Ignaz Kirchner (born Hanns-Peter Kirchner-Wierichs; 13 July 1946 – 26 September 2018)
was a German actor who made a career on German-speaking stages, especially at Vienna's
Burgtheater
The Burgtheater (literally:"Castle Theater" but alternatively translated as "(Imperial) Court Theater"), originally known as '' K.K. Theater an der Burg'', then until 1918 as the ''K.K. Hofburgtheater'', is the national theater of Austria in Vi ...
where he played for 30 years. A
character actor
A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...
, he worked with leading stage directors. He often played opposite
Gert Voss
Gert Voss (10 October 1941 – 13 July 2014) was a German actor. He was known for his roles in ''Labyrinth of Lies'' (2014), ''Sometime in August'' (2009) and ' (1987). He was member of the ensemble of the Burgtheater, and a ''Kammerschauspie ...
, both in classical drama such as Shakespeare's
Antonio
Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...
, with Voss as Shylock, and as
Jago Jago may refer to:
People
* Jago, an alternate spelling for Iago
* Jago (name), a Cornish name
* Jago (illustrator) (born 1979), book illustrator
* Jago of Britain, a legendary king of the Britons
* Fred W. P. Jago (fl. 1838–1892), scholar of t ...
, with Voss as Othello, and especially in black comedies, such as Goldberg in Tabori's ''
Die Goldberg-Variationen'' (with Voss as Mr. Jay), and in
Neil Simon
Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...
's ''The Sunshine Boys'', Beckett's ''
Endspiel'' and Genet's ''
Die Zofen''. Kirchner and Voss were named ''
Schauspielerpaar des Jahres'' twice, in 1992 and 1998.
Career
Born in
Wuppertal
Wuppertal (; "''Wupper Dale''") is, with a population of approximately 355,000, the seventh-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia as well as the 17th-largest city of Germany. It was founded in 1929 by the merger of the cities and to ...
, Kirchner was raised from age ten in a Jesuit boarding school in
Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg ( , ; gsw, label=Vorarlbergisch, Vorarlbearg, , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is ...
, Austria.
He later chose the name of
Ignatius of Loyola
Ignatius of Loyola, Society of Jesus, S.J. (born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; eu, Ignazio Loiolakoa; es, Ignacio de Loyola; la, Ignatius de Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Spain, Spanish Catholic ...
as his stage name. He first was an apprentice in a book shop, and then trained in acting at the
Schauspielschule Bochum
Schauspielschule Bochum is the informal name of a drama school in Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, which is now part of the Folkwang University of the Arts. It has a long tradition, being founded in 1939 as Westfälische Schauspielschu ...
.
He made his stage debut in 1970, when he was still at university, in
Roger Vitrac Roger Vitrac (; 17 November 1899 – 22 January 1952) was a French surrealist playwright and poet.
Early life
Roger Vitrac was born in Pinsac on 17 November 1899, before his family moved to Paris in 1910.:527 As a young man, he was influenced by ...
's ''Der Coup von Trafalgar'' staged by
Alfred Kirchner.
The actor played in 1973 and 1974 at the , participating in two productions by . In 1974 he moved on to Stuttgart, on an invitation by , where he remained until 1978. He then worked for
Theater Bremen
Theater Bremen (Bremen Theatre) is a state theatre in Bremen, Germany, with four divisions for opera, straight theater, dance, and student programs. Its venues are located in a city block, connected in architecture and seating up to 1,426 spectato ...
, where he had his greatest success in the title role of Shakespeare's ''
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
'', directed in 1980 by .
From 1982 to 1986, Kirchner was a member of the
Münchner Kammerspiele
The Munich Kammerspiele (German: Münchner Kammerspiele) is a state-funded German-language theater company based at the ''Schauspielhaus'' on Maximilianstraße (Munich), Maximilianstrasse in the Bavarian capital. The company currently has three ...
