Joachim Philipp Maria Meyerhoff (born 1967 in Homburg) is a German actor, director, and writer.

Life

Joachim Meyerhoff is the youngest son of Hermann Meyerhoff, who was the director of the psychiatric clinic in Hesterberg, Schleswig-Holstein, from 1972. The director's house was on the grounds of the clinic. Joachim spent his childhood with two older brothers on the clinic grounds in Schleswig-Holstein. At 17, he spent a year in

Laramie, Wyoming Laramie () is a List of municipalities in Wyoming, city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States, known for its high elevation at , for its railroad history, and as the home of the University of Wyoming. The population wa ...

. During this time, his middle brother was killed in an automobile accident. After his return, Joachim Meyerhoff completed his high school studies (

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

) and would have performed his compulsory community service as a swimming-pool supervisor at the

Rechts der Isar Hospital The Rechts der Isar Hospital (; "Hospital to the right of the Isar") is a hospital in the Haidhausen district of Munich, Germany. It is the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility of the TUM School of Medicine and Health. Overview ...

in Munich. Instead, he completed his training as an actor between 1989 and 1992 at the Otto Falckenberg School of the Performing Arts in Munich. After commitments at the

Staatstheater Kassel The Staatstheater Kassel is a state-owned and operated German theater in Kassel, Germany. The theatre employs around 500 people. The opera house has 953 seats, the Playhouse Theatre 540 seats and the Fridericianum 99 seats. With its total number ...

, in

Bielefeld Bielefeld () is a city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 341,755, it is also the most populous city in the administrative region () of Detmold (region), Detmold and the L ...

Dortmund Dortmund (; ; ) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the List of cities in Germany by population, ninth-largest city in Germany. With a population of 614,495 inhabitants, it is the largest city ...

and the

Bühnen der Stadt Köln Bühnen der Stadt Köln (engl.: Stages of the City of Cologne) is an umbrella term for different cultural institutions in Cologne. Schauspiel Köln and Cologne Opera The Cologne Opera (German language, German: Oper der Stadt Köln or Oper K� ...

, he joined the

Maxim Gorki Theater The Maxim Gorki Theatre () is a theatre in Berlin-Mitte named after the Soviet writer Maxim Gorky. In 2012, the Mayor of Berlin Klaus Wowereit named Şermin Langhoff as the artist director of the theatre. History It is the oldest concert hall bui ...

, Berlin in 2001, where he also frequently directed. In 2002, he moved to the Deutsche Schauspielhaus in Hamburg, where he stayed until 2005. He acted there in productions by

Volker Hesse Volker Hesse (born 30 December 1944) is a German Theatre producer. Between 2001 and 2006 he was the Theatrical Director at Berlin's Maxim Gorki Theater. More recently he has been working in Switzerland. Life Volker Hesse was born in the Hun ...

, Thomas Langhoff, Stefan Otteni,

Karin Beier Karin Beier (born 1965 in Cologne) is a German theatre director. Biography After studying English in Cologne, Karin Beier moved into theatre. She established an English language theatre and staged Shakespeare plays in their source language. Th ...

, Sebastian Hartmann and

Günter Krämer Günter Krämer (born December 2, 1940) is a German stage director, especially for opera, and a theatre manager who has staged internationally. Career Born in Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Krämer studied German language and literature and gain ...

. Since September 2005, Joachim Meyerhoff has been an ensemble member of the

Burgtheater The Burgtheater (; literally: "Castle Theater" but alternatively translated as "(Imperial) Court Theater", originally known as '' K.K. Theater an der Burg'', then until 1918 as the ''K.K. Hofburgtheater'', is the national theater of Austria in ...

in Vienna. At the beginning of the 2013 season, he returned to the Deutsche Schauspielhaus under the leadership of artistic director

. However, he remains a member of the Viennese Burgtheater. In addition to his work as an actor, Meyerhoff has frequently conceived his own programs. His project ''Alle Toten fliegen hoch'' regularly played at the Burgtheater Vienna to a full audience. In this autobiographical, six-part program, Meyerhoff tells the story of his life and family. He tells of his siblings, his grandparents in Munich, his father, the director of a child and youth psychiatric clinic in Schleswig, his upbringing on the grounds on the institution, and his exchange year in America. He was invited to perform the first three parts of the series at the Berliner Theatertreffen 2009. In 2011, the first part (''Amerika'') was published as a book by

Kiepenheuer & Witsch Kiepenheuer & Witsch is a German publishing house, established in 1948 by Joseph C. Witsch and Gustav Kiepenheuer. The partners initially held 30% and 40% of the company's share capital respectively. The publisher is based in Cologne, Germany an ...

