Waltraut Haas

Waltraut Haas (born 9 June 1927) is an Austrian actress and singer.

Born in Vienna, Haas grew up at Schloss Schönbrunn, where her mother was a restaurateur. Haas made her stage debut in Linz but was soon won over to the big screen. She achieved fame and recognition already through her first movie, the cult classic Der Hofrat Geiger (1947), in which she played Mariandl, the illegitimate daughter of a woman who runs an inn in the picturesque Wachau valley. In 1961, Haas would play Mariandl's single mother in a remake entitled Mariandl. Her other famous movie role was that of Josepha Vogelhuber in the 1960 film The White Horse Inn (Im weißen Rößl) opposite Peter Alexander. After 60 movies, mainly comedies and musicals, she stopped making films around 1970. Since then, she has also appeared on television.

From 1966 until his death in 2011, Waltraut Haas was married to actor Erwin Strahl, with whom she frequently performed both on the stage and in films. Their son Marcus Strahl is an actor and director.

Haas lives in Hietzing, Vienna.

Decorations and awards

 * 1957:"Pearl of the Atlantic" at Mar del Plata Film Festival
 * 1987: Medal of the capital Vienna in gold
 * 1988: Robert Stolz Award for her portrayal of Der kleine Gardeoffizier (Little Guardsman)
 * 2001: Grand Decoration of Honour for Services to the province of Lower Austria
 * 2001: Rose of Lake Wörthersee: best actress
 * 2002: Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art
 * 2003: Golden Harp Music Association Friends of the operetta
 * 2010: Golden Medal of Honour for Services to the city of Vienna