Austrian postcard by Verlag Hubmann (HDH Verlag), Wien (Vienna), no. 3991. Photo: Union-Film, Wien. Renate Holm in Fräulein von Amt/Miss from the Office (Carl-Heinz Schroth, 1954).
West-German postcard by Agfa, no. 533. Photo: Lantin / Panorama Films.
East-German postcard by VEB Bild und Heimat Reichenbach I.V., no. 949/59, 1959.
A natural singing voice
Renate Holm was born as Renate Franke in 1931 in Berlin, Germany. During her youth, she was a member of the local school and church choirs. She decided to become an opera singer when after being inspired by Il sogno di Butterfly/Premiere der Butterfly/Dream of Butterfly (Carmine Gallone, 1939), a film version of 'Madama Butterfly' with Maria Cebotari in the lead role.
In 1943 her parents separated, and the Frankes were evacuated from the bombed-out centre of Berlin to the Spreewald region. She lived out the rest of her childhood in and around the village of Ragow where her mother at one stage served as local mayor and registrar.
In 1950 her mother arranged a meeting with Waltraud Waldeck, a local singer and singing teacher who declared that Renate had a natural singing voice and should take singing lessons. Renate worked hard to pay for singing lessons to make her dream come true.
In 1953 her mother entered her in a local talent competition. She sang 'Lied der Nachtigall' (Song of the Nightingale) by Franz Grothe. Winning the contest, she was discovered by the RIAS, an American sponsored radio station in West Berlin.
She quickly established a singing career as a Schlager singer and soon also in such films as Schlagerparade/Hit Parade (Erik Ode, 1953), Die große Starparade/The Big Star Parade (Paul Martin, 1954) with Adrian Hoven, and Wunschkonzert/Request Concert (Erik Ode, 1955). She changed her professional name from Renate Franke to Renate Holm, in order the avoid confusion with singer Renée Franke.
During the mid-1950s Holm became a popular star of operettas and Heimatfilms in the German-speaking parts of Europe. Notable films are Wo die Lerche singt/Where the Lark Sings (Hans Wolff, 1956) with Doris Kirchner and Der Graf von Luxemburg/The Count of Luxemburg (Werner Jacobs, 1957) opposite Gerhard Riedmann.
West-German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag, Minden/Westf., no. 1612. Photo: Melodie / Herzog Film / Gabriele. Renate Holm in Wunschkonzert/Request Concert (Erik Ode, 1955).
Austrian postcard by Kellner Fotokarten, Wien, no. 81065. Photo: Paula WesselyFilm / Hämmerer. Renate Holm in Wo die Lerche singt/Where the Lark Sings (Hans Wolff, 1956).
West-German postcard by Agfa, no. 525. Photo: Panorama Films. Renate Holm and Heinz Drache in Kein Auskommen mit dem Einkommen/Short of Cash (Herbert B. Fredersdorf, 1957).
West-German postcard by Agfa, no. 531. Photo: Panorama Films. Renate Holm in Kein Auskommen mit dem Einkommen/Short of Cash (Herbert B. Fredersdorf, 1957).
At one of the world's foremost opera houses
In 1957 Renate Holm moved to Vienna in Austria. She was engaged by Hubert Marischka to work at the Vienna Volksoper. She had also received an invitation to star as Eliza Doolittle in the German-language premiere of 'My Fair Lady' at the Theater des Westens in Berlin, but her sights were firmly set on a career as an opera singer.
She made her Volksoper debut with the lead soprano part as Princess Helene in 'Walzertraum' by Oscar Straus. Incidentally, she appeared in such Schlager films as the Austrian production Liebe, Mädchen und Soldaten/Love, Girls and Soldiers (Franz Antel, 1958) co-starring Willy Hagara and Marina (Paul Martin, 1960) with Rocco Granata.
Her big breakthrough came when she switched to the Vienna State Opera. There she made her debut performance as the fiancée Gretchen in 'Wildschütz' (1960).
The Vienna State Opera is one of the world's foremost opera houses, where she regularly performed under the great Herbert von Karajan. Under his direction, she enjoyed a stream of successes and Holm appeared in many of the world's great opera houses, performing alongside the great stars of her generation.
Besides her opera performances, she also appeared in many concerts, at numerous festivals, and on TV. Holm continued to give concerts during the present century. She also remained in demand as a teacher of singing and as a jury member in international competitions. In 1965, she married Horst-Wolfgang Haase. The marriage lasted seven years. Renate Holm passed away on 21 April 2022 in Vienna, Austria.
German postcard by Rüdel-Verlag. Phot: Teldec / B. Wolfson / Telefunken.
East-German postcard by VEB Volkskunstverlag Reichenbach I.V., no. G 740, 1957. Retail price: 0,15 DM. Photo: Teldec.
German collectors card. Photo: Europa-Film.
German autograph card by Simon Offset, München.
Sources: Wikipedia and IMDb.
This post was last updated on 23 April 2022.
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