, where he worked with directors such as
Dieter Dorn
Dieter Dorn (born 31 October 1935 in Leipzig) is a German theatre director, also for the opera, the manager of the Münchner Kammerspiele from 1983 to 2001 and now manager of the Bavarian Staatsschauspiel.
Career
Dieter Dorn studied at the Theat ...
, and .
There he met
George Tabori
George Tabori ( György Tábori; 24 May 1914 – 23 July 2007) was a Hungarian writer and theatre director.
Life and career
Tabori was born in Budapest as György Tábori, a son of Kornél and Elsa Tábori. His father Kornél (Cornelius) was m ...
, with whom he would later collaborate at the
Burgtheater
The Burgtheater (literally:"Castle Theater" but alternatively translated as "(Imperial) Court Theater"), originally known as '' K.K. Theater an der Burg'', then until 1918 as the ''K.K. Hofburgtheater'', is the national theater of Austria in Vi ...
in Vienna.
In the 1983/84 season, he appeared at the
Schauspiel Köln
Schauspiel Köln is a theatre and company in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It forms together with the Cologne Opera and other houses the Bühnen der Stadt Köln (Stages of the city of Cologne). The listed building has 830 seats in th ...
as the Duke in Marivaux's ''
Der Streit'', directed by , also as Lopachin in Chekhov's ''
Der Kirschgarten
''Der Kirschgarten'' (The Cherry Orchard) is an opera in four acts by the Swiss composer Rudolf Kelterborn. The German-language libretto was written by the composer and is based on Gudrun Düwel's German translation of Anton Chekhov's 1904 play ' ...
'', directed by
Jürgen Flimm
Jürgen Flimm (born 17 July 1941, in Gießen) is a German theater and opera director, and theater manager. After establishing himself as one of the exponents of Regietheater, Flimm was called to manage renowned theaters and festivals. His operatic ...
, and as Estragon in Beckett's ''
Warten auf Godot'', directed by Gosch.
In 1987, Kirchner became a member of the Burgtheater, where Peymann was now
Intendant
An intendant (; pt, intendente ; es, intendente ) was, and sometimes still is, a public official, especially in France, Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. The intendancy system was a centralizing administrative system developed in France. In ...
.
His first role was as Schlomo Herzl in the premiere of Tabori's ''Mein Kampf''.
Further roles included in 1988 the title role ''Ödipus, Tyrann'' by Sophocles and
Heiner Müller
Heiner Müller (; 9 January 1929 – 30 December 1995) was a German (formerly East German) dramatist, poet, writer, essayist and theatre director. His "enigmatic, fragmentary pieces" are a significant contribution to postmodern drama and postdr ...
, directed by ,
and Antonio in Shakespeare's ''
Der Kaufmann von Venedig''. In 1990, he played Doctor Lvov in Chekhov's ''Ivanov'', staged by
Peter Zadek
Peter Zadek (; 19 May 1926 – 30 July 2009) was a German director of theatre, opera and film, a translator and a screenwriter. He is regarded as one of the greatest directors in German-speaking theater.
Biography
Peter Zadek was born on 19 May ...
, and Jago with Tabori. He and his partner on stage,
Gert Voss
Gert Voss (10 October 1941 – 13 July 2014) was a German actor. He was known for his roles in ''Labyrinth of Lies'' (2014), ''Sometime in August'' (2009) and ' (1987). He was member of the ensemble of the Burgtheater, and a ''Kammerschauspie ...
, were awarded the ''Actor Duo of the Year'' (''Schauspielerpaar des Jahres'') prize by the trade magazine ''
theater heute
''Theater heute'' (German: ''Theatre Today'') is a German language monthly magazine with a special focus on theatre. The magazine is based in Berlin, Germany, and has been in circulation since 1960.
History and profile
''Theater heute'' was foun ...
'' in 1991 for the roles as Mr. Jay and Goldberg in Tabori's black comedy ''
Die Goldberg-Variationen''.
