Johanna von Koczian

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Johanna von Koczian
Publicity shot of young woman with stage makeup and late 1950s hairstyle.
Johanna von Koczian, c. 1960
Born(1933-10-30)30 October 1933
Berlin, Brandenburg, Prussia, Germany
Died13 February 2024(2024-02-13) (aged 90)
Berlin, Germany
Occupation(s)Actress, singer
Years active1955–2017
Spouse
​
(div. 1961)​
Wolf Kabitzky
​
​
(m. 1966; died 2004)​

Johanna von Koczian (pronounced [ˌjoˈha.na fɔn ˈkɔ.t͡ʃi.aːn] ⓘ, née von Kóczián-Miskolczy,[1] 30 October 1933 – 13 February 2024) was a German actress. She grew up in Salzburg where Gustaf Gründgens offered her a role at the 1951 Salzburg Festival, and she played at several German theatres. She had her first film role in the 1957 film Victor and Victoria, and her breakthrough a year later in Wir Wunderkinder which earned her a German Film Award. She was named "the German Audrey Hepburn" then.[2] She appeared in many films, also on television, became popular again as a singer with the 1977 hit "Das bißchen Haushalt", presented television series and authored books for children and youths. She returned to the stage for comedies such as Glorious!, performed with great success in Berlin in 2010.

Life and career[edit]

Johanna von Koczian-Miskolczy was born in Berlin on 30 October 1933,[1] the daughter of Gustav von Koczian-Miskolczy (1877 – 1958), and his third wife, Lydia Alexandra [de].[2] She grew up in Salzburg, where she was trained at the Mozarteum[3] as an actress[4] with singing instructions,[5] from 1950 to 1952.[1] Gustaf Gründgens offered her a role at the 1951 Salzburg Festival.[1][5] She played on stage at the Landestheater Tübingen, the Wuppertaler Bühnen, Schillertheater and Schlosspark Theater in Berlin,[1] the Residenztheater in Munich and the Theater in der Josefstadt in Vienna;[3] her stage roles included characters by Shakespeare, Lessing and Kleist.[5] She portrayed Anne Frank in Berlin. Due to her singing abilities, she often played in musicals,[1] such as the title role of My Fair Lady.[4]

She starred in the 1957 remake of Victor and Victoria,[3] alongside Georg Thomalla and Johannes Heesters.[2] Her breakthrough in film was in 1958 her role in Kurt Hoffmann's Wir Wunderkinder alongside Hansjörg Felmy, which earned her a German Film Award[1][3] and the Preis der Deutschen Filmkritik.[1] She appeared in dozens of films and television shows,[1] including a starring role in the 1961 film Die Ehe des Herrn Mississippi, after Friedrich Dürrenmatt's play by the same name;[6] Hoffmann's film, starring also Felmy, O. E. Hasse and Martin Held, was entered into the 11th Berlin International Film Festival.[7] As a dubbing actor, she was the German voice of Elizabeth Taylor and Bibi Andersson, among others.[2]

She became popular again for a 1977 satirical schlager, "Das bißchen Haushalt ... sagt mein Mann [de]" (The little bit of housework ... says my husband),[3][8] after singing it in Dieter Thomas Heck's Hitparade show.[5] She was a television presenter, for example for the series Erkennen Sie die Melodie? [de], and wrote books. In 2010, at age 77, she portrayed Florence Foster Jenkins, "the worst opera singer in the world", in the comedy Glorious! at the Theater am Kurfürstendamm [de] in Berlin to great success.[5][9]

Personal life[edit]

After a brief marriage with film director Dietrich Haugk which ended in divorce in 1961,[8] Johanna von Koczian was married from 1966 to music producer Wolf Kabitzky,[4] who died in July 2004.[3] The couple had a daughter, Alexandra von Koczian, who also became an actress.[8] The family lived in Berlin.[4]

Von Koczian moved to a nursing home in the Grunewald district in 2017, withdrawing from public life.[4][3] She died on 13 February 2024, at the age of 90.[8][5]

Films[edit]

Von Koczian appeared in films and television including:[1]

Books[edit]

Koczian wrote books for children and youths, including:[4]

  • Abenteuer in der Vollmondnacht[1][4]
  • Der geheimnisvolle Graf (sequel)[1]
  • Sommerschatten[4]
  • Das Narrenspiel.[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Johanna von Koczian". filmportal.de (in German). 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Brug, Manuel (16 February 2024). "Das bisschen Haushalt war es nicht allein". Die Welt (in German). Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Johanna von Koczian ist tot". Der Spiegel (in German). dpa. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i ""Mein Leben ist sehr reich": Johanna von Koczian wird heute 70". Die Welt (in German). 30 October 2003. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Die deutsche Audrey Hepburn". FAZ (in German). dpa. 15 February 2024. ISSN 0174-4909. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  6. ^ "Die Ehe des Herrn Mississippi". www.filmportal.de (in German). Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Film und Literatur" (PDF). Dürrenmatt (in German). boris.unibe.ch. p. 217. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d ""Das bisschen Haushalt" machte sie berühmt: Trauer um Johanna von Koczian". [web.de (in German). 15 February 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  9. ^ Pauly, Katrin (8 November 2010). "Johanna von Koczian singt schrecklich schön falsch". Berliner Morgenpost (in German). Retrieved 16 February 2024.

External links[edit]

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