Johannes Krisch farewell ceremony set for September 9

A farewell ceremony for Austrian actor Johannes Krisch will take place on September 9 at 1 p.m. at the Simmering cremation hall, ORF reported. Krisch died on July 27 after a long, serious illness. His burial will take place later in the presence of close family members.

Krisch was a longtime ensemble member of Vienna’s Burgtheater and Theater in der Josefstadt. He also appeared in numerous films, including Götz Spielmann’s Oscar-nominated Revanche, Adrian Goiginger’s Märzengrund and Elisabeth Scharang’s literary adaptation Wald.

He also found success on television, appearing in David Schalko’s series Braunschlag and in Tatort. His performances combined intellectual character work with an accessible presence, a down-to-earth “Strizzi” attitude and the deliberate suggestion of inner abysses and despair.

Krisch received several awards during his career. In 2017, he won the Diagonale’s Grand Acting Award. He was named best male performer at the 2016 Austrian Film Awards for his portrayal of Jack Unterweger in Scharang’s film Jack. He was also awarded the professional title of Kammerschauspieler in 2017.

Born in Vienna on December 8, 1966, Krisch had suffered from health problems for several years. In 2012, he sustained a spinal injury and a torn diaphragm in a stage accident at a premiere in Berlin, falling nearly two metres because a staircase was missing. In 2023, he had to give up both his leading role in Peter Turrini’s premiere Es muss geschieden sein and his directorship of the Raimundspiele Gutenstein.