Peter Alexander

Peter Alexander, born Peter Alexander Ferdinand Maximilian Neumayer on June 30, 1926 in Vienna, died on February 12, 2011, was an Austrian pop singer. pop singer actor, pianist, parodist and entertainer. From the mid-1950s to the mid-1990s, he was one of the most popular entertainers in the German-speaking world. From 1952 to 1972, he appeared in around fifty film comedies, hosted forty of his own television programs and recorded around 120 records. From 1969 to 1996, he had his own television shows, including the famous Peter Alexander Show.

Early life

Peter Alexander was born the son of bank director Anton Neumayer and the German-Bohemian music dealer’s daughter Bertha Katharina Wenzlick. His talent for parody was already evident during his school days. After he was expelled from a grammar school in Döbling for playing pranks, his father sent him to Znaim, where he finished school in 1944. In the same year, he was drafted into the army, served as an anti-aircraft gunner and later joined the navy. In 1945, he was taken prisoner of war by the British and spent some time in various camps in East Frisia, where he developed his artistic skills in theater and musical performances.

Career in the entertainment industry

Acting and singing

After returning to Vienna in 1946, Alexander briefly studied medicine, but then decided to become an actor. He studied at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna and graduated with honors in 1948. Under the stage name “Peter Alexander”, he specialized in comedy and taught himself to sing and play the piano.

His first engagement at the Vienna Bürgertheater earned him a monthly salary of 200 shillings (approx. 15 euros). His early career included appearances in operettas and an admiration for Frank Sinatra, whom he had seen in London in 1950. Alexander’s first record “Das machen nur die Beine von Dolores” was released by an Austrian record company in 1951. He later joined Polydor and from 1965 Ariola.

Alexander’s musical career was impressive: 38 top ten hits and numerous awards. By 1983, he had sold millions of records and established himself as a permanent fixture in the German music business. His best-known titles include “Wie Böhmen noch bei Öst’reich war” and “Die kleine Kneipe” (written by Michael Kunze ). He was also successful at the end of the 1980s with titles such as “Zeit der Rosen”. His last album “Verliebte Jahre” was released in 1991 by Dieter Bohlen produced. Remarkably, Alexander is the only German-speaking artist to have been in the charts for over six decades.

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Film and television

Alexander’s film career began in 1948 with a small role in “The Angel with the Trombone”. Between 1952 and 1972, he appeared in 41 films, in many of which he also sang. He became particularly well known for his role as waiter Leopold in the film version of the operetta “Im weißen Rößl” (1960). He played other formative roles in the Graf Bobby series, as Private Schweijk, in “Charly’s Aunt” and as a likeable teacher in “Die Lümmel von der ersten Bank”. His television career was just as successful, with his programs reaching up to 38 million viewers.

Some of his programs achieved record ratings of up to 79 percent. From 1963 to 1996, he was a well-known face on television and toured successfully through Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Personal life

In 1952, Alexander married the actress Hildegarde Haagen, who later managed his career. The couple had two children, Susanne and Michael. The family lived in Morcote in Switzerland for many years. Despite his successes, Peter Alexander always remained a friendly, likeable person who loved to laugh and preferred to go fishing in his free time rather than expose himself to the stress of show business. But the love and affection of his audience drove him back on stage and in front of the camera again and again.

Legacy and death

Peter Alexander died in February 2011 at the age of 84. His public funeral service was held in Vienna and he was buried in the Grinzing cemetery. Although his family declined an honorary grave, his influence on the entertainment industry remains strong. His home in Vienna was sold and later demolished, reflecting the changing times, but also underlining the lasting legacy of his life’s work.

Peter Alexander’s assets were transferred to the Liechtenstein-based Giletta Foundation in 2003. He set up the Austrian Melodie Private Foundation in order to be able to make payments to his grandchildren after the death of his children. Peter Alexander’s contribution to German-language entertainment culture is immeasurable. His versatility, his charisma and his ability to inspire people across generations make him an unforgettable part of music, film and television history.

