Christl_Mardayn Knowpia

Anna Christina Maria "Christl" Mardayn (8 December 1896 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary – 24 July 1971) was an Austrian actress/singer.

Life edit

Anna Christina Maria Mardayn was the daughter of banker Oskar Maria Mardayn and his wife Henriette (née Fusek). After graduation she studied piano, dance and song at the Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in Vienna. In 1920 she made her stage debut in the role of a diseased soubrette in The Dead Eyes by Eugen d'Albert. As Christl Mardayn she subsequently received a firm contract to the Vienna Volksoper . She sang Cherubino in 'Le nozze di Figaro', Lola in Cavalleria rusticana, and Sieglinde in Die Walküre. She starred in the title role of Franz von Suppé's operetta Die schöne Galathee around 100 times.

In 1921, the soubrette moved to the Raimund Theater and in 1922 went to the Charles Theatre where she sang in premiere performances of operettas such as 'Die Bajadere' by Emmerich Kálmán, The Dragonfly Dance by Franz Lehár and The Lady in Ermine by Jean Gilbert. She toured to the Art Theatre in Berlin, the Corso Theatre, Zurich and the State Theatre in Hanover. She played the role of Madame Sans-Gêne by Victorien Sardou and Mirandolina by Bohuslav Martinu Other guest appearances have taken her to Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Sweden. In the 1930s, Christl Madayn gradually transformed into a theater actress, increasingly in speaking roles. In 1932 she received an engagement at the Theater in der Josefstadt in 1934 and joined the German People's Theatre. She played mainly comedies by George Bernard Shaw and Molière. ^{[citation needed]}

Christl Mardayn married actor Hans Thimig in 1929. From 1939 to 1943 she was an ensemble member at the Theater in der Josefstadt and the Deutsches Theater in Berlin. Christl Mardayn continued to act after World War II in Vienna's theaters. She had remarried to businessman Paul Mühlbacher. She made rare film appearances during the 1950s. On 18 May 1957 she was awarded the Golden Medal for Merit by the Republic of Austria,^[1] On 21 March 1962, she was given the title of Professor. She taught at the Vienna Conservatory, and until her retirement at the Vienna Music Academy. Christl Mardayn died on 24 July 1971 from heart failure. She received an honorary grave dedicated to her at the Vienna's Central Cemetery (Group 40, Number 28).^[2]