Christiane Hörbiger(1938-2022)
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Christiane Hörbiger descended from a famous dynasty of thespians, one of three siblings born to the Austrian acting couple Paula Wessely and Attila Hörbiger. She was also a niece of the equally renowned character actor Paul Hörbiger. Educated in Vienna, Christiane graduated from a commercial school with a diploma and seemed to be destined for an apprenticeship as a confectioner. When that fell through, her parents had little choice but to grant her wish to become an actress. She duly made her film debut at the age of 16, billed as Christel Wessely-Hörbiger, co-starring with her father in the bucolic Heimatfilm Der Major und die Stiere (1955). A brief attendance at the Max Reinhardt Academy then followed and was rounded off with dance and singing tuition under the auspices of Alma Seidler. From 1959 to 1966, Hörbiger developed her acting skills on the classical stage, first in Heidelberg and later as an ensemble member of the famed Vienna Burgtheater. In addition to guest appearances in Munich and Salzburg, she had regular engagements at the Pfauenbühne in Zurich between 1967 and 1985, in plays by, among others, Schiller, Molières and Shakespeare. Her wide repertoire on stage and screen included anything from unhappy lovers to prim widows, from careworn or depressed mothers to elegant, wealthy dowagers or down-to-earth spouses, and, latterly, grandmothers.
Hörbiger's first breakthrough on the screen came via television, co-starring with Willy Millowitsch in the series Donaug'schichten (1965) (as the daughter of a cook and amateur sleuth involved in various criminal cases). Her role as a countess in Das Erbe der Guldenburgs (1987), a sprawling family saga sometimes described as Germany's answer to Dallas (1978), introduced her to an even wider audience. She was also the eponymous heroine of Julia - Eine ungewöhnliche Frau (1999), as a Viennese barrister who takes a job as a provincial district judge with resulting consequences to both her professional and private life. Her few big screen appearances included the Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated satire Schtonk (1992), which lampooned the Hitler Diaries hoax of 1983 and was a nod to Charles Chaplin's The Great Dictator (1940). For her role as Herman Goering's willful (but fictitious) grandniece Freya von Hepp, Hörbiger was awarded a Bambi Film Prize in 1992.
Until her retirement in 2019, Christiane Hörbiger continued to make prolific appearances in TV films and as an occasional series guest star. She was often referred to as the preeminent Grand Dame of German television. In 2003, Hörbiger became a founding member of the Deutsche Filmakademie. A strong advocate of racial tolerance and equality, she was appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador to Austria that same year. Hörbiger was married twice: her first husband (divorced) was the director Wolfgang Glück, her second the Swiss journalist Rolf R. Bigler. Until her passing in November 2022, she had resided variously in Zurich and in the spa town of Baden bei Wien.
Hörbiger's first breakthrough on the screen came via television, co-starring with Willy Millowitsch in the series Donaug'schichten (1965) (as the daughter of a cook and amateur sleuth involved in various criminal cases). Her role as a countess in Das Erbe der Guldenburgs (1987), a sprawling family saga sometimes described as Germany's answer to Dallas (1978), introduced her to an even wider audience. She was also the eponymous heroine of Julia - Eine ungewöhnliche Frau (1999), as a Viennese barrister who takes a job as a provincial district judge with resulting consequences to both her professional and private life. Her few big screen appearances included the Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated satire Schtonk (1992), which lampooned the Hitler Diaries hoax of 1983 and was a nod to Charles Chaplin's The Great Dictator (1940). For her role as Herman Goering's willful (but fictitious) grandniece Freya von Hepp, Hörbiger was awarded a Bambi Film Prize in 1992.
Until her retirement in 2019, Christiane Hörbiger continued to make prolific appearances in TV films and as an occasional series guest star. She was often referred to as the preeminent Grand Dame of German television. In 2003, Hörbiger became a founding member of the Deutsche Filmakademie. A strong advocate of racial tolerance and equality, she was appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador to Austria that same year. Hörbiger was married twice: her first husband (divorced) was the director Wolfgang Glück, her second the Swiss journalist Rolf R. Bigler. Until her passing in November 2022, she had resided variously in Zurich and in the spa town of Baden bei Wien.
