Ernestine Mangold (born Erna Goldmann, 26 January 1927 – 5 September 2026) was an Austrian actress and stage director. She appeared in more than 140 films and television productions. She was awarded the title Kammerschauspielerin.
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Life and career
Mangold was born Erna Goldmann in Großweikersdorf, Austria, on 26 January 1927 into a family of artists. Her father was a painter while her mother was slated to become a successful concert pianist but chose to give up her career in favour of taking care of her family. Mangold had piano lessons from age 4 to 14.
After being trained at Helmut Kraus's drama school, Mangold performed at Vienna's Theater in der Josefstadt from 1946 to 1956. Between 1955 and 1963, Gustaf Gründgens engaged her for Deutsches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg, and afterwards, she appeared at the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus under Karl Heinz Stroux. From 1972, she worked at Salzburg Mozarteum, and later, she taught at the Helmut Kraus's Drama School and at the Max Reinhardt Seminar. From 1984 to 1995, she was a professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna. She retired from the stage in December 2017, aged 90, having performed the role of Maude in a production of Harold and Maude one last time.
Her career as a film and television actress spanned across 70 years and included more than 140 film and television productions. One of her better-known roles was the mistress of Hanussen in the 1955 film of the same title. Her most memorable performance in international film productions was the role of a palm reader in Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise (1995).
Mangold worked with Romy Schneider, O. W. Fischer, Helmut Qualtinger oder Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
From 1958 to 1978, Mangold was married to German actor Heinz Reincke. She lived in Sankt Leonhard am Hornerwald, Lower Austria. In 2011, she published her memoirs, titled Lassen Sie mich in Ruhe, which is translated colloquially as "Get off my back!".
In 2012, a dead-end street "Prof.-Erni-Mangold-Weg" in Sankt Leonhard am Hornerwald was named after her.
Mangold died in Vienna on 5 September 2026 at the age of 99.
Selected filmography
Source:
Literature
Mangold, Ernie; Priesching, Doris (2011). Lassen Sie mich in Ruhe: Erinnerungen (in German). Wien: Amalthea. ISBN 978-3-85002-766-3. OCLC 813551016. Retrieved 5 September 2026.
Dobretsberger, Christine; Wahl, Eva (2015). "Erni Mangold: Einsam fühle ich mich nie". "Was ich liebe, gibt mir Kraft": Bühnenstars aus Oper und Theater erzählen (in German). Wien, Graz, Klagenfurt: Styria Premium. ISBN 978-3-222-13517-0. OCLC 910327739. Retrieved 5 September 2026.
Decorations and awards
1971: Kainz Medal
2000: Kammerschauspielerin
2004/2005: Karl-Skraup Prize
2005: Nestroy Theatre Prize in the category of Best Supporting Actor
2006: Golden Medal of Honour for Services to the City of Vienna
2009: Grand Gold Decoration for Services to the province of Lower Austria
2012: Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art
