Helmut Qualtinger

Helmut Qualtinger (alt. sp. Helmuth Qualtinger) (8 October 1928 – 29 September 1986) was an Austrian actor, writer, reciter and cabaret performer.

He was born Helmut Gustav Friedrich Qualtinger in Vienna, during the First Austrian Republic to a secondary education teacher and his wife, stemming from the bourgeoise class of the Bildungsbürgertum, his father being a follower of the German Nazi movement. While at school Qualtinger's interest in literature and acting became obvious and he founded a youth theater as a pupil. Afterwards he initially studied medicine and literature, but quit university to become a newspaper reporter and film critic for local press, while beginning to write his own texts for cabaret performances and theater plays. Qualtinger continued as an actor at student theaters and revues and attended the Max Reinhardt Seminar as a guest student.

Beginning in 1947, he appeared in cabaret performances. In 1949, Qualtinger's first theatrical play, Jugend vor den Schranken (Youth in front of Barriers), was staged in Graz and caused furor for portraying teenagers and their rebellious behaviour. Up to 1961, Qualtinger collaborated on various cabaret programmes with the Namenlosen Ensemble (Nameless Ensemble, founded 1952) made up of Gerhard Bronner, Carl Merz, Louise Martini, Peter Wehle, Georg Kreisler, and Michael Kehlmann. He also continued to write commentaries, mostly satirical, for Austrian news papers e.g. from 1955 to 1961 for the Kurier together with his acting colleague Carl Merz.

The chansons presented in these cabaret revues, for example „Papa wird's scho richten“ (Daddy's gonna fix it), and his „Travnicek dialogs“ with Bronner became (in)famous to the history of Austrian cabaret. Mr. Travnicek is a typical little man character, mostly in a bad mood. He is asked questions only to reveal his odd, sometimes misanthropic views on things going on.

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