Gerhard Bronner
Encyclopedia
Gerhard Bronner was an Austria
n composer, writer, musician and a cabaret artist, known for his contribution to Austrian culture in the post-World War II
period.
Born to a Jewish family, he lost his job after the Germans invaded Austria. Bronner fled from occupied Austria to Czechoslovakia
and later to Palestine
, where he started his career. In 1948 he returned to Vienna and originally planned to stay only for a few weeks and then to move on to London
. But he chose Vienna as his permanent residence after having been offered a chance to work there.
Bronner took over a dubious night-club called "Marietta-Bar" which he transformed into a small theater. There Bronner assembled a group of young artists which would later become renowned Austrian actors and cabaret artists. Among them were Georg Kreisler
and Helmut Qualtinger
for whom Bronner wrote many songs. Bronner and Qualtinger also appeared together in the "Travnicek"-dialogs, with Qualtinger playing an ignorant but at the same time astute Viennese who cunningly answered Bronner's provoking questions.
In the mid-1980s, disheartened by his country's sharp turn to the right and dismayed by the anti-Semitism he felt was becoming more prevalent there, Bronner moved to the United States, and lived in Boca Raton, Florida. Suddenly free from the demands of celebrity, he began to relax and enjoy the more casual American lifestyle. An avid collector of movies, his Florida home contained more than 8,000 titles, some rare. Bronner continued to compose and write, and frequently visited Vienna to do concerts, book tours and television appearances. After nearly 15 years in the States — and after having become a naturalized American citizen — an opportunity arose to return to his beloved Vienna, where he was asked to run a small independent theater.
Bronner died of a stroke
in 2007, aged 84. Only two weeks before his death he had performed on stage for the last time. This show was recorded and broadcast on Austrian television one day after Bronner's death.
He was the father of magazine founder/newspaper editor Oscar Bronner
. Throughout his life Bronner emphasized his Jewishness though he was not religious. He said he couldn't believe in God after the Holocaust.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n composer, writer, musician and a cabaret artist, known for his contribution to Austrian culture in the post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
period.
Born to a Jewish family, he lost his job after the Germans invaded Austria. Bronner fled from occupied Austria to Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
and later to Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, where he started his career. In 1948 he returned to Vienna and originally planned to stay only for a few weeks and then to move on to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. But he chose Vienna as his permanent residence after having been offered a chance to work there.
Bronner took over a dubious night-club called "Marietta-Bar" which he transformed into a small theater. There Bronner assembled a group of young artists which would later become renowned Austrian actors and cabaret artists. Among them were Georg Kreisler
Georg Kreisler
Georg Kreisler was an Austrian-American Viennese-language cabarettist, satirist, composer, and author. He was particularly popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Since 2007 he has lived in Salzburg with his third wife, Barbara Peters...
and Helmut Qualtinger
Helmut Qualtinger
Helmut Qualtinger was an Austrian actor, writer and cabaret performer.-Biography:Helmut Qualtinger was born in Vienna, Austria...
for whom Bronner wrote many songs. Bronner and Qualtinger also appeared together in the "Travnicek"-dialogs, with Qualtinger playing an ignorant but at the same time astute Viennese who cunningly answered Bronner's provoking questions.
In the mid-1980s, disheartened by his country's sharp turn to the right and dismayed by the anti-Semitism he felt was becoming more prevalent there, Bronner moved to the United States, and lived in Boca Raton, Florida. Suddenly free from the demands of celebrity, he began to relax and enjoy the more casual American lifestyle. An avid collector of movies, his Florida home contained more than 8,000 titles, some rare. Bronner continued to compose and write, and frequently visited Vienna to do concerts, book tours and television appearances. After nearly 15 years in the States — and after having become a naturalized American citizen — an opportunity arose to return to his beloved Vienna, where he was asked to run a small independent theater.
Bronner died of a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in 2007, aged 84. Only two weeks before his death he had performed on stage for the last time. This show was recorded and broadcast on Austrian television one day after Bronner's death.
He was the father of magazine founder/newspaper editor Oscar Bronner
Oscar Bronner
Oscar Bronner, born 14 January 1943, is an Jewish Austrian newspaper publisher and painter.Bronner was born in Haifa, Israel the eldest son of Austrian cabaret artist Gerhard Bronner....
. Throughout his life Bronner emphasized his Jewishness though he was not religious. He said he couldn't believe in God after the Holocaust.
External links
- Gerhard Bronner at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Obituary from The Times http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article1454560.ece
- Obituary from The Independent http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article2204055.ece