He was one of the most popular and multi-talented entertainers of his time, and is still thought of with affection to this day. Peter Alexander would have celebrated his 100th birthday this year.
Born Peter Alexander Ferdinand Maximilian Neumayer in 1926 in Vienna, Peter Alexander started studying medicine after the end of the war but quickly broke off his medical studies to study acting at the Max Reinhardt Seminar instead. After successfully completing the course in 1948, he worked in various theatres. In 1951, he recorded his first record, launching his successful career as an Austrian pop singer. He also appeared in numerous light- entertainment films, enabling him to showcase both his comedic talent and his abilities as a singer. The film versions of the operettas “Im Weißen Rössl“, “Die Fledermaus” and “Die lustige Witwe” and classics such as “Charleys Tante” are particularly well known, for example, as are the Count Bobby films. His films frequently co-starred Gunther Philipp and Theo Lingen. He also gained popularity through his television appearances: from 1963 until his retirement in 1996, the Peter Alexander Show always attracted a large audience, and his concert tours throughout Austria, Germany and Switzerland were equally successful. Peter Alexander passed away in Vienna in 2011.
With his incomparable Viennese charm and humour, his friendly and down-to-earth manner and his professional attitude, the versatile entertainer, musician, actor, comedian, impersonator and pianist quickly acquired a large following. He was someone who gave people a glimpse of an ideal world and, quite simply, entertained them – and he did so over the course of many decades.
