Alexander Girardi

Alexander Girardi was born on December 5, 1850 in Graz, Styria, Austrian Empire.

They quickly recognized the acting ability of Alexander Girardi and in 1871 he already was engaged by the Viennese Strampfer-Theater.

In 1874 Girardi moved to the Theater an der Wien, where he continued to work for 22 years. In 1896/97 he worked at the Carltheater and then two years at the Volkstheater in Vienna. He also had guest appearances at other important theatres in Vienna and toured Germany (Berlin, Hamburg, Dresden).

Girardi created the roles of Blasoni in Johann Strauss's Cagliostro in Wien (1875), Andredl in Karl Millöcker's Das verwunschene Schloss (1878), Jan Janicki in Millöcker's Der Bettelstudent (1882), Benozzo in Millöcker's Gasparone (1884), Kálmán Zsupán in Strauss's The Gypsy Baron (1885), Adam in Carl Zeller's Der Vogelhändler (1891), the title role in Edmund Eysler's Bruder Straubinger (1903), and Pali Rácz in Emmerich Kálmán's Der Zigeunerprimas (1912).

Girardi was unhappily married to actress Helene Odilon. Odilon had many affairs and had Girardi committed to a mental asylum (based on a certificate by Julius Wagner-Jauregg, who had not seen Girardi). Odilon and Girardi divorced in 1896.

Because of his huge popularity his acting abilities were banned on celluloid for the first time with "Fiakerlied" (1908).

He was an actor, known for Der Millionenonkel (1913), Wienfilm 1896-1976 (1976) and The Tinker (1926). He was married to Eugenie Latinovics de Borsód and Helene Odilon.

At the beginning of World War I Girardi retired from the stage and returned to Graz. Two months before his death in 1918, he was called to the Burgtheater in Vienna to play the role of Fortunatus Wurzel in Ferdinand Raimunds's Der Bauer als Millionär.

Giradi's life was the subject of the 1954 film Der Komödiant von Wien.