 josef meinrad (april 21, 1913 â february 18, 1996) was an austrian actor. josef meinrad was born josef mouÄka in vienna, as the fourth and youngest child of the tram driver franz mouÄka and his second wife katharina. for his secondary education, he received a scholarship in a school run by redemptorists in katzelsdorf near wiener neustadt. at first, he wanted to become a priest, but he left the boarding school in 1929 and became a clerk, while taking acting lessons. he made his public acting debut in 1930, by which time he called himself josef meinrad. his first brief engagement at the burgtheater was in 1939, he then played at the salzburg festival in 1947. later that year, meinrad became a full-time permanent member of the burgtheater company and was part of that ensemble until his 65th birthday in 1978; he played 195 roles on that stage. meinrad was the keeper of the iffland-ring, which for 200 years has been given to the most important actor of the german-speaking theatre; he passed the ring on to bruno ganz. from 1950 until his death he was married to germaine renÃ©e clement, who died in 2006. meinrad died in 1996 from cancer, aged 82, in groÃgmain and is buried there. ==honours and awards==  * 1955: appointed kammerschauspieler * 1959: iffland ring * 1961: blue ribbon award from the national council screen * 1963: kainz medal * 1963: austrian cross of honour for science and art, 1st class * 1973: honorary member of the vienna burgtheater * 1980: honorary ring of the city of bregenz * 1983: raymund ring of the federal ministry for education, arts and culture * 1983: honorary ring of the vienna * 1985: nestroy ring * 1997: josef meinrad-platz near the vienna burgtheater == films == * die welt dreht sich verkehrt, 1947 * fregola (1948) * anni (1948) * der prozeÃ, 1948 (see: tiszaeszlÃ¡r blood libel) * rendezvous im salzkammergut, 1948 * das siegel gottes, 1949 * prÃ¤mien auf den tod, 1950 * jetzt schlÃ¤gt's 13, 1950 * erzherzog johanns groÃe liebe, 1950 * der verschwender, 1953 * weg in die vergangenheit, 1954 * sissi, 1955 * sarajevo (1955) * don giovanni, 1955 * die deutschmeister, 1955 * der kongreÃ tanzt, 1956 * opernball, 1956 * sissi â die junge kaiserin, 1956 * die trapp-familie, 1956 (cf. the sound of music) * august, der halbstarke, 1957 * familie schimek, 1957 * goodbye, franziska (1957) * sissi â schicksalsjahre einer kaiserin, 1957 * die halbzarte'
1913_births 1996_deaths 20th-century_Austrian_male_actors Austrian_male_film_actors Austrian_male_stage_actors Austrian_male_voice_actors Austrian_people_of_Czech_descent Cancer_deaths_in_Austria Iffland-Ring Male_actors_from_Vienna Recipients_of_the_Austrian_Cross_of_Honour_for_Science_and_Art,_1st_class