. In 2006 and 2007, Meyerhoff was nominated for the Nestroy-Preis. He was chosen as Actor of the Year in 2007 for playing the role of Hamlet at the

Schauspielhaus Zürich The Schauspielhaus Zürich () is one of the most prominent and important theatres in the history of German-speaking theater. It is also known as "Pfauenbühne" (Peacock Stage). The large theatre has 750 seats. The also operates three stages ...

and the role of Benedict in Jan Bosse's production of Shakespeare's ''

Much Ado about Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' (W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. ...

''. He received the 2011 Franz-Tumler-Literaturpreis and the 2012 advancement award of the Bremer Literaturpreis for his novel ''Alle Toten fliegen hoch. Amerika''. In 2014, he was recognized for his work in the role of Arnolphe in ''

The School for Wives ''The School for Wives'' (; ) is a theatrical comedy written by the seventeenth century French playwright Molière and considered by some critics to be one of his finest achievements. It was first staged at the Palais Royal theatre on 26 Decem ...

'' (Schauspielhaus Hamburg, producer: Herbert Fritsch) with the Rolf-Mares-Preis. In 2015, his interpretation of Kreon in Jette Steckel's production of ''

Antigone ANTIGONE (Algorithms for coNTinuous / Integer Global Optimization of Nonlinear Equations), is a deterministic global optimization solver for general Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Programs (MINLP). History ANTIGONE is an evolution of GloMIQO, a global ...

''at the Burgtheater was praised by the public and press. Meyerhoff is the grandson of the actor Inge Birkmann, whose second marriage was to the philosopher Hermann Krings. Meyerhoff has two daughters by Christiane von Poelnitz, who is an actor at the Burgtheater. In 2017 Meyerhoff suffered a stroke.

Roles in theater

Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg * 2002: ''

Hedda Gabler ''Hedda Gabler'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage.Meyer, Michael Lever ...

'' by

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

, director: Sandra Strunz * 2003: ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...

'' by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, director: Jürgen Gosch * 2002: ''Vorher/Nachher'' by Roland Schimmelpfennig, director: Jürgen Gosch * 2004: ''

Waiting for Godot ''Waiting for Godot'' ( or ) is a 1953 play by Irish writer and playwright Samuel Beckett, in which the two main characters, Vladimir (Waiting for Godot), Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo), engage in a variety of discussions and encounters w ...

'' by

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...

, director: Jan Bosse * 2004: ''

The Broken Jug ''The Broken Jug'' (, , also sometimes translated ''The Broken Pitcher'') is a comedy written by the German playwright Heinrich von Kleist. Kleist first conceived the idea for the play in 1801 after looking at a copper engraving in Heinrich Zsch ...

'' by

Heinrich von Kleist Bernd Heinrich Wilhelm von Kleist (; 18 October 177721 November 1811) was a German poet, dramatist, novelist, short story writer and journalist. His best known works are the theatre plays ''The Prince of Homburg'', '' Das Käthchen von Heilbronn'' ...

, director: Jürgen Gosch * 2004: ''Mephisto'' in ''

Faust Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...

,'' Part I by

Johann Wolfgang Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on literary, political, and philosoph ...

, director: Jan Bosse Schauspielhaus Zürich * 2007: ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'' by

, role: Hamlet, director: Jan Bosse Burgtheater Vienna * 2005: ''Wir wollen den Messias jetzt oder Die beschleunigte Familie'' by

Franzobel Franzobel is the pseudonym of the Austrian writer (Franz) Stefan Griebl. He was born on 1 March 1967 in Vöcklabruck, Upper Austria. In 1997, he won the Wolfgang Weyrauch Prize and in 1998, the Kassel Literary Prize, amongst numerous other lit ...

