Geraldine Katt (1920-1995) was an Austrian actress, who was seen in romantic comedies and melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s. She appeared in more than ten films from 1936 to 1951.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. A 1379/1, 1937-1938. Photo: Donau-Film. Geraldine Katt in Florentine (Karel Lamac, 1937).
German collectors card in the Bunte Filmbilder series by Greiling-Zigaretten / Ross Verlag, no. 383. Photo: Bavaria. Geraldine Katt in Die Stimme des Herzens/The Voice of the Heart (Karl Heinz Martin, 1937).
German postcard by Film-Foto-Verlag, no. A 3773/1, 1941-1944. Photo: Quick / Terra. Geraldine Katt in Wenn der junge Wein blüht/When the young wine blooms (Fritz Kirchhoff, 1943).
Geraldine Katt was born Geraldine Kattnig in 1920 in Vienna, Austria. She was of Slovenian-Austrian parentage.
Katt trained as an actress at the prestigious Max Reinhardt Seminar. At the Ufa, the only 15-year-old made her film debut in the German drama Das Mädchen Irene/The Girl Irene (Reinhold Schünzel, 1936) starring Lil Dagover and Sabine Peters.
Then she played the female lead as a mischievous-cheeky princess in Die Stimme des Herzens/The Voice of the Heart (Karl Heinz Martin, 1937) opposite star tenor Beniamino Gigli, and the title role in Florentine (Karel Lamac, 1937) with Paul Hörbiger.
She appeared opposite Willy Birgel in the German crime film Der Fall Deruga/The Deruga Case (Fritz Peter Buch, 1938).
Between the various film appearances, Katt was able to establish herself as a theatre actress. She made her stage debut in Vienna in the musical comedy 'Das Frauenparadies' based on the operetta by Robert Stolz.
During the war, she could be seen in the comedy Wenn der junge Wein blüht/When the young wine blooms (Fritz Kirchhoff, 1943) with Henny Porten and Otto Gebühr.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 9854/1, 1935-1936. Photo: Hämmerer / Ufa.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 9883/1, 1935-1936. Photo: Bavaria. Geraldine Katt in Die Stimme des Herzens/The Voice of the Heart (Karl Heinz Martin, 1937).
German postcard by Das Programm von Heute, Berlin / Ross Verlag. Photo: Bavaria. Geraldine Katt in Die Stimme des Herzens/The Voice of the Heart (Karlheinz Martin, 1937).
After World War II, Geraldine Katt concentrated on stage acting. She played supporting parts in a few Austrian films including the comedies Alles Lüge/All lies (E.W. Emo, 1948) starring Wolf Albach-Retty, and Es lebe das Leben/Long live life! (E.W. Emo, 1949).
Between 1949 and 1951, she performed at the Vienna Volksoper in the operetta 'The beggar student' by Carl Millöcker and in Millöckers 'Gasparone', staged by Oscar Fritz Schuh.
One of her last screen appearances was in the Swiss drama Die Vier im Jeep/Four in a Jeep (Leopold Lindtberg, 1951), a 'Trümer film' (rubble film) starring Ralph Meeker and Viveca Lindfors. The film won the Golden Bear at the 1st Berlin International Film Festival.
Katt had married the theatre critic Anatol in 1940 in Berlin, but she separated again in 1949 from him. In 1952, after marrying the Swiss Hermann Juch, director of the Vienna Volksoper and lawyer, she retired from acting.
In 1964, the couple moved to Switzerland where Juch took over the management of the Zurich Opera House. Katt became a teacher of theology.
Geraldine Katt passed away in 1995. She was 74. A few months earlier Hermann Juch had died in 1995 at the age of 86.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. A 1823/1, 1937-1938. Photo: Hämmerer / Ufa.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. A 2338/1, 1939-1940. Photo: Baumann / Ufa.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. A 2445/1, 1939-1940. Photo: Quick / Bavaria.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. A 2861/1, 1939-1940. Photo: Märkische / Panorama / Schneider / Südost.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. A 2999/1, 1939-1940. Photo: Quick / Bavaria.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. A 3061/1, 1941-1944. Photo: Quick / Ufa.
