Margot Werner

Margot Werner, born on December 8, 1937 in Salzburg; died on July 1, 2012 in Munich, was an Austrian ballet dancer and chanson singer, pop singer and actress.

Margot Werner was born in Salzburg, the daughter of a merchant and a pianist. After graduating from the Realgymnasium der Ursulinen, she devoted herself entirely to dance. She had a close friendship with her colleague Heinz Bosl. Her first marriage was to the actor Peter Pasetti. From 1978, she married the businessman Jochen Litt, whose hotel business in Tyrol she supported financially until it went bankrupt in 2005.

Werner began taking ballet lessons at the age of three. She received her professional training at the Salzburg State Theater and with Friderica Derra de Moroda. At the age of 17, she joined the Bavarian State Ballet in Munich, where she worked her way up to solo dancer within a few years. With her height of 1.77 m, which is unusual for a female dancer, and her striking red hair, she became very well known.

She has been a soloist at the Bavarian State Opera since 1959 and has worked with renowned choreographers such as John Cranko and John Neumeier. Her most important roles included parts in Giselle and The Green Table by Kurt Jooss. She performed regularly with Heinz Bosl until 1975 and, after his death, became involved in the Heinz Bosl Foundation together with Konstanze Vernon.

In 1972, Werner’s second career as a chanson singer began with three songs composed especially for her by Bert Grund. She was supported by Abi Ofarim. In the same year, she performed with Peter Kreuder at the Vienna Konzerthaus. Her popularity grew through television formats such as her own show “Von Margot bis Montag” (director: Peter Hajek, guests: Klaus Kinski, Heinz Bosl and others). Further appearances followed at the Casino Travemünde and in 1973/74 as a guest artist at the Münchner Lach- und Schießgesellschaft. From 1975, she was a permanent fixture on numerous television shows, including Feuerabend (Hans-Joachim Kulenkampff), Dalli Dalli and Am laufenden Band.

In 1976, she launched the tour program Water, Fire, Air and Earth, which was followed by further concert tours. Her greatest musical success was the chanson So ein Mann (1977, lyrics: Wolfgang Hofer, music: Robert Frank-Jacobi). This was followed by numerous international appearances, often accompanied by Max Greger jr. From 1986, she appeared almost every year at the Renitenztheater in Stuttgart. Her highlights as an entertainer include an appearance at the Metropolitan Opera Ball in New York. In 1994, she celebrated successes with Movie Classics at the Munich Philharmonie and the Stuttgart Liederhalle.

In addition to her dance and music career, Werner was also active as an actress. She made her stage debut as Jenny in Brecht’s Threepenny Opera at the Munich Residenztheater. On television, she appeared in Die Insel der Krebse, the film adaptation of Johannes Mario Simmel’s novel Lieb Vaterland magst ruhig sein (1976), the crook comedy Bomber & Paganini (1976) and the operetta film Im weißen Rößl am Wolfgangsee (1979) with Helmuth Lohner. She also appeared in the television series Liebt diese Erde (1984) and in the 1986 Tatort episode Das Archiv.

Margot Werner’s death was initially declared an accident. According to Munich police, the 74-year-old fell from the third floor of a Munich hospital on July 1, 2012 and died from her serious injuries. She was a patient in the hospital’s neurology department at the time.

She had been treated there for nerve damage in her shoulder. There was initially no official confirmation of the exact circumstances, with the police only referring to an “accident in the family”. However, it later became known that it was a suicide.

Studio albums by Margot Werner

• 1974 And the day comes for everyone
• 1975 My life is like a dance / Just a picture
• 1976 Water, fire, air and earth
• 1976 Life is like this or that / Some dreams don’t come true
• 1976 That can only be love
• 1977 Such a man
• 1977 You’re too hot / Stay the little hour until morning
• 1977 Only one woman
• 1978 I have never regretted anything in my life
• 1980 Hang in there with me
• 1983 … because I am me
• 1985 Dream flights