, role: Jesus, Regie:

* 2005: ''

Philistines Philistines (; LXX: ; ) were ancient people who lived on the south coast of Canaan during the Iron Age in a confederation of city-states generally referred to as Philistia. There is compelling evidence to suggest that the Philistines origi ...

'' by

Maxim Gorky Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (; – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (; ), was a Russian and Soviet writer and proponent of socialism. He was nominated five times for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Before his success as an aut ...

, role: Tetrew, director:

* 2006: ''

Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso ( , also , ; 11 March 154425 April 1595) was an Italian poet of the 16th century, known for his 1591 poem ''Gerusalemme liberata'' (Jerusalem Delivered), in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between ...

'' by

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

, role: Alfons II, Duke of Ferrara, director: Stephan Kimmig * 2006: ''

Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' (W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. ...

'' by

, role: Benedikt, director: Jan Bosse,

Salzburger Festspiele The Salzburg Festival () is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer, for five weeks starting in late July, in Salzburg, Austria, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart's operas are a focus of ...

* 2006: ''Höllenangst'' by

Johann Nestroy Johann Nepomuk Eduard Ambrosius Nestroy (; 7 December 1801 – 25 May 1862) was a singer, actor and playwright in the popular Austrian tradition of the Biedermeier period and its immediate aftermath. He participated in the 1848 revolutions and ...

, role: Thuming, director: Martin Kušej (coproduction with the Salzburger Festspielen) * 2007: ''

The Tempest ''The Tempest'' is a Shakespeare's plays, play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1610–1611, and thought to be one of the last plays that he wrote alone. After the first scene, which takes place on a ship at sea during a tempest, th ...

'' by

, role: Ariel, director: Barbara Frey * 2007: ''

The Brothers Karamazov ''The Brothers Karamazov'' ( rus, Братья Карамазовы, Brat'ya Karamazovy, ˈbratʲjə kərɐˈmazəvɨ), also translated as ''The Karamazov Brothers'', is the last novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky spent nearly ...

'' by

Fyodor Dostoyevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. () was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist and journalist. He is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in both Russian literature, Russian and world literature, and many of his works are consider ...

, role: Iwan, director:

Nicolas Stemann Nicolas Stemann (born 1968 in Hamburg, West Germany) is a German theatre director. He is best known for directing the 2002 stage production of ''Hamlet'' at Schauspiel Hannover, a theatre in Hanover. Career Stemann studied German literature and ...

* 2008: ''

God of Carnage ''God of Carnage'' (originally in French ''Le Dieu du carnage'') is a play by Yasmina Reza that was first published in 2008. It is about two sets of parents; the son of one couple has hurt the son of the other couple at a public park. The parents ...

'' by

Yasmina Reza Yasmina Reza (; born 1 May 1959) is a French playwright, actress, novelist and screenwriter best known for her plays ''Art (play), 'Art and ''God of Carnage''. Many of her brief satiric plays have reflected on contemporary middle-class issues. ...

, role: Alain Reille, director: Dieter Giesing * 2008: ''

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' is a play by Edward Albee first staged in October 1962. It examines the complexities of the marriage of middle-aged couple Martha and George. Late one evening, after a university faculty party, they rece ...

'' by

Edward Albee Edward Franklin Albee III ( ; March 12, 1928 – September 16, 2016) was an American playwright known for works such as ''The Zoo Story'' (1958), ''The Sandbox (play), The Sandbox'' (1959), ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1962), ''A Delicat ...

, role: George, director: Jan Bosse * 2009: ''Mea Culpa – Eine ReadyMadeOper'' by

Christoph Schlingensief Christoph Maria Schlingensief (24 October 1960 – 21 August 2010) was a German theatre director, performance artist, and filmmaker. Starting as an independent underground filmmaker, Schlingensief later staged productions for theatres and festiva ...

, director:

* 2009: ''

Faust I ''Faust: A Tragedy'' (, , or aust. The tragedy's first part is the first part of the Tragedy, tragic Play (theatre), play ''Goethe's Faust, Faust'' by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and is considered by many as the greatest work of German liter ...

'' in place of the injured

Gert Voss Gert Voss (10 October 1941 – 13 July 2014) was a German actor. He was known for his roles in '' Labyrinth of Lies'' (2014), '' Sometime in August'' (2009) and ' (1987). He was member of the ensemble of the Burgtheater, and a ''Kammerschausp ...

