Hartl, Karl

DIRECTOR, ACTOR (AUSTRIA)
BORN 10 May 1899, Wien - DIED 29 Aug 1978, Wien
GRAVE LOCATION Wien: Hietzinger Friedhof, Maxingstraße 15, Hietzing (Gruppe 65, Nummer 2/3/4, Familiengruft)

In 1918 Karl Hartl started working for film pioneer Alexander Korda as an assistant director. He contributed to "Prinz und Bettelknabe" (1920), "Samson und Delila" (1922) and other movies. In 1930 he married the actress Marte Harell and during the same year he directed his first movie, "Ein Burschenlied aus Heidelberg" and in 1931 he made "Berge in Flammen" together with Luis Trenker. Several successful movies followed, among them "Die Gräfin von Monte Christo" (1932). After an explosion on the set of "The Doomed Battalion" he was blind in his right eye.

After 1933 he was able to work in Germany without joining the NSDAP. When the nazis created Wien-film in 1938 and asked him to head it he hesitated for a long time and only accepted when it became clear that otherwise a convinced nazi from German would be sent to Austria. He managed the company until the war ended seven years later and managed to delay the propaganda movies that were asked for, making movies on Austrian history instead.

After the war he directed several more movies, but they were less successful than before.

Family
• Wife: Harell, Marte (1930-1978)

Related persons
• was a friend of Ucicky, Gustav

Images

The grave of Karl Hartl and Marte Harell at the Hietzing Cemetery in Vienna.
Picture by androom (15 Aug 2006)

 

The grave of Karl Hartl and Marte Harell at the Hietzing Cemetery in Vienna.
Picture by androom (15 Aug 2006)

 

Sources
• Pleyel, Peter, Friedhöfe in Wien, Vom Mittelalter bis Heute, Pichler Edition, Wien, 1999
Porträt des Regisseurs Karl Hartl by Thomas Staedeli


Hartmann, Ernst

Published: 02 Jun 2007
Last update: 01 Jan 2024