Sources: Stephanie D'heil (Steffi-line.de - German), Wikipedia (German and English) and IMDb.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. A 1379/1, 1937-1938. Photo: Donau-Film. Geraldine Katt in Florentine (Karel Lamac, 1937).
German collectors card in the Bunte Filmbilder series by Greiling-Zigaretten / Ross Verlag, no. 383. Photo: Bavaria. Geraldine Katt in Die Stimme des Herzens/The Voice of the Heart (Karl Heinz Martin, 1937).
German postcard by Film-Foto-Verlag, no. A 3773/1, 1941-1944. Photo: Quick / Terra. Geraldine Katt in Wenn der junge Wein blüht/When the young wine blooms (Fritz Kirchhoff, 1943).
A film debut at 15
Geraldine Katt was born Geraldine Kattnig in 1920 in Vienna, Austria. She was of Slovenian-Austrian parentage.
Katt trained as an actress at the prestigious Max Reinhardt Seminar. At the Ufa, the only 15-year-old made her film debut in the German drama Das Mädchen Irene/The Girl Irene (Reinhold Schünzel, 1936) starring Lil Dagover and Sabine Peters.
Then she played the female lead as a mischievous-cheeky princess in Die Stimme des Herzens/The Voice of the Heart (Karl Heinz Martin, 1937) opposite star tenor Beniamino Gigli, and the title role in Florentine (Karel Lamac, 1937) with Paul Hörbiger.
She appeared opposite Willy Birgel in the German crime film Der Fall Deruga/The Deruga Case (Fritz Peter Buch, 1938).
Between the various film appearances, Katt was able to establish herself as a theatre actress. She made her stage debut in Vienna in the musical comedy 'Das Frauenparadies' based on the operetta by Robert Stolz.
During the war, she could be seen in the comedy Wenn der junge Wein blüht/When the young wine blooms (Fritz Kirchhoff, 1943) with Henny Porten and Otto Gebühr.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 9854/1, 1935-1936. Photo: Hämmerer / Ufa.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 9883/1, 1935-1936. Photo: Bavaria. Geraldine Katt in Die Stimme des Herzens/The Voice of the Heart (Karl Heinz Martin, 1937).
German postcard by Das Programm von Heute, Berlin / Ross Verlag. Photo: Bavaria. Geraldine Katt in Die Stimme des Herzens/The Voice of the Heart (Karlheinz Martin, 1937).
A teacher of theology
After World War II, Geraldine Katt concentrated on stage acting. She played supporting parts in a few Austrian films including the comedies Alles Lüge/All lies (E.W. Emo, 1948) starring Wolf Albach-Retty, and Es lebe das Leben/Long live life! (E.W. Emo, 1949).
Between 1949 and 1951, she performed at the Vienna Volksoper in the operetta 'The beggar student' by Carl Millöcker and in Millöckers 'Gasparone', staged by Oscar Fritz Schuh.
One of her last screen appearances was in the Swiss drama Die Vier im Jeep/Four in a Jeep (Leopold Lindtberg, 1951), a 'Trümer film' (rubble film) starring Ralph Meeker and Viveca Lindfors. The film won the Golden Bear at the 1st Berlin International Film Festival.
Katt had married the theatre critic Anatol in 1940 in Berlin, but she separated again in 1949 from him. In 1952, after marrying the Swiss Hermann Juch, director of the Vienna Volksoper and lawyer, she retired from acting.
In 1964, the couple moved to Switzerland where Juch took over the management of the Zurich Opera House. Katt became a teacher of theology.
Geraldine Katt passed away in 1995. She was 74. A few months earlier Hermann Juch had died in 1995 at the age of 86.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. A 1823/1, 1937-1938. Photo: Hämmerer / Ufa.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. A 2338/1, 1939-1940. Photo: Baumann / Ufa.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. A 2445/1, 1939-1940. Photo: Quick / Bavaria.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. A 2861/1, 1939-1940. Photo: Märkische / Panorama / Schneider / Südost.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. A 2999/1, 1939-1940. Photo: Quick / Bavaria.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. A 3061/1, 1941-1944. Photo: Quick / Ufa.
Sources: Stephanie D'heil (Steffi-line.de - German), Wikipedia (German and English) and IMDb.
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