, director: Matthias Hartmann * 2009: '' Faust II'', director: Matthias Hartmann * 2010: ''

Othello ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...

'' by

, role: Othello, director: Jan Bosse * 2010: ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

'' by

, role: Malvolio, director: Matthias Hartmann * 2011: '' Professor Bernhardi'' by

Arthur Schnitzler Arthur Schnitzler (15 May 1862 – 21 October 1931) was an Austrian author and dramatist. He is considered one of the most significant representatives of Viennese Modernism. Schnitzler’s works, which include psychological dramas and narratives ...

, role: Prof. Bernhardi, director: Dieter Giesing * 2011: ''

The Commune ''The Commune'' () is a 2016 Danish drama film directed by Thomas Vinterberg. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival. At Berlin, Trine Dyrholm won the Silver Bear for Best Actress. It was na ...

'', by Mogens Rukov,

Thomas Vinterberg Thomas Vinterberg (; born 19 May 1969) is a Danish film director who, along with Lars von Trier, co-founded the Dogme 95 movement in filmmaking, which established rules for simplifying movie production. He is best known for the films '' The Cele ...

role: Erik, director:

* 2012: ''

Robinson Crusoe ''Robinson Crusoe'' ( ) is an English adventure novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. Written with a combination of Epistolary novel, epistolary, Confessional writing, confessional, and Didacticism, didactic forms, the ...

'', role: Robinson Crusoe, director: Jan Bosse * 2012: ''Der Ignorant und der Wahnsinnige'' by

Thomas Bernhard Nicolaas Thomas Bernhard (; 9 February 1931 – 12 February 1989) was an Austrian novelist, playwright, poet and polemicist who is considered one of the most important German-language authors of the postwar era. He explored themes of death, iso ...

, role: Doktor * 2013: ''Tartuffe'' by Molière, role: Tartuffe, producer: Luc Bondy * 2014: Dantons Tod by Georg Büchner, role: Danton, director: Jan Bosse * 2015: ''

The Imaginary Invalid ''The Imaginary Invalid'', ''The Hypochondriac'', or ''The Would-Be Invalid'' ( French title ''Le Malade imaginaire'', ) is a three- act ''comédie-ballet'' by the French playwright Molière with dance sequences and musical interludes ( H.495, H ...

'' by Molière, role: Argan, director: Herbert Fritsch * 2016: Bella Figura by

, role: Boris, director: Dieter Giesing * 2017: Die Welt im Rücken by Thomas Melle, director: Jan Bosse

As director

* 2001: ''

Venedikt Yerofeyev Venedikt Vasilyevich Yerofeyev, also Benedict Erofeev or Erofeyev (; 24 October 1938 in Niva-3 Human settlement, settlement, suburb of Kandalaksha – 11 May 1990 in Moscow) was a Russian writer and Soviet dissident. Biography Yerofeyev was born ...

's Moskau – Petuschki'' * 2003: '' Erich Kästner's Fabian'' * 2005: ''Wann wird es endlich wieder so, wie es nie war?'' * 2006: ''Marathon: 2:04:55'' * 2007–2009: ''Alle Toten fliegen hoch'' (parts 1–3 were invited to the Berliner Theatertreffen 2009) ** 2007: ''Alle Toten fliegen hoch, Teil 1: Amerika'' ** 2008: ''Alle Toten fliegen hoch, Teil 2: Zuhause in der Psychiatrie'' ** 2008: ''Alle Toten fliegen hoch, Teil 3: Die Beine meiner Großmutter'' ** 2008: ''Alle Toten fliegen hoch, Teil 4: Theorie und Praxis'' ** 2009: ''Alle Toten fliegen hoch, Teil 5: Heute wärst Du zwölf'' ** 2009: ''Alle Toten fliegen hoch, Teil 6: Ach diese Lücke, diese entsetzliche Lücke''

Roles on film

* 2005: ''

Tatort ("Crime Scene") is a German-language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with 30 feature-length episodes per year, making it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by the German public-se ...

