Actress Senta Wengraf died at the age of 96

Viennese women often played the cultured and educated salon lady on stage: she made her film debut with “Glaube an mich”, the first Austrian feature film after the Second World War.

Senta Wengraf was born on May 10, 1924 in Vienna and attended drama school after graduating from high school. In 1946 it made its debut at the Volkstheater, after which other stations were the Burgtheater, the Salzburg State Theater, and the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus. She was first seen at the Theater in der Josefstadt in 1955, and finally in 1978 she became a member of the ensemble and remained that way for 20 years.

“Muse” von Marcel Right

One of her best-known film roles was on the series “Sissi” opposite Romy Schneider, in which she played Sissi’s maid of honor, Countess Bellegarde. But Wengraf also shot with Marika Rökk (“Das Kind der Donau”, 1949) and Josef Meinrad (“Mein Freund Leopold”, 1950), who also participated in numerous radio and television productions and theater.

Wengraf was married at an early age to Christoph Herberstein and for decades she was present as Marcel Prawy’s “muse”. After his death in 2003, Wengraf, appointed heir, handed over the archive, which had been collected in its legendary plastic bags, to the Vienna State and City Library. In 2008, Wengraf received the Golden Decoration for Services to the State of Vienna.

Secretary of State for Art and Culture Andrea Mayer was concerned on Sunday night: “As a film actress, she had a decisive influence on the Austrian post-war years and enriched the most important theatrical stages in German-speaking countries, as well as numerous unforgettable television productions with their stage presence and charm. My thoughts are with your loved ones and friends. “