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Hans Unterkircher

Picture Hans Unterkircher
Foto: Edith Barakovich (1896-1940)

1894 - 1971

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The actor Hans Unterkircher began his career at the theater. He was spotted by the legendary Max Reinhardt during a performance in Aussig an der Elbe and he engaged him for Berlin.
Afterwards he was contracted by Rudolf Christians at the Irving Place theatre in New York. He travelled together with the actor Conrad Veidt and the director Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau to the USA. His engagement at this theatre ended with the declaration of war between the USA and Germany and theatre was closed temporarily.

Hans Unterkircher also took part in silent movies at a young age. His first movies were shot in the USA for Carl Laemmle where he appeared among others in "The Last Man" (16) at Corinne Griffith's side, in Tod Browning's "The Deciding Kiss" (18) and "The Brazen Beauty" (18) with Priscilla Dean. In the last two mentioned movies he acted under his pseudonym Thornton Church.

When Hans Unterkircher went to Germany he continued his film career with support roles in movies like "Die sterbende Stadt" (22), the classic "Der letzte Mann" (24) and "Die abenteuerliche Hochzeit" (25).
He also remained true to the theatre at this time and he played for Erik Charell and from 1928 for Karl Farkas at the Kammerspielen in Vienna. These were his first appearances in his home country.

To his well-known movies in the 30's and 40's belong "Die Pompadour" (35), "Premiere" (36), "Hotel Sacher" (39), "Jenny und der Herr im Frack" (41) and "Wien 1910" (42).
He still concentrated his stage career on Austria with performances at the Viennese Volkstheater and at the Theater in der Josefstadt. After World War II followed engagements in Germany again.

After the war you could see him in movies like "An klingenden Ufern" (49), which he also directed, "Um Thron und Liebe" (55), "Sissi - Schicksalsjahre einer Kaiserin" (57), "Der brave Soldat Schwejk" (60), "Charleys Tante" (63) and the TV serial "Wenn der Vater mit dem Sohne" (71).
 

Other movies with Hans Unterkircher:
The Tiger Woman (17) Die Jagd nach der Frau (22) Die vier Ehen des Matthias Merenus (23) Das schöne Abenteuer (24) Liebesgeschichten (25) Salto in die Seligkeit (34) Die Fahrt in die Jugend (35) Die Leuchter des Kaisers (36) Liebling der Matrosen (37) Der Optimist (38) 13 Stühle (38) Mutterliebe (39) Das jüngste Gericht (39) Golowin geht durch die Stadt (40) Donauschiffer (40) Liebe ist zollfrei (41) Sein Sohn (41) Die heimliche Gräfin (42) Zwei glückliche Menschen (42) Die beiden Schwestern (43) Die Glücksmühle (47) An der schönen blauen Donau (55) Husarenmanöver (56) K.u.K. Feldmarschall (56) Frauensee (58) Katja, die ungekrönte Kaiserin (60) Song Without End (60) Geschichten aus dem Wiener Wald (61) Schwejk's Flegeljahre (63) Schüsse im Dreivierteltakt (65) Radetzkymarsch (65)

A special thanks goes to Mr. Sepp Unterkircher (son of Hans Unterkircher) for additional biographic information.
 
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