{{Short description|Austrian actor (1930–2022)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}} {{Infobox person/Wikidata|fetchwikidata=ALL}}
[[File:Irrsdorf - Friedhof - Grabstätte Karl Merkatz (2023-07-16) 01.jpg|thumb|Irrsdorf near Straßwalchen: Karl Merkatz grave]]
'''Karl Merkatz''' (17 November 1930 – 4 December 2022) was an Austrian actor.
Merkatz was born on 17 November 1930 in Wiener Neustadt, the son of a toolmaker. He first wanted to become a carpenter. After World War II he was an active Boy Scout in Wiener Neustadt.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Philipp Pertl|author2=Karl Merkatz | title = Alter Meister mit kleinen Fehlern|language = German | journal = Skills-Pfadfinderinnen und Aussen.Magazin zum Abenteuer des Lebens.|pages=68–69| year = 2010|publisher= Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Österreichs und Monopol Verlag }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author=Kati Kieser|author2=Lisa Niederdorfer | title =Dabei gewesen|language = German | journal = Skills-Pfadfinderinnen und Aussen.Magazin zum Abenteuer des Lebens.|page=66| year = 2010|publisher= Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Österreichs und Monopol Verlag }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Dietmarpreisverleihung 2007|url=http://www.scout.at/ried_innkreis/berichtsseiten/07_dietmarpreis.htm|accessdate=10 December 2009|publisher=Pfadfindergruppe Ried im Innkreis|language=German|year=2007|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706094324/http://www.scout.at/ried_innkreis/berichtsseiten/07_dietmarpreis.htm|archivedate=6 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Emanuel Riedmann|title=Die Werte des ewigen Geburtstagskindes |url=http://www.economyaustria.at/leben/die-werte-des-ewigen-geburtstagskindes|accessdate =10 December 2009|publisher= economy austria-Unabhängige Plattform für Wirtschaft und Bildung|language=German|year=2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author= | title =Eingeschlagene Pfade|language = German | journal = Skills-100 Jahre Pfadfinder.Magazin zum Abenteuer des Lebens.|pages=104| year = 2007|publisher= Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Österreichs und Monopol Verlag }}</ref> However, later he started to enroll in acting lessons in Salzburg, Vienna and Zurich. Then he found employment in theatres, most notably in Munich, Salzburg, Hamburg (Deutsches Schauspielhaus, Thalia Theater<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Drees |first=Stephanie |date=2022-12-05 |title=Der Schauspieler Karl Merkatz ist tot |url=https://nachtkritik.de/?view=article&id=21780&layout=*&catid=1459 |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=nachtkritik.de |language=de-de}}</ref>), and Vienna (Theater in der Josefstadt, Burgtheater, Theater an der Wien<ref name=":0" />).
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 became famous as a typical working class 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 up to 1968).
From 1998 to 2000 Karl Merkatz was honorary chairman<ref>{{Cite web |title=SOS Mitmensch - Menschenrechte und Antirassismus |url=https://www.sosmitmensch.at/site/momagazin/alleausgaben/29/article/141.html |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=www.sosmitmensch.at |language=en}}</ref> of the human rights group ''SOS Mitmensch''.
In 2005 Merkatz caused a deadly car accident in Henndorf (Salzburg).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vier Monate für Karl Merkatz wegen tödlichen Verkehrsunfalls |url=https://www.derstandard.at/consent/tcf/story/2321075/vier-monate-fuer-karl-merkatz-wegen-toedlichen-verkehrsunfalls |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=DER STANDARD |language=de-AT}}</ref>
Merkatz died in Straßwalchen on 4 December 2022, at the age of 92.<ref>{{cite web |title=Karl Merkatz verstorben |url=https://orf.at/stories/3296385/ |website=ORF.at |access-date=4 December 2022 |date=4 December 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Volksschauspieler Karl Merkatz 92-jährig gestorben |url=https://apa.at/news/volksschauspieler-karl-merkatz-92-jaehrig-gestorben-3/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221204154119/https://apa.at/news/volksschauspieler-karl-merkatz-92-jaehrig-gestorben-3/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 December 2022 |website=Austria Presse Agentur |publisher=APA-Gruppe |access-date=4 December 2022 |date=4 December 2022}}</ref>
==Major roles== * ''Ein echter Wiener geht nicht unter'': literally, ''A Genuine Viennese Does Not Go Down'': In this 1975-1979 television series, which is about the life of a Viennese working-class family, he played ''Edmund "Mundl" Sackbauer'', for which he is most known. * ''Der Bockerer I-IV'':, Merkatz plays the role of the Viennese butcher ''Karl Bockerer'', who as a social democrat is shown during the time of the ''Anschluss'' and in the struggle against national socialism, during the post-war occupation of Austria by Allied forces, during the Hungarian Uprising of 1956 and the Prague Spring of 1968. He won the award for Best Actor at the 12th Moscow International Film Festival for his role in the first film.<ref name="Moscow1981">{{cite web|url=http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1981 |title=12th Moscow International Film Festival (1981) |accessdate=25 January 2013 |work=MIFF |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130421050907/http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1981 |archivedate=21 April 2013 }}</ref> *''Der Mann von La Mancha'': Merkatz played the roles of Miguel de Cervantes and Don Quixote in this 1994 German-language television adaptation of the classic musical ''Man of La Mancha''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0461540/combined|title=Der Mann von la Mancha (TV Movie 1994) - IMDb|website=IMDb }}</ref>
==Decorations and awards== * Best Actor (1981) and Film Award (1982) for ''The Bockerer (Part 1)'' * German Film Awards: Best Actor (1982) for ''The Bockerer (Part 1)'' * Honorary Medal of the Austrian capital Vienna in Gold (1995) for his services to theaters in Vienna and as an excellent performer of Viennese Types * Honorary Ring of Wiener Neustadt (1995) * Golden Romy as the most popular actor (1996) * Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art (1999)<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.parlament.gv.at/PAKT/VHG/XXIV/AB/AB_10542/imfname_251156.pdf | title = Reply to a parliamentary question | language = German | page=1264 |trans-title=| accessdate = 21 January 2013 }}</ref> * Grand Gold Decoration for Services to the province of Lower Austria (2002)
==References== {{Reflist|2}}
==External links== *{{imdb name|0580901}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Merkatz, Karl}} Category:1930 births Category:2022 deaths Category:20th-century Austrian male actors Category:21st-century Austrian male actors Category:Austrian male stage actors Category:People from Wiener Neustadt Category:Recipients of the Romy (TV award) Category:Recipients of the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art Category:Recipients of the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class Category:Austrian male film actors Category:Austrian male television actors Category:German Film Award winners Category:Male actors from Lower Austria