"Made in Austria"

Former ORF presenter Günter Tolar turns 85

Günter Tolar celebrates his 85th birthday.(Bild: APA/TOLAR.AT/ALEXANDER AMON)

"From the other shore" or "Old man, what now?": Günter Tolar only recently made an appearance with two very personal books, and the former TV presenter has also appeared on stage time and again recently. But most people probably know him from television, where he was responsible for legendary programs such as "Wer 3x lügt", "Rätselbox" and "Made in Austria". 

On July 9, the TV presenter and author celebrates his 85th birthday.

Retired for 25 years
Although he has been retired from ORF for 25 years, he has by no means retired. With programs such as "Jüdisches zum Lachen" or Werner Schwab's "Der reizende Reigen", he has repeatedly appeared on stages such as the Theater Center Forum or the Theater Rampenlicht, and last year he played Emperor Franz Josef in the Sommerarena Baden. He has also appeared repeatedly on TV and in the cinema, most recently in 2020 in Stefan Langthaler's short film "Fabiu" and the rural thriller "Zu neuen Ufern".

Tolar was born in Wels on July 9, 1939, the son of an accountant and a teacher. He only really got to know his father after his return from the Second World War. After secondary school in Linz and an aborted teaching degree (music, German and history) in Vienna, he began working as an assistant director at the Volkstheater in 1960, while at the same time training as an actor. His further career took him to the Theater der Jugend before he moved to the Theater an der Wien as a stage manager and got a taste of cabaret in the 1960s. In 1969, head of entertainment Kuno Knöbl finally brought him to ORF, where he worked for 30 years.

The long-time ORF employee and book author campaigned against discrimination and Aids.(Bild: APA/TOLAR.AT/ALEXANDER AMON)

Remembered as a presenter
Over the course of his career, he worked there as an editor, director, scriptwriter, presenter and program manager in the entertainment department. Among other things, the trained actor was responsible for Heinz Conrads' legendary Saturday show, and the Wels native was also in charge of "Dalli Dalli" from the first to the last edition. As a presenter, he is still remembered by many today: the programs "Wer 3x lügt", "Rätselbox" and "Made in Austria" were shaped by him. Tolar continued to be associated with ORF after his retirement and was a member of the Audience Council from 2001 to 2006.

In the 90s, Tolar published several books, including "So ein Theater" in 1991, "Sein Mann" in 1992, which was decisive for Tolar's coming out as a homosexual, the novel "Wer hat die Karten gemischt" in 1994 and "Zur Hölle mit mir" in 1998. A second literary wave followed from 2004 to 2007 with "Stefanie Hertl & Stefan Mross", "Direkt vom Herzen weg. Eine Liebeserklärung", "Mut zum Mut" and "Wo bleibt der Wurm? Purrs and anecdotes". Five years ago, he published "Zwischensumme 80: Eine Abrechnung" (Subtotal 80: A Reckoning), a book in which each chapter deals with his relationship to topics such as boredom, sex, death and music.

Only what he WANTS to do, not what he MUST do
He was also the founder and director of the "Positiv Leben" association, which for many years supported HIV-positive and AIDS sufferers. In 1997, he was awarded the "Red Ribbon", the Austrian "Aids Oscar", for his commitment and dedication.

For many years, he was the federal spokesman for the SoHo (Socialism & Homosexuality) initiative and a delegate to the SPÖ's federal party executive. He has since stepped down from his numerous functions. "I am devoting more and more time to my family," said Tolar, who entered into a registered partnership with his husband Gerald in 2010, a few years ago. He formulates his principle on his website: "I only want to take care of what I WANT to do and not what I HAVE to do."