The two actors had first played antagonists in classical drama, such as Shylock and Antonio, and Othello and Jago.
The paper wrote: "Wie Shylock und Antonio, wie Othello und Jago sind auch Mr. Jay und Goldberg ein sadomasochistisches Männerpaar – eine Kombination wie Herr und Knecht, Vater und Sohn, Laurel und Hardy." (Like Shylock and Antonio, and Othello and Jago, Mr. Jay and Goldberg are also a sadomasochistic male couple, a combination like master and servant, father and son, and
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were a British-American Double act, comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–19 ...
.)
The two later played together in
Neil Simon
Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...
's ''The Sunshine Boys'' (2003), Beckett's ''
Endspiel'' and Genet's ''
Die Zofen''.
In 1992, Kirchner appeared as Macduff in Shakespeare's ''
Macbeth
''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...
'', directed by Peymann. He performed solo programs such as
Wilhelm Reich
Wilhelm Reich ( , ; 24 March 1897 – 3 November 1957) was an Austrian Doctor of Medicine, doctor of medicine and a psychoanalysis, psychoanalyst, along with being a member of the second generation of analysts after Sigmund Freud. The author ...
's ''Rede an den kleinen Mann''
and a series reciting
Robert Walser's novels.
In the 1992/93 season, Kirchner moved to the
Deutsches Theater Berlin
The Deutsches Theater is a theater in Berlin, Germany. It was built in 1850 as Friedrich-Wilhelm-Städtisches Theater, after Frederick William IV of Prussia. Located on Schumann Street (Schumannstraße), the Deutsches Theater consists of two ad ...
,
where he played in Ostrovsky's ''
Der Wald
' ''(The Forest)'' is an opera in one act by Ethel Smyth to a libretto by Henry Brewster and Smyth, written between 1899 and 1901. It was Smyth's second opera and it was first performed on 2 April 1902 at the Königliches Opernhaus in Berlin.
Per ...
'', staged by Thomas Langhoff, and Sosias in Kleist's ', staged by Gosch. He then moved to the Hamburg
Thalia Theater, appearing in 1995 as the Doctor in Schnitzler's ' directed by Flimm, in 1996 Zettel in Shakespeare's ''
Ein Sommernachtstraum'' with director
Jens-Daniel Herzog
Jens-Daniel Herzog (born 12 July 1964) is a German stage director for play and opera, and a theater manager.
Career
Jens-Daniel Herzog was born in Berlin, the son of the actor Peter Herzog. He studied Philosophy at the FU Berlin.
From 1989 Her ...
, and the title role of Molière's ''
Tartuffe
''Tartuffe, or The Impostor, or The Hypocrite'' (; french: Tartuffe, ou l'Imposteur, ), first performed in 1664, is a theatrical comedy by Molière. The characters of Tartuffe, Elmire, and Orgon are considered among the greatest classical thea ...
'', again with Flimm.
From 1997, Kirchner was back at the Burgtheater.
He played in 1998 Clov in Beckett's ''
Endspiel'' alongside Voss as Hamm,
staged by Tabori in a production that was invited to the
Berliner Theatertreffen
The Berliner Theatertreffen (''Theatertreffen'' : neologism literally meaning "theatre encounter" or "theatre meeting"
) is a two-week long theatre festival occurring yearly in May in Berlin, Germany. It is a product of the Berliner Festspiele ...
. For this performance Kirchner and Voss won again the award ''Actor Duo of the Year''.
In 1999 he appeared as Schigolch in Wedekind's ''
Lulu
Lulu may refer to:
Companies
* LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer
* Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer
* Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia
* Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, a C ...
'', staged by .
He played Solange in ''Die Zofen'', directing himself with Voss and his wife
Ursula Voss, and Dr. Dorn in Chekhov's ''
Die Möwe'' with
Luc Bondy
Luc Bondy (17 July 1948 – 28 November 2015) was a Swiss theatre and film director.
