Foto: Alexander Binder (1888-1929)

1903 - 1980

Willi Forst appeared very early in the medium film. His first film work goes back to 1920 where he played in "Der Wegweiser". It followed further movies like "Sodom und Gomorrah" (22) and "Strandgut" (24).
From 1927 he acted regular in movies and achieved great successes in "Die elf Teufel" (27), "Café Elektric" (27) and "Der Sträfling aus Stambul" (29).

With the movie "Atlantic" (29), his first sound film, he attracted huge attention because of a scene where he sat at the piano and sang a song during the ship was doomed to the sinking.  
The 30's were definitely represented the height of his career. He became to a darling of the public  with a string of musical comedies. To his most popular productions belong "Zwei Herzen im 3/4 Takt" (30), "Das Lied ist aus" (30), "Der Raub der Mona Lisa" (31), "Peter Voss, der Millionendieb" (32), "Ein blonder Traum" (32), "Maskerade" (34), "Mazurka" (35) and "Allotria" (36).
For "Leise flehen meine Lieder" (33) he wrote the script for the first time and he also directed the movie; scope of duties which he carried on in the following years.

Together with the occupation of Austria he realized a string of movies which knew how to portray the spirit of Austria in an impressive way. To his popular productions of this time belong "Bel Ami" (39), "Ich bin Sebastian Ott" (39), "Operette" (40), "Wiener Blut" (42) and "Frauen sind keine Engel" (43).

Willi Forst couldn't continue his successes of the past years. Only the movie "Die Sünderin" was a box-office hit, not least because the movie was attacked and boycotted in the run-up to. The movie became the biggest scandal film of the German post-war film history because of a tiny nude scene of actress Hildegard Knef and because of the obvious glorifying of suicide.

After movies like "Im weissen Rössl" (52), "Weg in die Vergangenheit" (54), "Ein Mann vergisst die Liebe" (55) and "Wien, Du Stadt meiner Träume" (57) he withdrew from the film business with the words::
"My style is no longer in demant: I go off, a little bit battered, but in proud greatness à la Garbo. It is better to go then to be asked to go."

Willi Forst reminds in memory as an elegant ladykiller, dressed in tails and top hat, who knew how to bewitch women.
 

Other movies with Willi Forst (Actor, Director, Writer):
Oh, du lieber Augustin (22) Der verwechselte Filmstar (22) Lieb' mich und die Welt ist mein (23) Die drei Niemandskinder (27) Amor auf Ski (28) Ein besserer Herr (28) Die lustigen Vagabunden (28) Die blaue Maus (28) Unfug der Liebe (28) Liebfrauenmilch (28) Die Frau, die jeder liebt, bist Du! (29) Die weissen Rosen von Ravensberg (29) Fräulein Fähnrich (29) Katharina Knie (29) Gefahren der Brautzeit/Liebesnächte (29) Ein Tango für Dich (30) Ein Burschenlied aus Heidelberg (30) Der Herr auf Bestellung (30) Die lustigen Weiber von Wien (31) Der Prinz von Arkadien (32) So ein Mädel vergisst man nicht (32) Brennendes Geheimnis (33) Ihre Durchlaucht, die Verkäuferin (33) Ich kenn' Dich nicht und liebe Dich (34) The Unfinished Symphony (34) So endete eine Liebe (34) Königswalzer (35) Burgtheater (36) Capriolen (37) Serenade (37) Es leuchten die Sterne (38) Hundstage (44) Ein Blick zurück (44) Wiener Mädeln (45) Der Hofrat Geiger (47) Die Frau am Weg (48) Das Kuckucksei (48) Die Stimme Österreichs (49) Es geschehen noch Wunder (51) Alle kann ich nicht heiraten (52) Bei Dir war es immer so schön (54) Dieses Lied bleibt bei Dir/Kabarett (54)Kaiserjäger (56) Die unentschuldigte Stunde (57)