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.[1]
Early life
Born in
Vienna, 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. He also appeared as
operettabuffo 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, and at the
Salzburg Festival several times, taking the roles of "Death", "The Devil" and "Jedermann" in
Hugo von Hofmannsthal's play Jedermann (which by tradition is performed every year). He made his film debut in 1955 in
Josef von Báky'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.[2]
Death
Helmuth Lohner died on 23 June 2015 at the age of 82.[3]