Karl Merkatz

Karl Merkatz (b. November 17, 1930 in Wiener Neustadt) is a well-known Austrian 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.