Otto Schenk died

Austria bows “to a great man”

Austria mourns the death of Otto Schenk: the acting legend died on Thursday at the age of 94.

(Bild: picturedesk.com/Starpix)

Otto Schenk, an Austrian stage legend, died in the early hours of Thursday morning at the age of 94. Representatives from the worlds of culture and politics paid tribute to the audience favorite as one of the greatest actors the country has ever produced and for his "natural talent for reaching the hearts of the audience". 

Vice-Chancellor and Culture Minister Werner Kogler (Greens) wrote on X: "With Otto Schenk, someone who truly deserves to be called a theater legend is leaving the stage. He has inspired generations of people, whether in the theater, in film and television or as an opera director. I bow to a great man."

"We will miss Otto Schenk. We already miss him now."
Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen also paid tribute to Otto Schenk on X. "A comedian is dead. One? No, the comedian par excellence, who fascinated us with his versatility, who made us laugh with his wit, who held a mirror up to our faces with the sharpness of his mind. Otto Schenk," wrote Van der Bellen. 

He continued: "For decades, Otto Schenk understood how to combine theater with broad appeal and stagecraft at the highest level. His presence was legendary, his punchlines were spot on, his thoughts were moving." He also showed the "light and dark sides of Austria" "like no other". 

Schenk's productions at operas and speaking stages are also "legendary" to this day. These were "borne by a love of the theater and great psychological empathy", continued Van der Bellen - and concluded his obituary to the great theater star with the words: "The comedian is dead. And far more than that has gone with him. We will miss Otto Schenk. We already miss him now."

"Krone" interviewer Conny Bischofberger remembers the conversations with the stage legend with nostalgia. "It was always so nice with Otto Schenk. He said about death: 'The terrible thing is not your own death, but the departure of people you love. R.I.P."

Theater in der Josefstadt mourns the loss of Schenk
"We have lost one of the last truly great theater people of the 20th century," Herbert Föttinger, director of the Theater in der Josefstadt, also expressed his sadness to the APA.

He continued: "He was not only a wonderful actor, an extraordinary drama and international opera director, he also had a natural talent for reaching and touching the hearts of audiences. His death is an incredible loss not only for Josefstadt, but for the entire theater landscape."

Josefstadt Foundation Board Member Thomas Drozda honored Schenk with the words: "With Otto Schenk, we have lost one of the greatest actors and directors this country has ever produced. But also a very special person. Josefstadt is in deep mourning."

"Theatrical genius of the century"
State Opera Director Bogdan Roščić bid farewell to the stage legend in a statement. "Otto Schenk is an essential, unforgettable chapter in the history of our theater. But he was also an artist who shaped the world of theater for half a century like few others. As sacred as the theater was to him, he approached the works naturally and fearlessly, drawing on an immense knowledge."

"In him, Austria has lost a theatrical genius of the century with a universality that is second to none," explained Otto Schenk's son Konstantin on the death of his father. "From Würschtelmann to Wozzeck, from Sachen zum Lachen to Ring des Nibelungen, from the Kellertheater to the Met and La Scala Milano, from the Burgtheater to the Theater in der Josefstadt and the State Opera, his reputation resounds..."

"An artist of world renown"
FPÖ culture spokesman Thomas Spalt also paid tribute to Schenk. "As a versatile artist, Otto Schenk left a lasting mark as an actor, director and also as a theater director and gave the Austrians countless entertaining hours," he explained in a press release.

"He was a world-class artist who never lost his footing. Otto Schenk played his way into the hearts of the audience and always met his counterparts at eye level," said Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP), Governor of Lower Austria.