Peter Simonischek, the Austrian actor who starred in the movie Toni Erdmann and was known for his work on theatre stages, in films and on TV, has died at the age of 76.
Austrian public broadcaster ORF, German news agency dpa, and other media outlets in Austria and Germany reported the news on Tuesday without immediately detailing a cause of death. The Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria also tweeted that Simonischek, a member of its ensemble and an honorary member of the theater, had died overnight.
The actor regularly appeared at the Salzburg Festival, where he was known for playing the title role in the play Jedermann (Everyman), which the festival has put on regularly, numerous times. For his role in Maren Ade’s 2016 oddball dramedy and Oscar nominee Toni Erdmann, opposite Sandra Hüller, Simonischek won the German Film Award, or Lola, and the European Film Award for best actor. Among others, he was also nominated for a London Critics Circle Film Awards, as well as a Toronto Film Critics Association Awards.
In a review of Toni Erdmann for THR, Leslie Felperin wrote: “Ade plays an especially adept game herself as she manipulates, aided and abetted by intricately layered performances from Simonischek and Hüller, audience sympathy for these at-first irritating, perhaps even hugely unlikable characters who grow soft sides and sweet spots over the course of the film.”
Simonischek, born on Aug. 6, 1946 in Graz, Austria, was also honored with awards in the German-speaking world. For example, he won the prestigious Grimme Preis for German TV productions twice.