Karel Hašler

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Karel Hašler
Monument on the steps to Prague Castle

Karel Hašler (born October 31, 1879 in Slichow near Prague , Austria-Hungary ; † December 22, 1941 in Mauthausen concentration camp ) was a Czech actor , singer , cabaret artist , author , director and film producer .

Life

He grew up in Zlíchov near Prague , where his parents worked in a nearby glass factory. First he trained as a glove maker. From an early age he showed great interest in the theater and occasionally took part in amateur ensembles. After his debut at the Arena Theater in 1897 and an argument with his father, he left home to devote himself entirely to acting and played in various guest ensembles. In 1902 he became a member of the Slovenian Theater in Ljubljana . Shortly afterwards he went back to Prague and became a member of the National Theater ensemble , where he played the roles of Romeo and Chlesatkov , among others . In 1908 he married Zdena Friml, the sister of the musician Rudolf Friml , under whose influence he not only developed his skills as a singer, but also began to compose his own songs. At the same time he developed an interest in cabaret. In 1910 he became head of the Lucerna cabaret, which he led with one interruption until 1923. From 1915 to 1918 he directed the Rokoko Theater and from 1924 to 1929 the Varieté Theater Karlín .

During the First World War he appeared as an actor in the first Czech silent films , and was also a director and screenwriter. In 1914 he produced the comedy film České Hrady a zámky (Czech Castles) based on his own script . He then starred in the comedy Ahasver and other silent films. His most successful film roles included lawyer and MP Uher in Przemysl Pražský's film Batalion (The Department, 1927) and a role in Varhaník u sv. Vita (organist at St. Vitus Cathedral, 1929) by Martin Frič .

In the following sound film era in the 1930s, he was also able to demonstrate his skills as a singer. In Písničkář (Songwriter, 1932) by Svatopluk Innemann , he sang patriotic songs like Svoboda (Freedom) and Ta naše písnička česká (Our Czech Song). Between 1932 and 1941 he acted in over 13 films. He played himself in the film Za tichých nocí (In the Quiet Nights), produced and published by his son Zdeněk Gina Hašler during the German occupation of the Czech Republic in World War II .

At the beginning of 1941, Hašler was arrested for the first time for his patriotic songs and released after three days. The second arrest followed on September 2, 1941, during the production of the film Městečko na dlani based on the book by Jan Drda . He was interrogated and imprisoned in the Petschek-Palais (State Police Headquarters in Prague) and Dresden and brought to the Mauthausen concentration camp in mid-October without a trial . There he was tortured by immersion in ice cold water in December. He died on December 22, 1941 as a result of torture and a subsequent dysentery disease.

On January 6, 2003 the asteroid (37939) Hašler was named after him.

literature

  • Kay Less : Between the stage and the barracks. Lexicon of persecuted theater, film and music artists from 1933 to 1945 . With a foreword by Paul Spiegel . Metropol, Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-938690-10-9 , p. 162.

Web links

Commons : Karel Hašler  - collection of pictures
personal data
SURNAME Hašler, Karel
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Czech actor, singer and cabaret artist
DATE OF BIRTH October 31, 1879
PLACE OF BIRTH Slichow near Prague
DATE OF DEATH December 22, 1941
Place of death Mauthausen concentration camp