Hermann Thimig

Hermann Thimig (3 October 1890 – 7 July 1982) was an Austrian stage and film actor born into a distinguished theatrical family. His father, Hugo Thimig, served as an actor, director, and director of the Vienna Burgtheater, and both of his siblings, Helene Thimig and Hans Thimig, pursued acting careers. Hermann trained alongside his siblings and collaborated with them on multiple film projects.

During his school years in Vienna, Thimig participated in amateur theater groups and private performances. Following a period of military service as a one-year volunteer in Vienna, he made his professional debut in December 1910 at the Meiningen Court Theatre, where he remained until the outbreak of World War I in 1914 ended his contract. In 1915, a severe case of furunculosis rendered him unfit for front-line duty. While stationed on home leave, he made guest appearances at the Royal Theater in Berlin and performed at the Volksbühne. His move to Max Reinhardt's ensemble at the Deutsches Theater in 1916 marked a turning point in his career.

Thimig made his film debut in 1916 in The Countess Heyers, appearing alongside Ossi Oswalda and Henny Porten. He went on to appear in three films directed by Ernst Lubitsch, including The Wildcat in 1921. In 1918, he directed for the first time at the Theatre of the West in Berlin. Over the course of his screen career, he appeared in 102 films between 1916 and 1967. With the rise of sound film, he shifted his focus away from the stage, concentrating primarily on film operettas and comedies. By the mid-1930s, he was taking on roles suited to older characters.

Between 1927 and 1928, Thimig appeared on Broadway in four productions: Peripherie, Danton's Death, Jederman, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Following the Anschluss of Austria in 1938, he was nominated as a State Actor. During the final stages of World War II, Adolf Hitler named Thimig on the Gottbegnadeten list, designating him a national treasure and exempting him from war service even on the home front.

In 1965, Thimig was made an honorary member of the Burgtheater. In 1969, he received the Film Award in recognition of many years of distinguished work in German film, and in 1981 he was awarded the Honorary Ring of the City of Vienna. He was married twice, first to actress Hanna (Guy) Thimig, with whom he had a daughter, and later to actress Vilma Degischer (1911–1992), with whom he had two more daughters. Thimig is buried in an honorary grave at the Sievering Cemetery in Vienna, where his second wife was later interred alongside him.