the Cliff Richard vehicle Wonderful Life (1964) and Black Beauty (1971). Personal life Slezak married Johanna "Kaasi" Van Rijn on 10 October 1943. The couple had three children: Ingrid, Erika, and Leo. Erika went on to become an Emmy-winning actress, and starred as Victoria Lord on the long-running soap opera One Life to Live from 1971 to its cancellation in 2012. In 1974, Slezak appeared on the series as her character's godfather, Lazlo Braedecker. Slezak was close friends in Vienna in the 1930s with heiress Maria Altmann and her family. Death On 21 April 1983, Slezak died from a self-inflicted gunshot. He was reportedly despondent over the state of his health, most notably heart trouble, a recent prostate operation, and a shoulder injury requiring several treatments a week. He was buried in the grave of his parents in the cemetery of St. Laurentius Church, a Catholic parish in Egern, Bavaria. Autobiography Slezak's autobiography, What Time's the Next Swan? was published in 1962. The book's title refers to an alleged incident in the career of his father, heldentenor Leo Slezak. During a performance in the title role of Lohengrin, the elder Slezak was supposed to finish his aria by stepping into a swan boat and then being pulled offstage. When a stagehand removed the boat prematurely, Slezak supposedly reacted to the error by asking the audience "What time's the next swan?" Awards In 1955, Slezak won a Tony Award for his role in the Broadway production of Fanny. Complete filmography References External links Walter Slezak papers, 1905-1983, held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Photographs and literature 1902 births 1983 deaths 20th-century Austrian male actors 20th-century Austrian male singers Austrian emigrants to the United States Austrian male film actors Austrian male silent film actors Tony Award winners Austrian male musical theatre actors Austrian male television actors Male actors from Vienna RCA Victor artists Suicides by firearm in New York (state) 1983 suicides Austrian people of Czech descent American people of Moravian descent American people of Czech descent