Helmut Qualtinger

Helmut Qualtinger was born in Vienna, Austria. He initially studied medicine, but quit university to become a newspaper reporter and film critic for local press, while beginning to write texts for cabaret performances and theater plays. Qualtinger debuted as an actor at a student theater and attended the Max Reinhardt Seminar as a guest student. Beginning in 1947, he appeared in cabaret performances. In 1949, Qualtinger's first theatrical play, Jugend vor den Schranken, was staged in Graz. Up to 1960, Qualtinger collaborated on various cabaret programmes with the Namenlosen Ensemble made up of Gerhard Bronner, Carl Merz, Louise Martini, Peter Wehle, Georg Kreisler, and Michael Kehlmann. Qualtinger was famous for his practical jokes. In 1951, he managed to launch a false report in several newspapers announcing a visit to Vienna of a (fictional) famous Inuit poet named Kobuk (author of "The Burning Igloo"). The reporters who assembled at the railway station however were to witness Qualtinger, in fur coat and cap, stepping from the train. Asked about his "first impressions of Vienna", the "Inuit poet" commented in broad Viennese dialect, "Haaaßis'sdo - [It's hot here]". The short one-man play Der Herr Karl, written by Qualtinger and Carl Merz and performed by Qualtinger in 1961, made the author known across German-speaking countries. "Herr Karl", a grocery store clerk, tells the story of his life to an imaginary colleague - from the days of the Habsburg empire, the First Austrian Republic, the Austrofascist regime leading up to the Anschluss (annexation) by Nazi Germany, World War II and finally military occupation by Allied forces in the 1950s, seen from the perspective of a one who is a prototypical opportunist. Qualtinger's portrayal of the petit-bourgeois Nazi collaborator came at a time when "normality" had just been restored and Austrians' involvement in the Nazi movement was being downplayed and "forgotten", making many enemies for the author, who even received anonymous threats of murder. Beginning in the 1970s, Qualtinger frequently performed recitals of his own and other texts, including excerpts from Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf and Karl Kraus' Die letzten Tage der Menschheit (The Last Days of Mankind). These recitals were highly popular and resulted in several records being published. Qualtinger played countless theater, TV and film parts, making his final appearance in The Name of the Rose in 1986, along with Sean Connery. Qualtinger died in Vienna on 29 September 1986, of a liver condition. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Known For	Acting
Most Rating	0.2693
Birthday	1928-10-08
Place of Birth	Vienna, Austria
Also Known As	Helmut Gustav Friedrich Qualtinger, Helmuth Qualtinger,

The Name of the Rose

Mikosch of the Secret Service

Der Herr Karl

April 1, 2000

End of the Game

Kurzer Prozeß

Tales from the Vienna Woods

Wer war Andre Heller?

Die schöne Lügnerin

The Castle

Sonnenschein und Wolkenbruch

Weights and Measures

Scherben bringen Glück

Von und mit....Helmut Qualtinger

MitGift

Biedermann und die Brandstifter

Der Kulterer

Radetzkymarsch

Einmal keine Sorgen haben

Geschäfte mit Plückhahn

Einen Jux will er sich machen

Hab’ ich nur Deine Liebe

Lumpazivagabundus

Man müßte nochmal zwanzig sein

Das weite Land

Hanussen

Diary of a Serial Killer

Das Abgründige in Herrn Gerstenberg

König der Manege

Mulligans Rückkehr

Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald

Mann im Schatten

Passion eines Politkers

Die heilige Johanna

The Magnificent Rogue

Umsonst

Feuerwasser

Der Himbeerpflücker

Die Hinrichtung

Die Geschichte der 1002. Nacht

König Johann

Du bist die Richtige

Der Paukenspieler

Grandison

Qualtinger

Helmut Qualtinger liest Mein Kampf

Das vierte Gebot

Die Hinrichtung

Samba

Cat's Game

Abelard - Die Entmannung

Eiszeit

Ward 6

Der Fall Bohr

Die Kurve

Der große Zauberer - Max Reinhardt

The Diary of Dr. Döblinger

The Abbey of Crime: Umberto Eco's 'The Name of the Rose'

An Oral History of: The Name of the Rose