Willi Forst

Acting

Willi Forst

Born April 7, 1903 · Vienna, Austria

Died August 11, 1980 · aged 77

Willi Forst was an Austrian actor, screenwriter, director, producer, and singer. As an actor, he was a favorite with audiences; as a director, he was one of the most important representatives of the musical comedy films of Vienna in the 1930s.

Known For

The Theft of the Mona LisaThe Theft of the Mona Lisa · 1931
The Theft of the Mona Lisa
★ 6.21931
MovieDrama
A painter working at the Louvre is struck by the Mona Lisa. When he meets a girl whom he believes bears a resemblance to the painting, and who wants him to become famous, he comes up with the idea of stealing the painting. Based on the real-life theft of 1911.
Der Hofrat GeigerDer Hofrat Geiger · 1947
Der Hofrat Geiger
★ 7.41947
MovieComedy
Retired Hofrat Geiger discovers by chance that he has an illegitimate daughter. He goes to visit her, but is turned away, even though she is in financial difficulties (her inn is very run-down and has no customers). To obtain Austrian citizenship, she marries the Hofrat—planned only on paper—but he is responsible for processing her naturalization and delays it to ensure she stays close to him. At the same time, behind her back, he ensures that her inn is renovated.
Vienna BloodVienna Blood · 1942
Vienna Blood
★ 7.41942
MovieComedyMusic
Young Count Georg Wolkersheim is sent to the Congress of Vienna to represent the interests of his country, Reuss-Schleiz-Greiz. Tensions arise between the count, his wife Melanie, and their two chamberlains, and when the four attend a court ball, Melanie leaves Georg, assumes the identity of a famous actress, and attracts the affections of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria.
Sodom and GomorrahSodom and Gomorrah · 1922
Sodom and Gomorrah
★ 6.11922
MovieDrama
Exposed to bad influences since childhood, Mary, a young girl is pushed by her mother to approach an elderly banker by the name of Harber. After almost driving her fiancee to suicide and seducing his mentally-ill son, she realizes through a metaphorical dream the scope of her negligence. Sentenced to prison for incitement to murder Harber, she sees herself as a parallel figure to Lea, Lot's wife in Sodom, where the Angel of the Lord warns the sinful citizens of the city of their impending doom. Lea oppresses the angel and eventually turns it over to the pagan priests when her sexual advances to it are rejected. In another dream sequence, Mary becomes the Queen of Syria, whose oppressed people turn against her and who, in turn, condemns a young man who loves her to death. Finally, her dream returns to the present time and when she awakens, she runs back to her former lover.
Viennese GirlsViennese Girls · 1949
Viennese Girls
★ 7.31949
MovieDramaMusic
Begun in 1944/45, finished and released in 1949, this is a biography of the composer Carl Michael Ziehrer, who overcomes hypersensitivity in competitive situations which leads initially to failures in both career and romance.
Lover DivineLover Divine · 1933
Lover Divine
★ 4.71933
MovieDramaMusic
Franz Schubert works as school teacher, yet his mind and soul are in music. When he is engaged as a pianist for an aristocratic soirée he doesn't suspect how this will change his life forever and even determine his unfinished symphony.
So Ended a Great LoveSo Ended a Great Love · 1934
So Ended a Great Love
★ 6.51934
MovieDramaHistory
The political advisor to the French emperor Napoleon, and the Austrian emperor Franz I, arrange a marriage between Napoleon and the Austrian archduchess Marie-Luise in order to prevent another war.
Dieses Lied bleibt bei dirDieses Lied bleibt bei dir · 1954
Dieses Lied bleibt bei dir
★ 10.01954
MovieDrama

Filmography

Sort
Sodom and GomorrahSodom and Gomorrah · 1922
Sodom and Gomorrah
★ 6.11922
MovieDrama
Exposed to bad influences since childhood, Mary, a young girl is pushed by her mother to approach an elderly banker by the name of Harber. After almost driving her fiancee to suicide and seducing his mentally-ill son, she realizes through a metaphorical dream the scope of her negligence. Sentenced to prison for incitement to murder Harber, she sees herself as a parallel figure to Lea, Lot's wife in Sodom, where the Angel of the Lord warns the sinful citizens of the city of their impending doom. Lea oppresses the angel and eventually turns it over to the pagan priests when her sexual advances to it are rejected. In another dream sequence, Mary becomes the Queen of Syria, whose oppressed people turn against her and who, in turn, condemns a young man who loves her to death. Finally, her dream returns to the present time and when she awakens, she runs back to her former lover.

extra

A Girl You Don't ForgetA Girl You Don't Forget · 1932
A Girl You Don't Forget
★ 10.01932
MovieMusicComedy
A GIRL YOU DON'T FORGET can be thought of as a backstage musical that treats the whole world as backstage. Melodies seem to be buzzing through the air, available to anyone in the right state of mind. Willi Forst always is, and he is also an actor who can transform any space into a stage. Fritz Kortner, one of the defining personalities of the German theatre scene of the 1920s, makes the most of his star’s talent in an intricately constructed romantic comedy that believes in the truth of artifice. Forst plays Paul Hartwig, a wannabe actor who is reduced to selling books in the cold streets of Berlin. While pursuing his big break, he meets Lisa Brandes (Dolly Haas), another victim of the global financial crisis who has just learned a new trick: cheating horny old men out of their money by selling promises she does not intend to keep. Dedicated theatre man Paul decides to win her over by putting on an act, but a misplaced slap leads to unintended consequences. - Lukas Foerster

Paul Hartwig