Helene Weigel
Austrian actress and artistic director (1900–1971)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Helene Weigel (German: [heˈleːnə ˈvaɪɡl̩] ⓘ; 12 May 1900 – 6 May 1971)[1] was an Austrian actress and artistic director.[2] She was the second and last wife of Bertolt Brecht until his death in 1956; together they had two children.
12 May 1900
- Actress
- Artistic director
Helene Weigel | |
|---|---|
 Weigel in 1967, as "Mother" in Bertolt Brecht's play The Mother | |
| Born | Helene Weigel 12 May 1900 |
| Died | 6 May 1971 (aged 70) |
| Resting place | Dorotheenstadt Cemetery, East Berlin, East Germany |
| Occupations |
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| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Personal life
Weigel was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary, the daughter of Leopoldine (née Pollak) and Siegfried Weigel, an accountant-general in a textile factory.[1] Her family was Jewish.[1] She and husband Brecht had two children, Stefan Brecht and Barbara Brecht-Schall. Weigel was a Communist Party member from 1930.[1]
Career
Weigel became the artistic director of the Berliner Ensemble on 16 February 1949.[citation needed] She is best remembered for creating several Brecht roles, including: Pelagea Vlassova, The Mother of 1932; Antigone in Brecht's version of the Greek tragedy; the title role in his civil war play, Señora Carrar's Rifles; and the iconic Mother Courage.[citation needed]
Between 1933 and 1947, as a refugee from Adolf Hitler's Germany, she was seldom able to pursue her acting craft, even during the family's six-year period in Los Angeles.[citation needed] It was only with the foundation of the Berliner Ensemble in East Germany in 1949 that Brecht's theatre began to be recognized worldwide.[citation needed] She died in 1971, still at the helm of the company, and many of the roles that she created with Brecht are still in the theatre's repertoire today.[citation needed]
Death
Weigel died in East Berlin on 6 May 1971, six days before her 71st birthday.[1]
Notable understudies
- Ingrid Pitt, British-Polish actress
