Attila Hörbiger

Who was Attila Hörbiger?

Attila Hörbiger was an Austrian stage and movie actor and a Nazi.

Hörbiger was born in Budapest, then Austria–Hungary, the son of engineer Hanns Hörbiger and younger brother of actor Paul Hörbiger. He began his stage career in 1919, performing at the Raimund Theater in Vienna in 1921, and from 1928 was a member of the Theater in der Josefstadt ensemble under Max Reinhardt, from 1950 of the Burgtheater. From 1935 to 1937 and from 1947 to 1951 Hörbiger took the title role in the performances of Hofmannsthal's Jedermann at the Salzburg Festival. He also acted Rudolf von Habsburg in Grillparzer's König Ottokars Glück und Ende at the great reopening of the Burgtheater on 15 October 1955.

In 1931 Hörbiger starred in Die große Liebe, the first film ever directed by Otto Preminger. He played in several German and Austrian movies, often alongside with his wife Paula Wessely whom he had married in 1935. With her he had three actress daughters, Elisabeth Orth, Christiane Hörbiger and Maresa Hörbiger. After the Austrian Anschluss Hörbiger and Wessely starred in the anti-Polish propaganda film Heimkehr of 1941. Hörbiger also joined the NSDAP.