Peter Alexander Ferdinand Maximilian Neumayer (30 June 1926 – 12 February 2011), commonly known as Peter Alexander, was an Austrian actor, singer and entertainer. His fame emerged in the 1950s and 1960s through popular film comedies and successful recordings, predominantly of Schlager

Schlager

Schlager music is a style of popular music prevalent in Central and Northern Europe and the Balkans and also in France and Poland. In Portugal, it was adapted and became pimba music...

 and operetta

Operetta

Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...

 repertory. Later, Alexander established himself as the acclaimed host of television shows. His career as a live singer touring the German language countries lasted until 1991, while he continued his television work until 1996.

Life and career

During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, Alexander was a teenaged Luftwaffenhelfer

Luftwaffenhelfer

Luftwaffenhelfer are terms commonly used for German students deployed as child soldiers during World War II....

 and member of the Reichsarbeitsdienst

Reichsarbeitsdienst

The Reichsarbeitsdienst was an institution established by Nazi Germany as an agency to reduce unemployment, similar to the relief programs in other countries. During the Second World War it was an auxiliary formation which provided support for the Wehrmacht.The RAD was formed during July 1934 as...

 before finally being conscripted into the Navy

Kriegsmarine

The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...

. He was captured by the British in early 1945 and held as a POW

Prisoner of war

A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...

.

After WWII, he attended Vienna's Max Reinhardt Seminar

Max Reinhardt Seminar

The Max Reinhardt Seminar is the School of Drama at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, Austria. It is located in the Palais Cumberland, Penzingerstraße 9, in Vienna's 14th district - History :...

y for actors until 1948 and then began his career in acting. He starred in several musical comedies, including Liebe, Tanz und 1000 Schlager and Peter schießt den Vogel ab. He recorded Ralph Benatzky

Ralph Benatzky

Ralph Benatzky , Moravia, Austrian Empire – 16 October 1957), born in Moravské Budějovice as Rudolf Josef František Benatzki, was an Austrian composer of Czech origin...

's operetta Im weißen Rößl

The White Horse Inn

Im weißen Rößl is an operetta or musical comedy set in the picturesque Salzkammergut region of Upper Austria. It is about the head waiter of the White Horse Inn in St. Wolfgang who is desperately in love with the owner of the inn, a resolute young woman who at first only has eyes for one of her...

, singing the lead role of Leopold Brandmeyer. He then performed in the 1960 movie version of the operetta. He later starred in the Count Bobby

Count Bobby

Count Bobby is a fictional Viennese comic figure that has been very popular for many years. The inventors of Count Bobby are unknown. Originally a popular figure in jokes, in the early 1950s Count Bobby became so popular that the jokes were collected in anthologies. Later, he was the main...

 movies and the Lümmel-series. In the 1970s, Alexander started a second career as a TV host and entertainer. His music show, Die Peter Alexander Show, was shown on black and white TV from 1963 until 1966. From 1969, the German TV station ZDF

ZDF

Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...

 started to air a new colour version which was broadcast until 1996. The Peter Alexander Show has been seen by more than 38 million viewers and has averaged a 71% viewing rate.

After his death, Media Control Charts

Media Control Charts

The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...

 named him the biggest singles artist ever with 459 songs having charted on the German singles chart. The single "Und manchmal weinst du sicher ein paar Tränen" had the longest run with 34 weeks on that chart, while 2 other songs, "Der letzte Walzer" and "Liebesleid", were able to reach the #1 position. Further information: Peter Alexander discography . Alexander also won 10 Bambi

Bambi (prize)

The Bambi - Deutschlands Wichtigster Medienpreis, often simply called Bambi Awards and stylized as BAMBI, are presented annually by Hubert Burda Media to recognize excellence in international media and television "with vision and creativity who affected and inspired the German public that year",...

 Awards and in 1996 was awarded a Bambi for lifetime achievement

Alexander married Hilde Haagen in 1952; they had two children, Susanne Neumayer-Haidinger (1958–2009), an artist, and Michael Neumayer (born 1963). Alexander was widowed in 2003.

Peter Alexander died on 12 February 2011, aged 84, in his native Vienna. He is survived by his son and two grandchildren.

