HÖRBIGER, ATTILA

(1896-1987)

   Actor. Hörbiger is inextricably linked to the theater of Vienna, and (from 1928 to 1950) with Vienna's Theater in der Josefstadt in particular. He completed his career at the Burgtheater, often alongside his wife Paula Wessely. At both the Burg and the Theater in der Josefstadt, Hörbiger was at his best in character parts—though he excelled in plays by Ferdinand Raimund, Johann Nepomuk Nestroy, and Franz Grillparzer. By his retirement in 1975, Hörbiger had received almost every official accolade available to an Austrian actor (though he had been born in Budapest); his name in the view of many was nearly synonymous with Austria and its theater traditions. Some observers agreed—but in a pejorative sense, since they accused Hörbiger of conformity with National Socialist cultural goals; some (including Elfriede Jelinek) pointed to his participation in the 1941 film Heimkehr (Homecoming) as evidence.

   See also Hörbiger, Paul.