Alfred Rasser

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Alfred Rasser, approx. 1964 (Photo Comet, ETH Library)
Alfred Rasser, ca.1964
Alfred Rasser, approx. 1950–1960
Minor question from National Councilor Rasser (1969)

Alfred Rasser (born May 29, 1907 in Basel ; † August 18, 1977 there ; initially French, from 1917 resident in Basel) was a Swiss cabaret artist , actor and politician . In addition to Heinrich Gretler , Max Haufler , Emil Hegetschweiler , Schaggi Streuli and Ruedi Walter , he was one of the great people's actors in Switzerland. He became famous for his portrayal of the soldier HD Läppli . From 1967 to 1975 he was a member of the National Council ( LdU ).

Life

Alfred Rasser (1907–1977) cabaret artist, celebrities Grabfeld, Friedhof am Hörnli
Grave, Hörnli cemetery

Alfred Rasser grew up with three siblings in Basel. His father was a bricklayer from Alsace and died when Alfred was 11 years old. After leaving school, he completed an apprenticeship as a freight forwarder in Basel from 1922 to 1925.

In 1928 he worked for the International Subsidiary Liechtenstein , raised chickens in Ticino and attended finally the drama school of Oskar Wälterlin the Basel Conservatory . There he found his calling. To finance the three-year training, he also worked as an accountant . In 1930 Rasser graduated from drama school and founded his own theater group. He gave up his work as an accountant and opened a painting business, which he ran for five years. The first big success came in 1934 with the play John D: conquers the world by Friedrich Wolf . Shortly afterwards, he played his Theophil Läppli, a Swiss version of Hašek's good soldier Josef Schwejk , for the first time in the cabaret Resslirytti by the exiled Russian Naum Mitnik . He delighted audiences and press with his game.

In 1935 he joined the Cabaret Cornichon for five years . In 1943 he opened his own stage, the Kaktus cabaret , which existed until 1951. In 1954 he was invited to a trip to the People's Republic of China with other artists and politicians during the Cold War . This subsequently led to reprisals: He was no longer engaged, contracts that had been concluded were terminated, and almost all theaters were suddenly closed to him. The film business was his salvation and ultimately brought his rehabilitation: in 1954, due to the huge success of his Läppli character, a film adaptation with the title Läppli at the customs followed . This was followed by the films HD-Soldat Läppli (1959) and Demokrat Läppli (1961).

Alfred Rasser was politically active and in 1967 he was elected to the National Council for the state ring of the independents of the canton Aargau , where he stayed for two legislative periods until 1975. There he stood up for peace, social justice and culture. The 68-year-old then withdrew and died two years later.

In 1932 Alfred Rasser married Adele Schnell. Son Roland Rasser , who also became a cabaret artist, emerged from that marriage. The marriage lasted until 1945, when he married Ninette Rossellat and had three children with her. In addition to his son Roland Rasser, his daughter Caroline Rasser also works as an actress and cabaret artist. His grave is on the prominent field of the cemetery on the Hörnli .

Filmography (selection)

cinemamovies

Behind the camera

motion pictures

  • 1940: Der Achti Schwyzer - screenplay, songwriter
  • 1942: De Wyberfind - screenplay, direction, editing
  • 1954: Läppli am Zoll (short film) - screenplay, director
  • 1960: HD Läppli - screenplay, production management, direction
  • 1961: Democrat Läppli - screenplay, director

literature

Web links

Commons : Alfred Rasser  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The 1950s. A dramatic decade in pictures. Ringier-Documents, Zurich undated (1981), ISBN 3-85859-120-3 , p. 104.
  2. ↑ Jürg Lehmann: HD soldier Läppli goes to the Federal Palace. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung , August 26, 2019.
  3. ^ Information on the film: De Wyberfind. Schweizer Film = Film Suisse: official organ of Switzerland, accessed on June 20, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Rasser, Alfred
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss cabaret artist, actor and politician (LdU)
DATE OF BIRTH May 29, 1907
PLACE OF BIRTH Basel
DATE OF DEATH 18th August 1977
Place of death Basel