Josef Kainz
Encyclopedia
Josef Gottfried Ignaz Kainz (2 January 1858 - 20 September 1910) was an Austrian
actor
of Hungarian
birth. He was highly active in theatres in Austria and Germany from 1873–1910. Revered as one of the greatest actors of the German
-speaking theatre, the city of Vienna
annually bestowed a theatre award for outstanding acting performance named after him, the Kainz Medal, from 1958 to 1999 (replaced by the Nestroy
Award in 2000).
, today part of Mosonmagyaróvár
, Hungary, where his father worked as a railroad official. In 1867 the family returned to Vienna
, where Josef started his performance career at the age of 15, followed by engagements at theatres in Maribor
(Marburg an der Drau), Leipzig
and Meiningen
.
From 1880 he worked with Ernst von Possart
at the National Theatre Munich and became one of the favourite actors of King Ludwig II of Bavaria
appearing in private performance exclusively for the monarch's delight. Three years later Kainz joined the ensemble of the newly established Deutsches Theater
in Berlin, where he gained immense popularity with scintillating performances of Hamlet
, Richard II
, Schiller's Don Carlos
and as Franz Moor in The Robbers.
With director Ludwig Barnay
he went to the Berliner Theater in 1888, both men however soon came into conflict with each other, which earned Kainz a professional disqualification on German stages for breaking his contract. He toured abroad for several years until in 1892 he was able to return to the Deutsches Theater. Finally in 1899 he achieved an employment at the Vienna Burgtheater
and, vested with the title of Hofschauspieler ("Court Actor"), played characters like Shylock in The Merchant of Venice
or Tartuffe
.
Kainz died of cancer in Vienna
aged 52, only a few days after he was appointed director of the Burgtheater. His mortal remains are buried at the Döbling
cemetery.
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
of Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
birth. He was highly active in theatres in Austria and Germany from 1873–1910. Revered as one of the greatest actors of the German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
-speaking theatre, the city of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
annually bestowed a theatre award for outstanding acting performance named after him, the Kainz Medal, from 1958 to 1999 (replaced by the Nestroy
Johann Nestroy
Johann Nepomuk Eduard Ambrosius Nestroy was a singer, actor and playwright in the popular Austrian tradition of the Biedermeier period and its immediate aftermath...
Award in 2000).
Life and career
Kainz was born in the town of Moson , then in the Austrian EmpireAustrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
, today part of Mosonmagyaróvár
Mosonmagyaróvár
Mosonmagyaróvár is a city in Győr-Moson-Sopron county in northwestern Hungary. It lies close to both the Austrian and Slovakian borders and has a population of 30,200 ....
, Hungary, where his father worked as a railroad official. In 1867 the family returned to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, where Josef started his performance career at the age of 15, followed by engagements at theatres in Maribor
Maribor
Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia with 157,947 inhabitants . Maribor is also the largest and the capital city of Slovenian region Lower Styria and the seat of the Municipality of Maribor....
(Marburg an der Drau), Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
and Meiningen
Meiningen
Meiningen is a town in Germany - located in the southern part of the state of Thuringia and is the district seat of Schmalkalden-Meiningen. It is situated on the river Werra....
.
From 1880 he worked with Ernst von Possart
Ernst von Possart
Ernst von Possart was a German actor and theatre director.Possart was born in Berlin and was early an actor at Breslau, Bern, and Hamburg. Connected with the Munich Court Theatre after 1864, he became the oberregisseur in 1875...
at the National Theatre Munich and became one of the favourite actors of King Ludwig II of Bavaria
Ludwig II of Bavaria
Ludwig II was King of Bavaria from 1864 until shortly before his death. He is sometimes called the Swan King and der Märchenkönig, the Fairy tale King...
appearing in private performance exclusively for the monarch's delight. Three years later Kainz joined the ensemble of the newly established Deutsches Theater
Deutsches Theater
The Deutsches Theater in Berlin is a well-known German theatre. It was built in 1850 as Friedrich-Wilhelm-Städtisches Theater, after Frederick William IV of Prussia. Located on Schumann Street , the Deutsches Theater consists of two adjoining stages that share a common, classical facade...
in Berlin, where he gained immense popularity with scintillating performances of Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
, Richard II
Richard II (play)
King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
, Schiller's Don Carlos
Don Carlos (play)
Don Carlos is a historical tragedy in five acts by Friedrich Schiller; it was written between 1783 and 1787 and first produced in Hamburg in 1787...
and as Franz Moor in The Robbers.
With director Ludwig Barnay
Ludwig Barnay
Ludwig Barnay, born Ludwig Weiß was a German actor, born at Pest. He made his debut in 1860 at Trutenau and appeared in Pest the following year, after which he had engagements of varying length in Graz, Mainz, Vienna, Prague, Riga, Leipzig, and Weimar.In 1864 he married Marie Kreuzer, daughter of...
he went to the Berliner Theater in 1888, both men however soon came into conflict with each other, which earned Kainz a professional disqualification on German stages for breaking his contract. He toured abroad for several years until in 1892 he was able to return to the Deutsches Theater. Finally in 1899 he achieved an employment at the Vienna Burgtheater
Burgtheater
The Burgtheater , originally known as K.K. Theater an der Burg, then until 1918 as the K.K. Hofburgtheater, is the Austrian National Theatre in Vienna and one of the most important German language theatres in the world.The Burgtheater was created in 1741 and has become known as "die Burg" by the...
and, vested with the title of Hofschauspieler ("Court Actor"), played characters like Shylock in The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic...
or Tartuffe
Tartuffe
Tartuffe is a comedy by Molière. It is one of his most famous plays.-History:Molière wrote Tartuffe in 1664...
.
Kainz died of cancer in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
aged 52, only a few days after he was appointed director of the Burgtheater. His mortal remains are buried at the Döbling
Döbling
Döbling is the 19th District in the city of Vienna, Austria . It is located on the north end from the central districts, north of the districts Alsergrund and Währing...
cemetery.