1927 – 2025: Home film icon Waltraut Haas died at the age of 97

The Austrian actress Waltraut Haas died at the age of 97. The actress, who with home films and comedies such as “in the White Rössl” or “When the father became famous with the son” died on Wednesday morning. This was announced by her management.

Haas was known to the audience, especially as Mariandl in her first film “The Hofrat Geiger” from 1947. In the strip she played alongside Paul Hörbiger. In the operetta adaptation “Im Weißen Rössl” (1960) she played with Peter Alexander. With Heinz Rühmann she was to see in “When the father with the son”. In the course of her career, Haas played in around 70 films.

A film kiss could be tricky

In its heyday, a film kiss could still be delicate. When it was kissed by Peter Alexander (1926-2011), he was very inhibited, film partner Haas recalled in the NDR a few years ago. It was only when the wife of Alexander vom Set disappeared. “He grabbed me, kissed me, then he breathed in and kissed again,” said the actress about the scene in the 1960 film.

The path in front of the camera and on the stage for Haas began in the conservatory for performing art in Vienna and with additional private lessons with the castle actress Julia Janssen. In the first few years she had commitments on Austrian and German stages such as the Titania Palace Berlin or the German Theater Munich.

Hans Moser was an important mentor earlier

Then she was discovered for the film. The cheerful singing Mariandl in the “Hofrat Geiger” with Hans Moser (1880-1964), one of the important early companions, shaped her image and incorporated her a number of roles as a sweet Viennese girl. Even the titles of their films (“Greetings and kiss from the Wachau” or “No fear darling, I already put on”) expressed what the audience longed for: harmony and problems that were solely solved with humor.

Haas described her moving life in her 2018 memories “Now I’m saying it”. She stood on stage until old age. In front of the camera she was seen again in 2020 in the TV film “The Happiness is a Vogerl” as a guard coma patient.