Josef Meinrad (German:[ˈjoːsεfˈmaɪ̯nrat]; 21 April 1913 – 18 February 1996) was an Austrian actor.[1] From 1959 until his death in 1996, Meinrad held the Republic of Austria's
Iffland-Ring, which passes from actor to actor — each bequeathing the ring to the next holder, judging that actor to be the "most significant and most worthy actor of the German-speaking theatre".[1]
Life
Josef Meinrad was born Josef Moučka in
Vienna, as the fourth and youngest child of the
tram driver Franz Moučka and his second wife Katharina. For his secondary education, he received a scholarship in a school run by
Redemptorists in
Katzelsdorf near
Wiener Neustadt. At first, he wanted to become a priest, but he left the boarding school in 1929 and began a commercial apprenticeship, while taking acting lessons.
He made his public acting debut during a theatre festival at
Korneuburg in 1930, by which time he called himself Josef Meinrad. Nevertheless, he finished his training and worked as a commercial clerk until 1935. From that time on, he performed on various smaller stages, passing his acting exam in 1937. His first brief engagement at the Vienna
Burgtheater was in 1939, he then played at the German Theatre in
Metz, mainly in front of Wehrmacht soldiers.[2]
After the war, Meinrad again performed in Vienna. At the
Salzburg Festival in 1947 he appeared in Jedermann. Later that year, Meinrad became a full-time permanent member of the Burgtheater company and was part of that ensemble until his 65th birthday in 1978. He played 195 roles on that stage and was famous for his performances in comedies by
Johann Nestroy and
Ferdinand Raimund. In 1968 he played the title role in the German-language premiere of
Dale Wasserman's musical Man of La Mancha at the
Theater an der Wien. He also appeared in several Films and TV series, chiefly known for his role as an adjutant in the Sissi trilogy starring
Romy Schneider.
Meinrad was the keeper of the
Iffland-Ring, which for 200 years has been given to the most important actor of the German-speaking theatre; he passed the ring on to
Bruno Ganz.[1]
From 1950 until his death he was married to Germaine Renée Clement, who died in 2006. Meinrad died in 1996 from cancer, aged 82, in
Großgmain and is buried there.[2]