Willy Hagara

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Willy Hagara (born June 4, 1927 in Vienna ; † May 15, 2015 in Wiesbaden ) was an Austrian pop singer and actor.

Life

Willy Hagara grew up in Vienna and began training as a post office worker in 1941. He was then drafted into the labor service and was a soldier in the German Air Force during the Second World War . After the war ended, Hagara went back to work at the post office and took singing and acting lessons on the side. In 1946 he won a hit competition in the Wiener Kongresshaussaal , whereupon he got an engagement as a substitute singer with the Johannes Fehring Orchestra . In 1948 this became a permanent position, and Hagara became one of the most popular singers of the time. After his first recordings with the Austrian record company Harmona , he signed a contract with the Austrian company Philips in 1953 , with Hagara's first success with the title “This time it must be love” was released in 1954.

A year later he was taken over by Philips Germany, where he was one of the most produced singers until 1963. After he had his greatest record success in 1958 with the title "Casetta in Canada", which reached number three in the hit lists, he experienced his most successful phase in the record business from mid-1960 to mid-1962, in which every single was found in hit parades. After the track "Caterina" had reached seventh place in July 1962, Hagara's success story came to an end, because none of his subsequent records reached the hit lists. 1959 missed Hagara with the title "Mandolinen und Mondschein" a bigger success, because Philips had released the single too late. While the Polydor version with Peter Alexander appeared in the charts in mid-March and finally reached number three, Philips did not bring Hagara's single onto the market until three weeks later, and as a straggler it only reached number 14. In 1963 his record deal with Philips ended and Hagara switched to Electrola, where he was supervised by the successful producer Heinz Gietz . Eight singles were produced by 1966, but all of them remained unnoticed. Electrola also released Hagara's first long-playing record, where he sang Viennese songs under the title “I am just a real Weaner Child”. Further singles appeared until 1973 with smaller record companies. After that, Hagara ended his recording career. This also left traces in the GDR , where the state- owned record company Amiga released five singles between 1959 and 1961. Hagara's title came on the A-side, while the B-side was equipped with a GDR production. Hagara's recordings included his successful titles “Mandolinen und Mondschein” and “Pepe”.

As usual, after rising in popularity in the 1950s, Hagara appeared in numerous motion pictures. He got his first role in 1957 in the homeland film “ White Elder ”, and in 1961 he was the main actor among the singers when he last appeared in the cinema in the music film “Ramona” . Hagara later had numerous television appearances until 1980, including in several television films.

Willy Hagara had lived in the Rheingau since the 1960s . In 1969 his father, who came from Hungary, bequeathed him an inheritance of millions, including a villa and several rental properties in Vienna. In 1986, after the death of his wife, Willy Hagara finally withdrew from show business, but appeared again and again in TV music reminder programs, for example in 1996 with Melodien für Millions, which was moderated by DTHeck.

Discography

Filmography

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Hagara, Willy
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian pop singer and actor
DATE OF BIRTH June 4, 1927
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna , Austria
DATE OF DEATH May 15, 2015
Place of death Wiesbaden