Austrian actress and singer Waltraut Haas (1927) died on 23 April 2025 in her hometown of Vienna. She was the popular star of 70 German and Austrian film operettas and comedies during the 1950s and 1960s. Haas was 97.
Dutch postcard by Gebr. Spanjersberg N.V., Rotterdam, no. 5984.
West German card. Photo: Constantin / Grimm. Waltraut Haas and Curd Jürgens in Du bist die Rose vom Wörthersee / Rose of the Mountain (Hubert Marischka, 1952).
German postcard by WS-Druck, no. F 34. Photo: Niczky.
German postcard by ISV, no. M 12. Photo: Europa-Film/Czerwonski.
West German postcard by Ufa/Film-Foto, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. FK 779. Photo: Arthur Grimm.
Waltraut Haas, also known as Waltraud Haas and Waltraute Haas-Strahl, was born in Wien (Vienna) in 1927. She was the daughter of teacher Walther Haas and his wife Stefanie Klager. When she was five, her father died. She grew up at Schloss Schönbrunn, where her mother was a restaurateur.
During the war, she attended a fashion school. After the war, she had acting classes from actress Julia Janssen and studied music at the Konservatorium für Darstellende Kunst in Vienna. In 1946, Haas made her stage debut in the Landestheater Linz but was soon won over to the big screen.
She was discovered by Willi Forst for her first film, the Heimat comedy Der Hofrat Geiger / Counsellor Geiger (Hans Wolff, 1947) starring Paul Hörbiger and Hans Moser. She played Mariandl Mühlhube, the illegitimate daughter of a woman (Maria Andergast) who runs an inn in the picturesque Wachau Valley. The role made her famous.
After this success, Haas continued to combine theatre and film. From 1948 on, she played at the Renaissance theatre and other Vienna venues. Later, she also played in Munich and Berlin. In the cinema, she appeared in comedies and operettas like Es liegt was in der Luft / There's Something In The Air (E.W. Emo, 1950) with Lucie Englisch, Hallo Dienstmann / Hello Dienstmann (Franz Antel, 1952) with Paul Hörbiger, and the fantasy 1. April 2000 / April 1, 2000 (Wolfgang Liebeneiner, 1952) starring Hilde Krahl.
She appeared opposite Heinz Rühmann and Oliver Grimm in the popular dramatic comedy Wenn der Vater mit dem Sohne / If the Father And The Son (Hans Quest, 1955) and supported ski champion Toni Sailer in Der schwarze Blitz / The Black Stallion (Hans Grimm, 1958).
West German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag. Photo: Algefa / Constantin / Grimm. Waltraut Haas in Der keusche Josef / The Chaste Joseph (Carl Boese, 1953).
German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag, no. 1293. Photo: Algefa / Constantin / Wesel. Waltraut Haas and Fritz Wagner in Die Schöne Müllerin / The beautiful Miller (Wolfgang Liebeneiner, 1954).
West-German postcard by Ufa/Film-Foto, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. FK 3200. Photo: Marszalek / Wega / Herzog Film. Waltraut Haas in Die Stimme der Sehnsucht / The Voice of Yearning (Thomas Engel, 1956).
German postcard by Ufa, Berlin-Tempelhoff, no. FK 3444. Retail price: 25 Pfg. Photo: Werler / Delos Film / Prisma.
West German postcard by WS-Druck, Wanne-Eickel. Photo: Berolina / Constantin / Wesel.
In 1961, Waltraut Haas played Mariandl's single mother in a remake of Der Hofrat Geiger / Counsellor Geiger entitled Mariandl (Werner Jacobs, 1961) featuring Conny Froboess. She also played this role in the sequel Mariandls Heimkehr / Mariandl’s Homecoming (Werner Jacobs, 1962).
Another well-known role was that of Josepha Vogelhuber in the remake of Im weißen Rößl / The White Horse Inn (Werner Jacobs, 1960) opposite Peter Alexander. Later films included musical comedies like Der 42. Himmel / The 42nd Heaven (Kurt Früh, 1963) and Im singenden Rössel am Königssee / In the Singing Horse at Königssee (Franz Antel, 1963) with Peter Weck.
From 1966 until he died in 2011, Waltraut Haas was married to actor and director Erwin Strahl, with whom she frequently performed both on the stage and in films. Their real marriage was filmed for the film Happy End am Wolfgangsee / Happy-End in St. Gilgen (Franz Antel, 1966) with Hans-Jürgen Bäumler.
In the comedy Keine Angst Liebling, ich pass schon auf! / Don’t Worry Darling, I’ll watch out! (1970), which her husband, Erwin Strahl, both wrote and directed, she played five roles. IMDb reviewer Stephan Kahrs thinks the film is 'painfully unfunny': "The jokes in this film are simply awful. There are moments when the editing, the scenery, the camera distance etc. are clearly meant to produce a joke - with built-up, punch line and all. And then these moments pass and a joke fails to materialize. (…) The cast is led by the eternally cheerful Waltraut Haas in the role of C-list celeb Eva Ebner. Frankly, the threatening qualities of her permanent grin ought to have been exploited for more openly sinister genres than musical comedy."
