Alexander Girardi (pronounced [dʒiˈrardi]) (5 December 1850 – 20 April 1918) was an Austrian actor and tenor singer in operettas.
Career
Girardi was born in Graz; his father was the locksmith Andreas Girardi who had migrated to Graz from Cortina d'Ampezzo. Following the early death of his father, Alexander Girardi was raised by his stepfather who put him into a locksmith apprenticeship. Against his stepfather's wishes, he joined the amateur theatre Die Tonhalle, where his acting talent was discovered; this led to an engagement at the Vienna Strampfer-Theater [de].
In 1874 Girardi moved to the Theater an der Wien, where he continued to work for 22 years. In 1896/97 he worked at the Carltheater and then two years at the Volkstheater in Vienna. He also had guest appearances at other important theatres in Vienna and toured Germany (Berlin, Hamburg, Dresden).
At the beginning of World War I Girardi retired from the stage and returned to Graz. Two months before his death in 1918, he was called to the Burgtheater in Vienna to play the role of Fortunatus Wurzel in Ferdinand Raimunds's Der Bauer als Millionär [de].
Girardi was unhappily married to Helene Odilon. Odilon had many affairs and had Girardi committed to a mental asylum (based on a certificate by Julius Wagner-Jauregg, who had not seen Girardi). However, Girardi escaped and received help so that he would not be locked up. Odilon and Girardi divorced in 1896. The actress Katharina Schratt persuaded Emperor Franz Joseph to release Girardi.
Girardi as Adam in Carl Zeller's Der Vogelhändler
Aged 67, Girardi died on 20 April 1918 in Vienna. He is buried at the Vienna Zentralfriedhof, grave 33E-9-16.
The dish Girardirostbraten [de] (Girardi roast beef) is named after him – a beef dish heavily covered with bacon and button mushrooms. His favourite hat style, a straw hat with flat crown and brim (a boater), became popular as the Giradi Hat. The city of Graz and the Vienna Mariahilf district have a Giradigasse (Girardi Lane) and there is a Girardipark [de] in the district Innere Stadt. The Alexander Girardi International Singing Competition in Coburg is named after him.[2]
