With his star roles "A real Viennese doesn't go under" and "The Bockerer" he not only won the hearts of many Austrians: actor Karl Merkatz also won numerous film prizes in Germany. He has now died at the age of 92.
Austrian actor Karl Merkatz is dead. He died just two weeks after his 92nd birthday on Sunday morning at his home in Irrsdorf near Straßwalchen in the state of Salzburg. The family confirmed to the German Press Agency that he fell asleep peacefully.
During his career, Merkatz has appeared in more than 250 film and television productions. He became known as Edmund "Mundl" Sackbauer in the television series "Ein Echter Wiener geht nicht" (1975-1979) and with the film series "Der Bockerer" (1981, 1996, 2000, 2003). In the cult series "Irgendwie und Sowieso" from 1986 he was seen as Kerschbaumer, the stepfather of Sir Quickly (Ottfried Fischer). Most recently, he played in "Kleine Grossestimme", 2015, and the biopic "Otto Neururer - Hoffnungstliche Finsternis", which was released in 2019.
Theater Merkatz played successfully on stages in Munich, Hamburg and Vienna. At the Salzburg Festival he could be seen in "Jedermann". He has received several awards for his outstanding acting skills, including the Austrian and German Film Awards, the Romy and the Austrian Cross of Honor.
Even as a child he was fascinated by acting. But at the request of his parents, Merkatz, who was born in Wiener Neustadt in 1930, learned a trade and completed an apprenticeship as a carpenter. Only then did Merkatz take acting classes in Vienna, among other places, and complete his training with distinction at the Mozarteum in Salzburg.
Stage engagements followed, including in Nuremberg, Hamburg and Munich. He met his wife while performing in Heilbronn. In Vienna he played at the Theater in der Josefstadt and the Burgtheater, among others. He was also successful in operettas and musicals, for example as the frog in Johann Strauss' "Fledermaus" and at the Theater an der Wien as the milkman Tewje in "Anatevka". His interpretation of the Kafka story is considered brilliant.
In 2009, Merkatz announced his departure from the theater stage - his great wish to play King Lear was not fulfilled. After he successfully brought his cabaret program "Der Blunzenkönig" to the stage from 2008, the play also came to local cinemas in 2015 with Merkatz in the leading role.
"With Karl Merkatz, a great character actor passed away today, whose personifications, such as Bockerer or Mundl, have left their mark on the collective consciousness of the country. Karl Merkatz was also an incredibly emphatic and committed person. His heart was in the right place . My thoughts are with his family and friends during these hours", Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen paid tribute to the artist via Twitter.
And Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer tweeted: "As 'Der Bockerer', but also as 'Mundl Sackbauer', Karl Merkatz film
