Happy Birthday

Cult actor Tobias Moretti turns 65 years old

Tobias Moretti has been an integral part of the local art and culture scene for over 40 years.

(Bild: Starpix / picturedesk.com)

Tobias Moretti is one of the most influential and iconic actors in the German-speaking world. The former "Rex-Herrl" is equally successful as "Jedermann" or in TV crime dramas. Today, the Tyrolean celebrates his 65th birthday.

Tobias Moretti wrote Austrian television history exactly 30 years ago. As detective inspector Richard "Richie" Moser, he takes on the trained police dog Rex and experiences four seasons of Viennese adventure stories between sausage sandwiches and wild chases. "Kommissar Rex" became a cult hit, not least thanks to Moretti's characterization of the humorous and slightly quick-tempered police officer, which delighted fans all over the world. Today, July 11, the Tyrolean from the tranquil village of Gries am Brenner celebrates his 65th birthday. However, he is not yet thinking about retirement.

Far from unworldly
Away from the huge success of "Kommissar Rex", Moretti has always been one of Austria's most versatile and accomplished actors. The older brother of Gregor Bloéb, who is also successful in the theater and on television, grew up in Vil near Innsbruck. "I grew up in a Jesuit environment, with people of high integrity and modernity who are there for others, with unshakeable optimism and far removed from all unworldliness," he once told the FAZ in an interview. This open-mindedness led Moretti to try his hand in a wide variety of cultural segments early on.

He initially studied composition at the Vienna University of Music, but moved to Munich in the early 1980s to study theater. After his first engagements at the Bavarian State Theatre, Moretti moved to the Munich Kammerspiele, where he began his successful career. At the end of the 80s, Moretti switched from theater to film and shone as the Tyrolean farmer Joe in the brilliant "Piefke-Saga". During his four and a half years with "Kommissar Rex", he made numerous television films such as "Mein Opa ist der Beste", "Das ewige Lied" and "Krambambuli". Moretti owes his unbroken popularity to television.

His success on the theater stagecan be found at
 In 2002, for example, he impressed as the Tyrolean freedom hero in "Andreas Hofer - Die Freiheit des Adlers", in the German World War II docu-drama "Speer und Er" (2005) and in the famous Prochaska production "Das finstere Tal" (2014). His most recent highlights include the literary adaptation "Deutschstunde" (2019) and, most recently, Rick Ostermann's "Das Haus" (2021). At the same time, Moretti started a career as a director, which took him to the Theater an der Wien, among others. Burgtheater director Martin Kušej brought him into the Burg ensemble as the oldest newcomer at the time. Their collaboration was also reflected in the Salzburg Festival production of "King Ottokar". Moretti performed his acclaimed "Faust" at the Vienna Burgtheater from 2009 to 2012. From 2017 to 2020, he played "Jedermann" at the Salzburg Festival.

Moretti has received numerous awards for his various roles. He received the Bavarian Film Prize in 1995 and 2014, the Bavarian Television Prize in 1999 and the Grimme Prize in 2000 and 2002. Moretti has also taken home the popular "Romy" television award countless times. In his private life, Moretti has been married to the oboist Julia Moretti from Götzn since 1997. Together they run a 400-year-old farm in Ranggen in Tyrol, keep cattle for meat production and produce organic products. They have two daughters and a son.