After 60 films, Waltraut Haas stopped making films. Since then, she appeared regularly on television and the stage. In 1987, she was honoured with the Ehrenmedaille der Stadt Wien in Gold (Gold Medal of Vienna) and in 2003 with the Österreichischen Ehrenzeichen für Wissenschaft und Kunst (Austrian Medal for Science and the Arts). In 1990, Haas started a new career as the author of fairytale books, and in 2007 she also published her autobiography, 'Waltraut Haas – die Biografie'. In 2017, she returned to the cinema in the Austrian film Das kleine Vergnügen/Shop of Little Pleasures (Julia Frick, 2017) with Petra Kleinert. Waltraut Haas died in Vienna on 23 April 2025 at the age of 97. From 1966 until he died in 2011, Haas was married to actor Erwin Strahl. Their son, Marcus Strahl (1968), is also an actor and director.
West German postcard by Ufa/Film-Foto, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. FK 4639. Photo: NF.
West German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag G.m.b.H., Minden / Westf., no. 572. Photo: Deutsche Cosmopol. Waltraut Haas in Paprika / Pepper (Kurt Wilhelm, 1959).
Italian postcard in the series 'Piccoli Uomini nel Cinema' by Ed. Villagio del Fanciullo, Bologna. Photo: Titanus. Oliver Grimm, Waltraut Haas and Robert Freytag in Wenn der Vater mit dem Sohne/If the Father and the Son (Hans Quest, 1955).
East German postcard by VEB Progress Film-Vertrieb, Berlin, no. 1380, 1960. Waltraut Haas in Traumrevue / Revue of Dreams (Eduard von Borsody, 1959).
German postcard by Starfoto VEB Progress Film-Vertrieb, no. 1382. Teddy Reno and Waltraut Haas in the Austrian ice revue film Traumrevue (Eduard von Borsody, 1959). From September 1960 on, the film ran in cinemas in the GDR.
Sources: Waltraut Haas (German), Wikipedia (German) and IMDb.
Dutch postcard by Gebr. Spanjersberg N.V., Rotterdam, no. 5984.
West German card. Photo: Constantin / Grimm. Waltraut Haas and Curd Jürgens in Du bist die Rose vom Wörthersee / Rose of the Mountain (Hubert Marischka, 1952).
German postcard by WS-Druck, no. F 34. Photo: Niczky.
German postcard by ISV, no. M 12. Photo: Europa-Film/Czerwonski.
West German postcard by Ufa/Film-Foto, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. FK 779. Photo: Arthur Grimm.
Illegitimate daughter
Waltraut Haas, also known as Waltraud Haas and Waltraute Haas-Strahl, was born in Wien (Vienna) in 1927. She was the daughter of teacher Walther Haas and his wife Stefanie Klager. When she was five, her father died. She grew up at Schloss Schönbrunn, where her mother was a restaurateur.
During the war, she attended a fashion school. After the war, she had acting classes from actress Julia Janssen and studied music at the Konservatorium für Darstellende Kunst in Vienna. In 1946, Haas made her stage debut in the Landestheater Linz but was soon won over to the big screen.
She was discovered by Willi Forst for her first film, the Heimat comedy Der Hofrat Geiger / Counsellor Geiger (Hans Wolff, 1947) starring Paul Hörbiger and Hans Moser. She played Mariandl Mühlhube, the illegitimate daughter of a woman (Maria Andergast) who runs an inn in the picturesque Wachau Valley. The role made her famous.
After this success, Haas continued to combine theatre and film. From 1948 on, she played at the Renaissance theatre and other Vienna venues. Later, she also played in Munich and Berlin. In the cinema, she appeared in comedies and operettas like Es liegt was in der Luft / There's Something In The Air (E.W. Emo, 1950) with Lucie Englisch, Hallo Dienstmann / Hello Dienstmann (Franz Antel, 1952) with Paul Hörbiger, and the fantasy 1. April 2000 / April 1, 2000 (Wolfgang Liebeneiner, 1952) starring Hilde Krahl.
She appeared opposite Heinz Rühmann and Oliver Grimm in the popular dramatic comedy Wenn der Vater mit dem Sohne / If the Father And The Son (Hans Quest, 1955) and supported ski champion Toni Sailer in Der schwarze Blitz / The Black Stallion (Hans Grimm, 1958).
West German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag. Photo: Algefa / Constantin / Grimm. Waltraut Haas in Der keusche Josef / The Chaste Joseph (Carl Boese, 1953).
