Schauspielegende Elisabeth Orth died - a loss for Vienna!

Schauspielegende Elisabeth Orth died - a loss for Vienna!

Wien, Österreich - Elisabeth Orth, the celebrated actress of the Burgtheater, died on May 17, 2025 at the age of 89. Her family announced that she fell asleep peacefully. The Burgtheater praised her as a formative voice of the ensemble and a great artist. Director Stephan Bachmann described her tireless efforts for art and her person as a light in the theater landscape. For many, she was a Doyenne of the Burgtheater, which is impressively remembered by her impressive performance.

Elisabeth Orth was born on February 8, 1936 in Vienna as the oldest daughter of the well -known actor Paula Wessely and Attila Hörbiger. This literary-artistic heritage got rid of it to a certain extent by taking the surname Hörbiger and instead accepted the maiden name of her grandmother, Orth. Her career did not start in the theater, but as a film cutter before discovering the stage for herself.

a life for the stage

The training at the Max Reinhardt seminar in Vienna was the crucial step in her career. After engagements at the Ulm Theater, at the stages of the city of Cologne and at the Bavarian State Theater in Munich, she became a festival member of the Burgtheater in 1968. Their impressive stage presence and their ability to embody complex characters led to their cooperation with renowned directors such as Achim Freyer, George Tabori and Andrea Breth. Until her death, she participated in around 80 productions that she did unforgettable in the Austrian theater landscape.

Orth was not only active on stage. She also had significant roles in film and television, including in Michael Haneke's "Lemminge" (1978) and "Die Healer" (2004). Her acting talent also showed her in films such as "Georg Elser-one from Germany" (1989) and "over-me" (2014). Her versatility made her a celebrated artist beyond the borders of the stage.

commitment to a better society

Orth was not only an artist, but also a committed voice in social and political questions. She vehemently spoke out against anti -Semitism and xenophobia and was a columnist for the magazine "Die Frei" from 1979 to 2000. Their civil society initiatives and their tireless commitment to tolerance met with great recognition. In 2009 she received the Federal Medical Center for Tolerance and Human Rights.

in 2022 she was part of a benefit evening in the Burgtheater to draw attention to the war in Ukraine. Her role as a role model for many young artists is underlined by the numerous awards she received in the course of her career. These include both the Nestroy award for the best actress in 2015 and the Nestroy for life's work in 2022, and the Kainz medal.

The Society of Friends of the Burgtheater praised their life's work in 2022 by introducing the Elisabeth Prize. Orth's legacy will continue to remain alive in the common memory. Today it is considered one of the great personalities in Austrian theater history.

The grief for Elisabeth Orth is large in the theater community and beyond. Your impressive career, your humanity and the values ​​for which you will be unforgettable will remain unforgettable.