Helene Ottilie Thimig (5 June 1889 – 7 November 1974) was an Austrian stage and film actress.[1][2]

Helene Thimig
Thimig c. 1910
Born
Helene Ottilie Thimig

(1889-06-05)5 June 1889
Died7 November 1974(1974-11-07) (aged 85)
Vienna, Austria
Other namesHelen Thimig
OccupationActress
Years active1907–1972
SpouseMax Reinhardt (1935–1943; his death)
Parent(s)Hugo Thimig
Franziska "Fanny" Hummel
RelativesHermann Thimig (brother)
Hans Thimig (brother)

Personal life edit

 
Bust of Helene Thimig on the lake promenade in Strobl.

Helene Thimig was the daughter of actor Hugo Thimig and the sister of actors Hermann and Hans Thimig.[3]

Thimig was married to the stage impresario Max Reinhardt from 1935 until his death in 1943.[4] Thimig went into exile in the United States during the Nazi era, and returned to Europe after World War II.[5]

Professional life edit

Returning to Vienna from her American exile, she headed the Max Reinhardt Seminar, an acting school, from 1948 to 1954.[6] Beginning in 1946, she directed the Jedermann productions during the Salzburg Festival. She had played the female lead (Faith) in that play for years under Reinhardt's direction and resumed the role from 1946 to 1951 and 1963 to 1965. She became an ensemble member at Vienna's Burgtheater in 1947; she moved to the Theater in the Josefsstadt (her preferred company) in 1954.[7]

She died in her native Vienna in 1974, aged 85, of heart failure.[8] She was cremated at Feuerhalle Simmering; her ashes are now buried in Neustifter Friedhof in Vienna.[9]

Selected filmography edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Helene Thimig | Movies and Filmography". AllMovie.
  2. ^ "Helene Thimig profile". BFI. Archived from the original on 27 July 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  3. ^ Rowan, Terry (27 July 2015). Who's Who In Hollywood!. Lulu.com. ISBN 9781329074491 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ "Thimig, Helene (1889–1974)". encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  5. ^ Sutter Fichtner, Paula. Historical Dictionary of Austria, Scarecrow Press (2009), page 299.
  6. ^ "Die Geschichte des Max Reinhardt Seminars". Max Reinhardt Seminar Homepage. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  7. ^ "Helene Thimig". Wien Geschichte Wiki. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  8. ^ "Helene Thimig Dies; Viennese Actress". The New York Times. 8 November 1974. p. 42. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  9. ^ "Thimig, Helene". The Androom Archives. Retrieved 11 September 2022.

Bibliography edit

  • Sutter Fichtner, Paula. Historical Dictionary of Austria. Scarecrow Press, 2009.

External links edit