Karl Merkatz
Encyclopedia
Karl Merkatz is a well-known Austria
n actor
. He participated in numerous Austrian film productions and plays.
Merkatz is the son of a firefighter. He first wanted to become a carpenter
. After World War II he was an active Boy Scout in Wiener Neustadt.
However, later he started to enroll in acting lessons in Salzburg, Vienna and Zurich. Then he found employment in theatres, most notable in Munich, Salzburg, Hamburg and Vienna (Theater in der Josefstadt
).
During his later career he starred in several roles in television and motion pictures. In the role of Edmund Sackbauer (Mundl) in the 1970s he got famous as the typical Viennese (Ein echter Wiener geht nicht unter
). Another big success came with the films "Bockerer" starring as a naive Viennese during the Second World War in Vienna (the later films are set in the subsequent years to 1945).
Since 1999 Merkatz has been chairman of the human rights
group SOS Mitmensch.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He participated in numerous Austrian film productions and plays.
Merkatz is the son of a firefighter. He first wanted to become a carpenter
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
. After World War II he was an active Boy Scout in Wiener Neustadt.
However, later he started to enroll in acting lessons in Salzburg, Vienna and Zurich. Then he found employment in theatres, most notable in Munich, Salzburg, Hamburg and Vienna (Theater in der Josefstadt
Theater in der Josefstadt
The Theater in der Josefstadt is a theater in Vienna in the eighth district of Josefstadt. It was founded in 1788 and is the oldest still performing theater in Vienna...
).
During his later career he starred in several roles in television and motion pictures. In the role of Edmund Sackbauer (Mundl) in the 1970s he got famous as the typical Viennese (Ein echter Wiener geht nicht unter
Ein echter Wiener geht nicht unter
Ein echter Wiener geht nicht unter is a classic Austrian television series. It was produced by Österreichischer Rundfunk, Austrian Television, and ran for 24 episodes from 1975 to 1979...
). Another big success came with the films "Bockerer" starring as a naive Viennese during the Second World War in Vienna (the later films are set in the subsequent years to 1945).
Since 1999 Merkatz has been chairman of the human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
group SOS Mitmensch.
Major roles
- Ein echter Wiener geht nicht unterEin echter Wiener geht nicht unterEin echter Wiener geht nicht unter is a classic Austrian television series. It was produced by Österreichischer Rundfunk, Austrian Television, and ran for 24 episodes from 1975 to 1979...
: literally, A Genuine Viennese Does Not Go Under: In this show, which is about the life of a VienneseViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
working-class family, he played Edmund "Mundl" Sackbauer, for which he is most known.
- Der Bockerer I-IVFranz AntelFranz Antel was a veteran Austrian filmmaker.Born in Vienna, Antel worked mainly as a film producer in the interwar years. After World War II, he began writing and directing films on a large scale...
:, Merkatz plays the role of the Viennese butcherButcherA butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat or any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments...
Karl Bockerer, who as a social democrat is shown during the time of the AnschlussAnschlussThe Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
and in the struggle against national socialismAustrian National SocialismAustrian National Socialism was a Pan-German movement that was formed at the beginning of the 20th century. The movement took a concrete form on November 15, 1903 when the German Worker's Party was established in Austria with its secretariat stationed in the town of Aussig...
, during the post-war occupation of Austria by allied forces, during the Hungarian UprisingHungarian UprisingHungarian Uprising can refer to:*Hungarian Revolution of 1848 *Hungarian Revolution of 1956...
of 1956 and the Prague SpringPrague SpringThe Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
of 1968.