Life and career
upright=1.3, '' Charlotte Salomon'' at the Salzburg Festival 2014
Trained in Paris with the theatre teacher Jacques Lecoq, he received a job ...
, both in 2000. A year later, he appeared as Sandperger in
Karl Schönherr
Karl Schönherr (24 February 1867 - 15 March 1943) was an Austrian writer of Austrian Heimat themes.
Biography
Schönherr was born in Axams, near Innsbruck (Austria), to Joseph and Marie Suitner Schönherr. He began studying philosophy in Inn ...
's ''Glaube und Heimat'' with
Martin Kušej
Martin Kušej (born 14 May 1962) is an Austrian theatre and opera director, and is director of the Burgtheater Vienna. According to German news magazine Focus, Kušej belongs to the ten most important theatre directors who have emerged in the G ...
, and a supervisor and a policeman in ''Roberto Zucco'' by
Bernard-Marie Koltès
Bernard-Marie Koltès (; 9 April 1948 – 15 April 1989) was a French playwright and theatre director best known for his plays ''La Nuit juste avant les Forêts'' (''The Night Just Before the Forests'', 1976), ''Sallinger'' (1977) and ''Dans la ...
with
Klaus Michael Grüber
Klaus Michael Grüber (4 June 1941 - 22 June 2008) was a German theatre director and actor.
As an actor, he played ''Hans'' in Les Amants du Pont-Neuf
''Les Amants du Pont-Neuf'' () is a 1991 French film directed by Leos Carax, starring Juliette ...
. In 2002, he appeared as Uta-Napishti in the premiere of
Raoul Schrott
Raoul Schrott (born 17 January 1964) is an Austrian poet, writer, literary critic, translator and broadcast personality.
Schrott was raised in Tunis where his father served as an Austrian sales representative. He attended the universities of N ...
's ''Gilgamesh'' with , and as Richard in the Austrian premiere of
Thomas Bernhard
Nicolaas Thomas Bernhard (; 9 February 1931 – 12 February 1989) was an Austrian novelist, playwright and poet who explored death, social injustice, and human misery in controversial literature that was deeply pessimistic about modern civilizati ...
's ' with Thomas Langhoff.
He performed again solo programs such as Walser's ''Der Spaziergang''
and Bernhard's ''Der Stimmenimitator'' and ''Minetti''. From 2005, he played in a Burgtheater production of 's ''Der Anatom'' at the Anatomischer Saal der Bildenden Künste, the play's only role.
He appeared at the
Salzburg Festival
The Salzburg Festival (german: Salzburger Festspiele) is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer (for five weeks starting in late July) in the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amad ...
in the speaking role Samiel in Weber's opera ''
Der Freischütz
' ( J. 277, Op. 77 ''The Marksman'' or ''The Freeshooter'') is a German opera with spoken dialogue in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Friedrich Kind, based on a story by Johann August Apel and Friedrich Laun from their 181 ...
'' in 2005, staged by
Falk Richter
Falk Richter (born 23 October 1969) is a German author, theater director, and playwright.
Early life and education
Falk Richter was born on 23 October 1969 in Hamburg. His father was a merchant. He studied linguistics, philosophy and theatre dir ...
.
The major role of Fürst Bolkonskyi in a dramatization at the Burgtheater of Tolstoy's novel ''
Krieg und Frieden''
won him a nomination for the
Nestroy Prize in the category "best leading role" in 2010. In 2011, Kirchner played there Pozzo in ''Warten auf Godot'', staged by .
In the years 2012 to 2014, he worked there with
René Pollesch René Pollesch (born 29 October 1962 in Friedberg, Hesse) is a German author and dramatist.
From 1983 to 89, he studied Applied Theatre Studies at the University of Giessen. He won the Mülheimer Dramatikerpreis in 2001 for ''world wide web-slums'' ...
