Heidi Kabel - The stage was her life

Heidi Kabel was Hamburg's most famous "deern". On June 15, 2010 she died. For 66 years she was on stage in the Ohnsorg Theater.

In more than 160 Low German plays, Heidi Kabel played her way into the hearts of an audience of millions. Unforgotten are her appearances in classics such as "Gossip in the Staircase", "Sweet Home" or "Die Kartenlegerin", which were also recorded for television and still inspire viewers today.

Heidi Kabel made Low German socially acceptable

Housewives, sluts, house dragons or mothers:in her acting life, Heidi Kabel slips into all the roles of great female figures in popular theater and does so with North German straightforwardness, wit and heart. In the 1940s she still played the piano to supplement her fee, as the stages were rarely attended. Her impressive career began in the mid-1950s with the nationwide broadcast of the Ohnsorg performances on television. Heidi Kabel makes Low German socially acceptable and thus creates a North German counterpart to the big dialect theaters such as the Bavarian Komödien-Stadl and Willy Millowitsch's "Cologne" stage.

In addition to the theatre, she has also acted in numerous television films and series. Among the best known are "Klein Erna auf dem Jungfernstieg" (1969), "Grün ist die Heide" (1972) with her longtime stage colleague Henry Vahl, the crime series "Tante Tilly" (1986-1987) and the musical entertainment show "Haifischbar " (1970-1973). Heidi Kabel played her last role at the age of 92 - alongside her daughter in the Detlev Buck film "Hands off Mississippi".

At 18 to the Ohnsorg Theater

Heidi Bertha Auguste Kabel was born on August 27, 1914 in Hamburg - opposite the "Niederdeutsche Bühne" in the Große Bleichen - a downright groundbreaking start in life. She learned Low German from her father at an early age:As "Chairman of the Association for Born Hamburgers", the self-employed printer organized Low German evenings. Heidi Kabel herself actually wants to be a pianist. But when she accompanies a friend to an audition at the age of 18, she is accepted into the ensemble of what later becomes the Ohnsorg Theater in her place. In the same year she had her stage premiere with the play "Ralves Carstens" and quickly established herself in the house.

In order to survive on stage, Heidi Kabel begins acting training. In 1937 she married her colleague, the actor Hans Mahler, who took over the management of the Ohnsorg Theater in 1947 and had a decisive influence on his wife's roles. He died in 1970. The marriage produced sons Jan-Rasmus and Heiko as well as daughter Heidi, who later also became a star at the Ohnsorg Theater.

Attitude also in political and social issues

Heidi Kabel not only convinces with her bold appearance on stage, but also doesn't mince her words in private. She is not afraid to publicly express her opinion on social issues and problems and also uses her popularity for good causes. In July 1993, for example, she performed at a benefit concert to mark the 50th anniversary of the bombing of Hamburg. On this occasion, a calm, thoughtful Heidi Kabel appeared, whose recitation of texts by Wolfgang Borchert met with much applause. In addition, the convinced Hamburg native supports the Hamburg baby hatch and the Hamburg beacon hospice.

Farewell to the Ohnsorg Theater on New Year's Eve

At the age of 84, Heidi Kabel said goodbye to the Ohnsorg Theater on New Year's Eve 1998. She retained her charm and open-mindedness into old age. "I'm the grandmother from the Internet," sings the grandmother of five at the age of 86. She actually goes online and in the meantime has her own homepage.

From October 2003 she lived in seclusion in an apartment in a retirement home in Hamburg-Othmarschen. She and her family decided to move because she suffers from senile dementia. Heidi Kabel made her last major public appearance at the "Bambi" award ceremony on November 18, 2004 in Hamburg:After 1989 and 1990, she received the golden deer again - this time for her life's work.

Moving farewell at the Michel

On June 15, 2010, the grande dame of Volkstheater died in her hometown at the age of 95. Family members, companions, fellow actors and numerous other guests gather at the Michel for the moving funeral service. Among others, the actors Uwe Friedrichsen and Jan Fedder, the former "Tagesschau" speakers Dagmar Berghoff and Wilhelm Wieben and director Detlev Buck pay their last respects. The family says goodbye to Heidi Kabel with a wreath interspersed with roses and delphiniums with the Low German inscription "Slaap goot, dien Kinner".

A square and a statue to commemorate

Shortly after her death, the city of Hamburg erected a monument to Heidi Kabel. Since autumn 2011, the Heidi-Kabel-Platz at the main train station and a life-size bronze figure by the artist Inka Uzoma, which stands there in front of the Ohnsorg Theater, have been reminiscent of the great folk actress.