Elisabeth Orth

Elisabeth Orth, born in Vienna in 1936, is the daughter of Paula Wessely and Attila Hörbiger. She began her career as a film editor, while studying languages and working as a director’s assistant. She then went on to study drama at the Max Reinhardt Seminar. She adopted her maternal grandmother’s maiden name, Orth, as her stage name. In 1968 she became a permanent member of the Burgtheater ensemble and has remained at the theatre ever since, with the exception of an engagement at the Schaubühne in Berlin from 1995 to 1999. In 2014 the Salzburg Festival presented Die letzten Tage der Menschheit (The Last Days of Mankind), a co-production with the Burgtheater, in which Elisabeth Orth played several roles. Besides her stage work, Orth is a familiar face in film and TV. She is also known as a vocal activist against anti-Semitism and xenophobia. In addition to many distinctions such as the Bad Hersfeld Critics’ Choice Award and the Bavarian State Award, Elisabeth Orth also took over the Liselotte Schreiner Ring from Judith Holzmeister. In 2006 she received the Golden Cross for Services rendered to the Federal State of Vienna, and in 2010 she was named Audio Drama Female Actor of the Year 2009. In 2014 she became an honorary member of the Burgtheater. After the passing of Annemarie Düringer, Elisabeth Orth was named the Burgtheater’s “doyenne” (a title given to the most senior and eminent ensemble member) in February 2015.