,
Frank Castorf
Frank Castorf (born 17 July 1951 in East Berlin) is a German theater director and was the artistic director of the ''Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz'' from 1992 to 2015. His work is often associated with postdramatic theatre.
Biography
Ea ...
, and
and pursued other series of readings, from 2010
Fernando Pessoa
Fernando António Nogueira Pessoa (; 13 June 1888 – 30 November 1935) was a Portuguese poet, writer, literary critic, translator, publisher, and philosopher, described as one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century and ...
's ''Buch der Unruhe''
and Musil's ''
Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften''.
Kirchner died on 26 September 2018 after a long illness.
Filmography
*1977: ' (directed by
Wolf Gremm
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia
Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Nort ...
) – Pfleger
*1989: ''Hanna Monster, Liebling'' (directed by Christian Berger) – Rudolf
*1995: ''
Jailbirds'' (directed by
Detlev Buck
Detlev Buck (; born 1 December 1962 in Bad Segeberg) is a German film director, actor, producer and screenwriter.
Life and work
From his first short film at the age of 21 in 1982, ', he has remained one of the most important filmmakers working ...
) – Mohrmann
*1999: ''
Sonnenallee
''Sonnenallee'' (''Sun Avenue'' or ''Sun Alley'') is a 1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Colum ...
'' (directed by
Leander Haußmann
Leander Haußmann (sometimes Haussmann) (; born 26 June 1959, Quedlinburg) is a German theatre and film director.
The son of actor Ezard Haußmann and costume designer Doris Haußmann, he attended the Ernst Busch theatre school in Berlin.
Hau ...
) – Onkel Heinz
*1999: ''
Klemperer – Ein Leben in Deutschland
''Klemperer – Ein Leben in Deutschland'' is a German television series based on the diary of Victor Klemperer.
See also
*List of German television series
The following is a list of television series produced in Germany:
Current
Drama
* ...
'' (TV Series)
*2000: ''Zimmer mit Frühstück'' (TV Movie, directed by
Michael Verhoeven
Michael Verhoeven (born 13 July 1938) is a German film director.
Life and work
Verhoeven is the son of the German film director Paul Verhoeven (not to be confused with the Dutch film director Paul Verhoeven). He married actress Senta Berger in ...
– Rudolf
*2005: ''
NVA'' (directed by Leander Haußmann) – Futterknecht
*2005: ' (TV Movie, directed by Leander Haußmann) – Herr Miller
*2007: ' (TV Movie, directed by
Hermine Huntgeburth
Hermine Huntgeburth (born 13 November 1957) is a German film director. She is best known for her 2005 film ''The White Masai''.
Selected filmography
*'' The Terrible Threesome'' (1991)
*''Gefährliche Freundin'' (1996, TV film)
*' (1998)
*''The C ...
) – Lehrer Mohren
*2009: ' (directed by Leander Haußmann) – Victor Semlitsch (final film role)
Awards
* 1991 – For Jago in ''Othello'': of Vienna
* 1992 – Actor Duo of the Year (with
Gert Voss
Gert Voss (10 October 1941 – 13 July 2014) was a German actor. He was known for his roles in ''Labyrinth of Lies'' (2014), ''Sometime in August'' (2009) and ' (1987). He was member of the ensemble of the Burgtheater, and a ''Kammerschauspie ...
) for Tabori's ''Die Goldberg-Variationen''
* 1998 – Actor Duo of the Year (with Gert Voss) for Beckett's ''
Endspiel''
* 2001 – Nomination for
Nestroy Prize for best supporting role
* 2004 – Silver
* 2008 –
* 2010 – Nomination for Nestroy Prize for best leading role
Literature
*
*
*
*
References
External links
*
*
*
Schauspieler Ignaz Kirchner gestorben / Immer an der Grenze zur Verrücktheitnachtkritik.de 27 September 2018
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirchner, Ignaz
German male stage actors
German male film actors
1946 births
2018 deaths
Actors from Wuppertal
German expatriates in Austria