– Stille Tage'', director: Thomas Jauch * 2005: ''

Doppelter Einsatz ''Doppelter Einsatz'' is a German television series. This classic series starred Despina Pajanou as one of the two titular female, Hamburg police officers. Her partner changed over the seasons. See also *List of German television series The ...

– Seitensprung in den Tod'', director:

Peter Patzak Peter Patzak (2 January 1945 – 11 March 2021) was an Austrian film director and screenwriter. He directed 60 films from 1973 to 2021. His film ''Kassbach – Ein Porträt'' was entered into the 29th Berlin International Film Festival and his f ...

* 2011: ', as American Director * 2017: ', director:

Detlev Buck Detlev Buck (; born 1 December 1962 in Bad Segeberg) is a German film director, actor, producer and screenwriter. Life and work Buck made his first short film, ', in 1982, and his first feature, '' Karniggels'', in 1991. He often makes cameo a ...

Literary works

* ''Amerika''. (Alle Toten fliegen hoch. No. 1), Cologne 2011, * ''Wann wird es endlich wieder so, wie es nie war''. (Alle Toten fliegen hoch. No. 2), Cologne 2013, * ''Ach, diese Lücke, diese entsetzliche Lücke''. (Alle Toten fliegen hoch. No. 3), Cologne 2015, * ''Die Zweisamkeit der Einzelgänger''. (Alle Toten fliegen hoch. No. 4), Cologne 2017, * ''Hamster im hinteren Stromgebiet''. (Alle Toten fliegen hoch. No. 5), Cologne 2020, * ''Man kann auch in die Höhe fallen ''. (Alle Toten fliegen hoch. No. 6). Cologne 2024,

Prizes

* 2006:

Nestroy Theatre Prize The Nestroy Theatre Prize is an Austrian theatre award named after the poet Johann Nestroy. In 2000, the city of Vienna decided to combine two less noticed theatre awards: the Kainz Medal and the Nestroy Ring for Viennese Satire. The prize honours ...

– Nominated – Best Actor for ''Schauspielerische Gesamtleistung in der Saison 2005/06'' * 2007: Nestroy Theatre Prize – Nominated – Best Actor for Benedict in Much Ado About Nothing * 2007: Schauspieler des Jahres – Critic's Prize from the trade journal ''

Theater heute ''Theater heute'' (German: ''Theatre Today'') is a German language monthly magazine with a special focus on theatre. The magazine is based in Berlin, Germany, and has been in circulation since 1960. History and profile ''Theater heute'' was foun ...

'' * 2011: Nestroy Theatre Prize – Nominated – Best Actor for Professor Bernhardi in ''Professor Bernhardi'' * 2012: Nestroy Theatre Prize – Best Actor for Erek in ''The Commune'' * 2012: Advancement Prize of the Bremer Literaturpreis for his novel ''Alle Toten fliegen hoch. Amerika'' * 2014: Rolf-Mares-Preis – Outstanding service as actor in ''The School of Wives'', Schauspielhaus Hamburg * 2016: Nicolas Born Prize (Inaugural prize) * 2016: Euregio-Schüler-Literaturpreis for ''Wann wird es endlich wieder so, wie es nie war'' * 2017: Carl Zuckmayer Medal. * 2017:

Deutscher Hörbuchpreis Deutscher Hörbuchpreis (German Audiobook Prize) is a literary prize of Germany. Best of all * 2003: Isaak Babel: ''Die Reiterarmee.'' '' Red Cavalry'' * 2004: Flann O'Brien: ''Auf Schwimmen-zwei-Vögel.'' ''At Swim-Two-Birds'' Kein & Aber Rec ...

in the category "Best Discussion" for his reading ''Ach, diese Lücke, diese entsetzliche Lücke''. * 2017: Election to the

Academy of Arts, Berlin The Academy of Arts () is a state arts institution in Berlin, Germany. The task of the Academy is to promote art, as well as to advise and support the states of Germany. The academy's predecessor organization was founded in 1696 by Elector F ...

* 2017: Schauspieler des Jahres * 2019: Gustaf Gründgens Prize

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meyerhoff, Joachim 1967 births Living people German male film actors Members of the Academy of Arts, Berlin 21st-century German novelists People from Homburg, Saarland Male actors from Saarland