Filmography

Year	Film	Director	Role
1948	Der Engel mit der Posaune	Karl Hartl Karl Hartl Karl Hartl was an Austrian film director.-Life:Born in Vienna, Hartl began his film career at the Austrian Sascha-Film company of Alexander Kolowrat and from 1919 was assistant to the Hungarian director Alexander Korda...	Visitor
1952	Verlorene Melodie	Eduard von Borsody Eduard von Borsody Eduard von Borsody was an Austrian cameraman, film editor, film director and screenplay writer.- Life :Eduard von Borsody began his film career as a cameraman...	Piano player
1952	Königin der Arena	Rolf Meyer	Singer
1953	Salto Mortale	Viktor Tourjansky	Singer
1953	Die süßesten Früchte	Franz Antel Franz Antel Franz Antel was a veteran Austrian filmmaker.Born in Vienna, Antel worked mainly as a film producer in the interwar years. After World War II, he began writing and directing films on a large scale...	Singer
1953	Drei von denen man spricht	Axel von Ambesser Axel von Ambesser Axel Eugen Alexander von Österreich , better known as Axel von Ambesser, was a German actor and film director....
1954	Rosen aus dem Süden	Franz Antel	SingerScene(s) not included in the final cut of the film.
1954	Verliebte Leute	Franz Antel	Musician Karl Munk
1954	Große Starparade	Paul Martin	Singer
1955	Liebe, Tanz und 1000 Schlager	Paul Martin	Singer Peter Alexander
1956	Musikparade	Géza von Cziffra Géza von Cziffra Géza von Cziffra was a Hungarian and Austrian film director and screenwriter.- Life :Cziffra was a Banat German in origin, born in 1900 in Arad in the Banat region, at that date in the Kingdom of Hungary, now in Romania....	Singer Peter Martin
1956	Bonjour Kathrin	Karl Anton Karl Anton Karl Anton was a German film director, screenwriter and film producer. He directed 58 films between 1922 and 1960.He was born in Prague, Czech Republic and died in Berlin, Germany.-External links:...	Music student Pierre
1956	Ein Mann muß nicht immer schön sein	Hans Quest	Jazz singer Peter Moll
1956	Kirschen in Nachbars Garten	Erich Engels	Singer
1957	Liebe, Jazz und Übermut	Erik Ode Erik Ode Erik Ode was a German actor who was most famous for playing Kommissar Herbert Keller in the German television drama Der Kommissar . He married Hilde Volk in 1942.-External links:** * *...	Jazz singer Peter Hagen
1957	Das haut hin	Géza von Cziffra	Student, artist and singer Toni Matthis
1957	Die Beine von Dolores	Géza von Cziffra	Singer
1958	Münchhausen in Afrika Münchhausen in Afrika Münchhausen in Afrika is a 1958 German musical comedy film directed by Werner Jacobs and starring Peter Alexander, Gunther Philipp and Anita Gutwell. Baron Münchhausen goes to Africa where he has numerous adventures.-Cast:...	Werner Jacobs Werner Jacobs -Selected filmography:* Gitarren der Liebe * André and Ursula * San Salvatore * Santa Lucia * The Count of Luxemburg * Münchhausen in Afrika * Here I Am, Here I Stay...	Music teacher Peter von Münchhausen
1958	Wehe, wenn sie losgelassen	Géza von Cziffra	Jazz musician Peter Holunder
1958	So ein Millionär hat’s schwer	Géza von Cziffra	Millionaire's Heir Edward Collins
1959	Peter schießt den Vogel ab	Géza von Cziffra	Porter Peter Schatz
1959	Schlag auf Schlag	Géza von Cziffra	Registrar Hugo Bartels
1959	Ich bin kein Casanova	Géza von Cziffra	Student and Butler Peter Keller
1959	Salem Aleikum aka: Mein ganzes Leben ist Musik	Géza von Cziffra	Techer and Amateur Musician Peter Karmann
1960	Kriminaltango	Géza von Cziffra	Houseowner Peter Martens
1960	Ich zähle täglich meine Sorgen	Paul Martin	Fashion designer Peter Hollmann
1960	Im weißen Rößl	Werner Jacobs	Head waiter Leopold Brandmeyer
1961	Season in Salzburg Season in Salzburg (1961 film) Season in Salzburg is a 1961 Austrian musical comedy film directed by Franz Josef Gottlieb and starring Peter Alexander, Waltraut Haas and Gunther Philipp. It is based on the operetta Saison in Salzburg by Kurt Feltz.-Cast:... aka: Wenn der Toni mit der Vroni	Franz Josef Gottlieb Franz Josef Gottlieb Franz Josef Gottlieb was an Austrian film director and screenwriter. He directed 60 films between 1959 and 2005...	Waiter Heinz Doll