German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag, no. 1293. Photo: Algefa / Constantin / Wesel. Waltraut Haas and Fritz Wagner in Die Schöne Müllerin / The beautiful Miller (Wolfgang Liebeneiner, 1954).
West-German postcard by Ufa/Film-Foto, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. FK 3200. Photo: Marszalek / Wega / Herzog Film. Waltraut Haas in Die Stimme der Sehnsucht / The Voice of Yearning (Thomas Engel, 1956).
German postcard by Ufa, Berlin-Tempelhoff, no. FK 3444. Retail price: 25 Pfg. Photo: Werler / Delos Film / Prisma.
West German postcard by WS-Druck, Wanne-Eickel. Photo: Berolina / Constantin / Wesel.
Single mother
In 1961, Waltraut Haas played Mariandl's single mother in a remake of Der Hofrat Geiger / Counsellor Geiger entitled Mariandl (Werner Jacobs, 1961) featuring Conny Froboess. She also played this role in the sequel Mariandls Heimkehr / Mariandl’s Homecoming (Werner Jacobs, 1962).
Another well-known role was that of Josepha Vogelhuber in the remake of Im weißen Rößl / The White Horse Inn (Werner Jacobs, 1960) opposite Peter Alexander. Later films included musical comedies like Der 42. Himmel / The 42nd Heaven (Kurt Früh, 1963) and Im singenden Rössel am Königssee / In the Singing Horse at Königssee (Franz Antel, 1963) with Peter Weck.
From 1966 until he died in 2011, Waltraut Haas was married to actor and director Erwin Strahl, with whom she frequently performed both on the stage and in films. Their real marriage was filmed for the film Happy End am Wolfgangsee / Happy-End in St. Gilgen (Franz Antel, 1966) with Hans-Jürgen Bäumler.
In the comedy Keine Angst Liebling, ich pass schon auf! / Don’t Worry Darling, I’ll watch out! (1970), which her husband, Erwin Strahl, both wrote and directed, she played five roles. IMDb reviewer Stephan Kahrs thinks the film is 'painfully unfunny': "The jokes in this film are simply awful. There are moments when the editing, the scenery, the camera distance etc. are clearly meant to produce a joke - with built-up, punch line and all. And then these moments pass and a joke fails to materialize. (…) The cast is led by the eternally cheerful Waltraut Haas in the role of C-list celeb Eva Ebner. Frankly, the threatening qualities of her permanent grin ought to have been exploited for more openly sinister genres than musical comedy."
After 60 films, Waltraut Haas stopped making films. Since then, she appeared regularly on television and the stage. In 1987, she was honoured with the Ehrenmedaille der Stadt Wien in Gold (Gold Medal of Vienna) and in 2003 with the Österreichischen Ehrenzeichen für Wissenschaft und Kunst (Austrian Medal for Science and the Arts). In 1990, Haas started a new career as the author of fairytale books, and in 2007 she also published her autobiography, 'Waltraut Haas – die Biografie'. In 2017, she returned to the cinema in the Austrian film Das kleine Vergnügen/Shop of Little Pleasures (Julia Frick, 2017) with Petra Kleinert. Waltraut Haas died in Vienna on 23 April 2025 at the age of 97. From 1966 until he died in 2011, Haas was married to actor Erwin Strahl. Their son, Marcus Strahl (1968), is also an actor and director.
West German postcard by Ufa/Film-Foto, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. FK 4639. Photo: NF.
West German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag G.m.b.H., Minden / Westf., no. 572. Photo: Deutsche Cosmopol. Waltraut Haas in Paprika / Pepper (Kurt Wilhelm, 1959).
Italian postcard in the series 'Piccoli Uomini nel Cinema' by Ed. Villagio del Fanciullo, Bologna. Photo: Titanus. Oliver Grimm, Waltraut Haas and Robert Freytag in Wenn der Vater mit dem Sohne/If the Father and the Son (Hans Quest, 1955).
East German postcard by VEB Progress Film-Vertrieb, Berlin, no. 1380, 1960. Waltraut Haas in Traumrevue / Revue of Dreams (Eduard von Borsody, 1959).
German postcard by Starfoto VEB Progress Film-Vertrieb, no. 1382. Teddy Reno and Waltraut Haas in the Austrian ice revue film Traumrevue (Eduard von Borsody, 1959). From September 1960 on, the film ran in cinemas in the GDR.
Sources: Waltraut Haas (German), Wikipedia (German) and IMDb.
2 comments:
I first saw Haas in Die Schöne Müllerin / The beautiful Miller--badly subtitled but still enjoyable--at what was then known as a "FOREIGN MOVIE ART HOUSE" over on the east side of Manhattan--in a very small theatre that had once been a vaudeville venue and then later a burlesque review. It's amusing now to recall how seeing such films was considered "adventurous".
Love your comment. Thanks, Maria.
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