Xaver Doppler
Awards
- State actor
- Decoration of Honour in Gold for Services to the Republic of Austria
- Medal of the Austrian capital Vienna
- Kammerschauspieler
- Film Award for many years of excellent work in the German film industry
- Girardi Ring
- Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class
- Honorary Ring of Vienna
- Nestroy Ring