1961	Die Abenteuer des Grafen Bobby Count Bobby Count Bobby is a fictional Viennese comic figure that has been very popular for many years. The inventors of Count Bobby are unknown. Originally a popular figure in jokes, in the early 1950s Count Bobby became so popular that the jokes were collected in anthologies. Later, he was the main...	Géza von Cziffra	Count Bobby (Robert) Pinelski
1962	Die Fledermaus Die Fledermaus (1962 film) Die Fledermaus is a 1962 Austrian musical film directed by Géza von Cziffra and starring Peter Alexander, Marianne Koch and Marika Rökk. It is an adaptation of the operetta Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II and Richard Genée.-Cast:...	Géza von Cziffra	Dr. Gabriel Eisenstein
1962	The Merry Widow The Merry Widow (1962 film) The Merry Widow is a 1962 Austrian musical film directed by Werner Jacobs and starring Peter Alexander, Karin Hübner and Gunther Philipp. It is based on the operetta The Merry Widow by Franz Lehar.-Cast:* Peter Alexander ... Danilo...	Werner Jacobs	Danilo
1962	Hochzeitsnacht im Paradies	Paul Martin	Operetta star Dr. Ulrich Hansen
1962	Das süße Leben des Grafen Bobby	Géza von Cziffra	Count Bobby (Robert) Pinelski
1963	Charleys Tante Charley's Aunt Charley's Aunt is a farce in three acts written by Brandon Thomas. It broke all historic records for plays of any kind, with an original London run of 1,466 performances....	Géza von Cziffra	Diplomat Dr. Otto Wilder
1963	Der Musterknabe	Werner Jacobs	CEO Dr. Fritz Geyer
1963	Schwejks Flegeljahre	Wolfgang Liebeneiner Wolfgang Liebeneiner Wolfgang Georg Louis Liebeneiner was a German actor, film director and theater director.He was born in Liebau in Prussian Silesia. In 1928, he was taught by Otto Falckenberg, the director of the Munich Kammerspiele, in acting and directing...	Josef Schwejk
1964	Hilfe, meine Braut klaut	Werner Jacobs	Commercial artist Valentin Haase
1964	Und sowas muß um 8 ins Bett	Werner Jacobs	Teacher Dr. Eduard Frank
1965	Das Liebeskarussell Who Wants to Sleep? Who Wants to Sleep? is a 1965 German comedy film directed by Rolf Thiele, Axel von Ambesser and Alfred Weidenmann and starring Curd Jürgens, Gert Fröbe and Catherine Deneuve. It consists of a series of episodic tales about the relationships of the characters.-Cast:* Curd Jürgens ... Stefan von...	Axel von Ambesser Axel von Ambesser Axel Eugen Alexander von Österreich , better known as Axel von Ambesser, was a German actor and film director.... Rolf Thiele Rolf Thiele Rolf Thiele was a German film director, producer and screenwriter. He directed 42 films between 1951 and 1977. He was born in Budweis, then in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His 1958 film Eva was entered into the 1959 Cannes Film Festival... Alfred Weidenmann Alfred Weidenmann Alfred Weidenmann was a German film director and screenwriter. He directed 36 films between 1942 and 1984.-Selected filmography:* Der Stern von Afrika * Sacred Waters * Adorable Julia...	Peter Sommer
1965	Graf Bobby, der Schrecken des Wilden Westens	Paul Martin	Count Bobby (Robert) Pinelski
1966	Bel Ami 2000 oder Wie verführt man einen Playboy?	Michael Pfleghar Michael Pfleghar Michael Pfleghar was a German film director and screenwriter. He directed 17 films between 1958 and 1987.-Selected filmography:* Dead Woman from Beverly Hills * The Oldest Profession...	Peter Knolle
1968	Zum Teufel mit der Penne Part #2 of the series: Die Lümmel von der ersten Bank	Werner Jacobs	TV reporter Dr. Peter Roland, Substitute teacher Dr. Wilhelm-Maria Tell
1969	Hurra, die Schule brennt! Hurrah, the School Is Burning Hurrah, the School Is Burning is a 1969 German comedy film directed by Werner Jacobs and starring Peter Alexander, Heintje Simons and Theo Lingen. It is the fourth of a series of school comedy films under the collective title Die Lümmel von der ersten Bank , all of them starring Hansi Kraus and... Part #4 of the series: Die Lümmel von der ersten Bank	Werner Jacobs	Teacher Dr. Peter Bach
1972	Hauptsache Ferien	Peter Weck Peter Weck -Selected filmography:Actor* Mariandl * Almost Angels * Mariandl's Homecoming * The Cardinal * Marry Me, Cherie * When the Grapevines Bloom on the Danube...	Teacher Dr. Peter Markus

External links

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