Hertha Feiler

Hertha Feiler (3 August 1916, Vienna – 1 November 1970, Munich) was an Austrian actress.

Hertha Feiler was the daughter of an architect. She wanted to be a pianist, but after an inflammation this became impossible and she pursued an acting career. She made her stage debut in Vienna in 1936 and her first movie part was in "Liebling der Matrosen" (1937) where she appeared next to Wolf Albach-Retty.

She worked with Heinz Rühmann during the shooting of "Lauter Lügen" (1938). Rühmann had to divorce his Jewish wife Maria Bernheim in 1938. In later years Rühmann said that when he met Hertha Feiler again the next year at a private occasion, she reminded him that he still owed her 20 mark. He was very ashamed and probably exaggerated his apologies: on July 1st, 1939 they were married.

They lived at Kleinen Wannsee 15 in Berlin and their son Peter was born on June 7th, 1942. Feiler was partly Jewish herself and was only allowed to work with a special permit, but together with Rühmann she made several successfull movies until the end of the war. In 1939 she appeared in "Frau im Storm" with Attila Hörbiger and in 1943 she performed in "Rembrandt" with Eduard Balser.

When the Russians entered Germany in 1945 she was raped several times by Russian soldiers in front of her husband. The Soviet troops destroyed their bungalow and in 1947 they lived in a wooden barrack at the Bavaria Filmgelände.

After the war she continued her career and until 1960 she worked with the leading actors of her time, among them Peter Pasetti, Rudolf Prack, Paul Klinger, Willy Fritsch, Johannes Heesters and Willy Birgel. Her last movie was "Die Ente klingelt um halb acht" (1968) which also featured with Rühmann. By that time she suffered from cancer and she wasn't able to work anymore. She spent the rest of her life in Munich, where she died in 1970, aged only 54.

— Androom