Farewell to Burgtheater legend Elisabeth Orth: one last honor

Farewell to Burgtheater legend Elisabeth Orth: one last honor

Burgtheater, Wien, Österreich - The grief for the late Burgtheater-Doyenne Elisabeth Orth reflects the deep loss that the Austrian theater landscape suffered. The renowned actress, who died on May 17, 2025 at the age of 89, was recognized yesterday at the Burgtheater's festival in Vienna. Family, friends and numerous mourning guests came together to pay the last honor to the icon of the Austrian theater. Among those present were cultural managers Günter Rhomberg, the former cultural minister Rudolf Scholten, the former Burgtheater director Karin Bergmann, as well as numerous prominent personalities from the theater world.

Burgtheater director Stefan Bachmann opened the funeral service with a moving speech in which he highlighted Orth's impressive career and influence on theater art. The former Federal President Heinz Fischer recalled Orth's “distinctive voice” and her remarkable commitment to war, violence and dictatorship. Fischer also emphasized her role as a advocate of minorities and her tireless efforts to do social justice.

a life for the theater

Elisabeth Orth was born in Vienna in 1936 and was the daughter of the famous actress Paula Wessely and the actor Attila Hörbiger. She accepted her grandmother's last name and completed her acting training at the Max Reinhardt seminar in Vienna. She made her debut at the Burgtheater on October 21, 1965 in Schiller's “Kabale und Liebe”. In the course of her career, she worked with well-known directors in about 80 productions and represented significant roles such as that of the Nora in Ibsen's work of the same name or the countess Eboli in Schiller's "Don Carlos". In 2022 she was awarded the Nestroy Theater Prize for her life's work and the "Elisabeth Orth Prize" was by the society of friends of the Burgtheater donated to honor your memory.

After memorable funeral speeches, in which actress Johanna WOMALEK also shared her personal memories and orthosed as a "human center", ended the ceremony with a Hofmannsthal poem, presented by chamber actor Michael Heltau. The traditional funeral procession around the castle was accompanied by the mourning guests followed by the family behind the urn. The musical accompaniment of the farewell was carried out by the Poco Adagio from Haydn's "Kaiserquartet".

appreciation and obituary

The funeral service took place on June 12, 2025 at 2:30 p.m. for invited guests, while the audience was able to say goodbye from 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. A condolence book was interpreted in the Burgtheater treasurer in order to give fans and companions the opportunity to express their sympathy. Elisabeth Orth, who will not only go into history as a chamber actress, but also as an honorary member of the Burgtheater, leaves a lasting legacy in the Austrian theater landscape.

closely connected to its life's work is also the publication series "Theater History of Austria", which offers a valuable overview of the development and influence of the theater in Austria. Orth's contributions and commitment to the theater will continue to be recognized and reminded in the coming years. The community of the Burgtheater and its companions will remember their personality and commitment to anti -Semitism and xenophobia as an impressive example.

More details about the funeral service and the life of Elisabeth Orth are in the reports of vienna.at , Burgtheater and ÖAW