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Austin Egen


1897 - 1941

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The singer, actor and filmcomposer Austin Egen was born as Augustus Guido Maria Meyer-Eigen in Graz.

He grew up in an artistic family - his father was the actor August Meyer-Eigen, his mother the opera singer Maria Rocalle.
It was also his mother who gave him his first music lessons.

The familiy emigrated to the USA in 1911 where Austin Egen later earned his living at the railway during his studies. During World War I he served in the army and there he began to compose first songs which he also interpreted as a singer.

With his return to Austria he began his music career. He was able to record his song "Shimmy Shanghai Bay". In Berlin he appeared at many cabarets where he was active both as a singer and piano player in order to entertain the visitors. It followed other records before he got in touch with the film business for the first time in 1926.
For the silent movie "Die Königin des Weltbades" (26) he composed the music.

At the beginning of the 30s followed few more compositions for movies for "Tingel-Tangel" (30), "Kyritz - Pyritz" (31), "So'n Windhund" (31) and "Die Liebesfiliale" (31).

From 1927 Austin Egen became well-known to a huge audience as a singer and he published many records where he was singing as a baritone. From 1931 he also used the pseudonyme Heinz Egon as a singer.

Besides his musical career Austin Egen also took part in few movies as an actor.
To these productions belong "Liebeswalzer" (30), "Va Banque" (30), "Tingel-Tangel" (30), "Kopfüber ins Glück" (31) and "Acht Mädels im Boot" (32).

He left Germany at the end of 1932 and returned to Austria. He worked for the radio, he realised more records and he was running a coffeebar at his birthplace Graz.

Austin Egen died at the age of only 44 as the result of a cirrhosis of the liver.

 
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