Maximilian Steiner

Who was Maximilian Steiner?

Maximilian Steiner was an Austrian actor and theater manager.

Steiner was manager of Vienna's Theater an der Wien from 1869 to 1875 with Marie Geistinger, a Viennese actress, and from 1875 to 1880 on his own. During this period, he is said to have discovered Johann Strauss, and encouraged Jacques Offenbach to drop a lucrative conducting career to write his first operetta. Steiner gradually phased out spoken-word dramas from the Theater program, contributing to the Viennese opera boom.

Steiner was born in Ofen, near Budapest in Hungary, and died in Baden, Lower Austria. He had two sons: Franz Steiner, who took over his function in 1880 and remained until 1884; and Gabor Steiner, who also became a theatre manager and operator of a music hall. He was grandfather of Max Steiner, a Hollywood film composer.