Elfriede "Elfi" von Dassanowsky (February 2, 1924 – October 2, 2007) was an Austrian-American singer, pianist, film producer and humanitarian. is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the rap album, see 1924 (album). ... This article is about the city and federal state in Austria. ... is the 275th day of the year (276th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... This article is about the largest city in California. ... Dassanowsky is the name of the Austrian branch of the Polish noble magnate family Taczanowski which came to Vienna in 1683 and has produced notable figures in Austrian civic and cultural life. ... is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the rap album, see 1924 (album). ... is the 275th day of the year (276th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see Singer (disambiguation). ... A pianist is a person who plays the piano. ... Humanitarianism is the view that all people should be treated with the respect and dignity they deserve as human beings, and that advancing the well-being of humanity is a noble goal. ...

Career

Recognized internationally for her unique work as a pioneering woman in film production and as a multi-talent in postwar Austrian arts and culture, von Dassanowsky is the only Austrian woman to receive the Women’s International Center’s prestigious Living Legacy Award, and has been honored with the UNESCO Mozart Medal, the Austrian Decoration of Merit, the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and by the cities of Vienna and Los Angeles, where von Dassanowsky has lived since 1962. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Literature) is an Order of France, established on May 2, 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of lOrdre National du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. ... For other uses, see Vienna (disambiguation). ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

At age 15, she became the youngest woman admitted to Vienna's Academy of Music and Performing Arts to that date as the protégé of concert pianist, Emil von Sauer. While a student, film director Karl Hartl chose her to instruct Curd Jürgens in piano, so that he could play the instrument on screen. But her studies and early career were halted for extended labor service when she rejected membership in Nazi organizations. The powerful UFA Studio in Berlin offered her a film contract in 1944, which she also declined. For other uses, see Vienna (disambiguation). ... Emil von Sauer, November 25, 1905 recording for Welte-Mignon Leipzig. ... Jürgens in a scene from Der Kommissar (1973) Curd Jürgens (December 13, 1915 - June 18, 1982) was a German stage and motion-picture actor. ... Nazism in history Nazi ideology Nazism and race Outside Germany Related subjects Lists Politics Portal         Nazism or National Socialism (German: Nationalsozialismus), refers primarily to the ideology and practices of the Nazi Party (National Socialist German Workers Party, German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP) under Adolf Hitler. ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1946, von Dassanowsky made her opera debut as Susanna in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro at the Stadttheater St. Pölten and created in concerts for the Allied High Command. She remains one of the few women in film history, and at age 22 one of the youngest, to co-found a film studio -- Belvedere Film -- the first new studio facility in postwar Vienna. Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791) was one of the most significant and influential of all composers of Western classical music. ... Le Nozze di Figaro, is a comic opera composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Beaumarchais. ... Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (abbreviated as SHAEF), was the command headquarters of the commander of Allied forces in North West Europe in 1944 and 1945. ... For other uses, see Vienna (disambiguation). ...

With senior partners August Diglas and Emmerich Hanus, the studio created such German-language classics as Die Glücksmühle (The Mill of Happiness, 1946), Dr. Rosin (1949), and Märchen vom Glück (Kiss Me, Casanova, 1949), and gave Gunther Philipp and Nadja Tiller their first screen roles. She starred in operas, operettas, theatrical dramas and comedies, helped initiate several theater groups, was announcer for Allied Forces Broadcasting and the BBC, toured West Germany in a one-woman-show and gave master classes in voice and piano. An expert in the Ignace Paderewski piano technique, her musical pedagogy continued in Canada and New York in the late 1950s. Nadja Tiller (born March 16, 1929) is an Austrian actress. ... For other uses, see Opera (disambiguation). ... Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Ignacy Jan Paderewski Ignacy Jan Paderewski (November 6, 1860 – June 29, 1941) was a Polish pianist, composer and politician, the third Prime Minister of Poland. ... This article is about the state. ... The 1950s decade refers to the years 1950 to 1959 inclusive. ...

In Hollywood in the 1960s, she resisted becoming a trendy Euro-starlet and preferred to remain behind the camera as a vocal coach for director/producer Otto Preminger. In 1962, she became a naturalized citizen of the United States. A successful Los Angeles businesswoman, in 1999, she re-established Belvedere Film as a Los Angeles/Vienna-based production company with her son, Robert. She was executive producer of the award-winning dramatic short film, Semmelweis (2001), the spy-comedy, Wilson Chance (2005), and several works in progress at the time of her passing, including the documentary The Archduke and Herbert Hinkel (due to be released in 2008). The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969. ... Otto Ludwig Preminger (December 5, 1906 – April 23, 1986) was a film director. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Naturalization is the process whereby a person becomes a national of a nation, or a citizen of a country, other than the one of his birth. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

While in Kona, Hawaii in July 2007, Dassanowsky suffered a life-threatening embolism. She was flown to Queens Hospital in Honolulu and part of her left leg had to be amputated. She was reported to be recovering well in rehabilitation in Los Angeles and was expected to continue her efforts in film production as well as arts and UNESCO promotion. According to news reports, amputee celebrity Heather Mills took a personal interest in her rehabilitation. However, Dassanowsky died October 2, 2007 in Los Angeles of heart failure. There is also a town of Kailua on the Island of O‘ahu. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... An embolism occurs when an object (the embolus, plural emboli) migrates from one part of the body (through circulation) and cause(s) a blockage (occlusion) of a blood vessel in another part of the body. ... Honolulu as seen from the International Space Station Honolulu is the largest city and the capital of the U.S. state of Hawai‘i. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... Heather Ann Mills McCartney (born 12 January 1968) is an English activist and former glamour model. ... is the 275th day of the year (276th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

Foundation

In November 2007, the planned establishment of the Elfi von Dassanowsky Foundation was announced in Vienna. It would continue the pioneering and creative spirit of the late artist by developing awards and grants for emerging women filmmakers.

External links

• German-Hollywood Connection Interview
• Women's International Center-Living Legacy Award
• Dirk Jasper Filmstarlexikon
• BiographiA
• Elfi von Dassanowsky at the Internet Movie Database
• Elfi von Dassanowsky in the Encyclopedia of Austria at AEIOU
• Austrian Press Agency release August 12, 2007
• Austrian Press Agency release October 1, 2007
• Online Obituary, October 3, 2007
• Los Angeles Times Obituary, October 6, 2007