Karl Merkatz (17 November 1930 – 4 December 2022) was an Austrian actor.

Merkatz was born on 17 November 1930 in Wiener Neustadt, the son of a toolmaker. 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 notably in Munich, Salzburg, Hamburg and Vienna.

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 became famous as the typical Viennese. 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).

From 1999, Merkatz was chairman of the human rights group SOS Mitmensch.

Merkatz died in Straßwalchen on 4 December 2022, at the age of 92.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Der Sohn eines Feuerwehrmannes absolvierte zunächst eine Tischlerlehre. Später nahm er in Salzburg, Wien und Zürich Schauspielunterricht und machte am Mozarteum seine Abschlussprüfung. Es folgten Theaterengagements in Heilbronn, Nürnberg, Salzburg, Köln, Hamburg, München und Wien (Theater in der Josefstadt).

In Heilbronn lernte er seine spätere Ehefrau Martha Metz kennen. Die beiden sind seit 1956 verheiratet und leben in Irrsdorf bei Straßwalchen. Der Ehe entstammen zwei Töchter, Gitta (* 2. Juli 1958) und Josefine (* 13. April 1962).