Movies

• 1948 The angel with the trombone
• 1952 Lost melody
• 1952 Queen of the arena
• 1953 Salto Mortale (to be heard as a singer)
• 1953 The sweetest fruits
• 1953 3 of which one speaks
• 1954 Roses from the South (to be heard as a singer, unnamed)
• 1954 You are the right one (performance as a bar singer, unnamed)
• 1954 People in love
• 1954 Big star parade
• 1955 Love, dance and 1000 hits
• 1956 Music parade
• 1956 Bonjour, Kathrin
• 1956 A man does not always have to be handsome
• 1956 Cherries in the neighbor’s garden (to be heard as a singer in the opening credits)
• 1957 Love, jazz and exuberance
• 1957 That works
• 1957 The legs of Dolores
• 1958 Munchausen in Africa
• 1958 Woe when they let go
• 1958 A millionaire has it tough
• 1959 Peter takes the cake
• 1959 Blow by blow
• 1959 I am not a Casanova
• 1959 Salem Aleikum
• 1960 Criminal tango
• 1960 I count my sorrows every day
• 1960 Im weißen Rößl
• 1961 Season in Salzburg
• 1961 The Adventures of Count Bobby
• 1962 The bat
• 1962 The Merry Widow
• 1962 Wedding night in paradise
• 1962 The Sweet Life of Count Bobby
• 1963 Charley’s aunt
• 1963 The model boy
• 1963 Schwejk’s boorish years
• 1964 Help, my bride is stealing
• 1964 … and something like that has to go to bed at 8
• 1965 The love carousel
• 1966 Count Bobby, the terror of the Wild West
• 1966 Bel Ami 2000 or How to seduce a playboy
• 1968 To hell with the penne
• 1969 Hurray, the school is on fire!
• 1972 Main thing vacation

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Studio albums

• 1962 Peter Alexander sings melodies to fall in love with, Mir geht’s wunderbar, Wiener Spaziergänge
• 1963 Piccolo Party
• 1964 Walk through the land of film, walk through the land of operetta
• 1965 Viennese stories with Peter Alexander
• 1966 Merry Christmas with Peter Alexander, Peter Alexander in Paris
• 1967 As you like it, Peter Alexander serves specialties from Bohemia, Hungary, Austria, Schlager-Rendezvous with Peter Alexander – 1st episode
• 1968 Zärtlichkeiten – Melodien für ewig Verliebte mit Peter Alexander, Streifzug durch die Operette, Warum ist es am Rhein so schön, Schlager-Rendezvous mit Peter Alexander – 2. Folge
• 1969 Peter Alexander Show, For You, Mother, In the Land of Songs
• 1970 Schlager-Rendezvous with Peter Alexander – 3rd episode, Servus Wien, My present for you
• 1971 To live is to love, The common path
• 1972 Wonderful Christmas time, P.A.
• 1973 Specialties from Austria, Hungary, Bohemia – New series, We are one big family
• 1974 Peter Alexander serves world hits, Für Meine Freunde
• 1975 Love has so many colors, Golden Hits served anew by Peter Alexander
• 1976 Tidbits from the Bohemian Forest, Peter Alexander presents Walt Disney’s World, Schlager-Rendezvous with Peter Alexander
• 1977 Das neue Schlager-Rendezvous, Wiener G’schichten, Peter Alexander serves up the ZDF specialty show
• 1978 Das Wunschkonzert, P.A. today, Advent with Peter Alexander
• 1979 An evening with Peter Alexander, A visit to Vienna
• 1980 Enjoy your life, your favorite melodies from Musik ist Trumpf
• 1981 My friend Robert Stolz, Dream with me, For you
• 1982 One way or another
• 1983 Music comes from Bohemia
• 1984 My Vienna
• 1985 Christmas with Peter Alexander
• 1986 Mexico mi amor
• 1988 Towards the sun with Peter Alexander, …but it has to be Bohemian!
• 1991 Years in love