Lothar, Ernst

DIRECTOR, THEATRE MANAGER NOVELIST (AUSTRIA)
BORN 25 Oct 1890, Brünn (now: Brno) - DIED 30 Oct 1974, Wien
BIRTH NAME Müller, E.L.
GRAVE LOCATION Wien: Zentralfriedhof, Simmeringer Hauptstraße 234, Simmering (Gruppe 32 C, Nummer 37)

Ernst Lothar was the son of the lawyer Josef Müller. In 1904 the family moved from Brno to Vienna and there he studied German culture as well as law. He was promoted in 1914. In the same year he married Mary Helene Sachs. In 1917 he entered the army and after the war he entered into civil service. His first important novel, "Roman Der Feldherr", was published in 1918.

He was involved in the creation of the Salzburger Festspiele with Max Reinhardt and Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Between 1921 and 1925 his "Macht über alle Menschen", a novel in three volumes, was published. In 1925 he left civil service to become a professional author.

In 1932 he married his second wife, the actress Adrienne Gessner. From 1933 onwards he also worked as a director. In 1935 he became the manager of the Theater in der Josefstadt and he joined this position with Max Reinhardt in 1937. As a Jew, he had to leave austria in 1938 and he went to Switzerland anf France. In 1939 he left for New York where he produced plays by austrian authors. From 1941 to 1945 he also worked as a professor.

In 1946 he returned to Austria as a representative of the US Office of War Information. In 1948 he resumed his Austrian citizenship and from 1948 until 1962 he worked as a director at the Burgtheater. From 1952 to 1959 he was involved in the management of the Festspiele in Salzburg.

Family
• Wife: Gessner, Adrienne (1933-)

Images

The grave of Ernst Lothar and Adrienne Gessner at the Zentralfriedhof, Vienna.
Picture by Androom (20 Aug 2007)

 

Sources
• Budig, Robert S. et al, Ehrengräber am Wiener Zentralfriedhof, Compress Verlag Wien, Wien
Ernst Lothar – Wikipedia


Lotz-Dupont, Ilse

Published: 30 Jul 2017
Last update: 18 Aug 2022