Franz Xaver Kroetz

He is also known for his role as the gossip columnist Baby Schimmerlos (roughly - Dull Baby) in the television series Kir Royal.

Life

Kroetz attended an acting school in Munich and the Max-Reinhardt-Seminar (acting and directing department of the University of Vienna). He worked as a day-laborer and was active in the German political party DKP, Germany Communist Party, from 1971 to 1980.

He became famous when in 1971 the premiere of his plays "Heimarbeit" (Home-work) and "Hartnäckig" (Persistent) were disrupted by neo-fascists. His plays in the 1970's portrayed people who had been rendered speechless by their own social misery. In the play "Das Nest" (The Nest), the protagonist is a truck driver. His boss orders him to dump toxic waste into a lake, thus soiling his "nest."

On March 5 1992, Kroetz married the actress Marie-Theres Relin. They have three children and live in Altenmarkt in Chiemgau.

Stage plays

• "Der Drang"
• "Heimarbeit", 1971
• "Hartnäckig", 1971
• "Wildwechsel", 1971
• "Lieber Fritz", 1972
• "Männersache", 1972
• "Stallerhof", 1972
• "Oberösterreich", 1972
• "Globales Interesse", 1972
• "Maria Magdalena", 1972
• "Münchner Kindl", 1973
• "Geisterbahn", 1975
• "Das Nest", 1975
• "Agnes Bernauer", 1977
• "Mensch Meier", 1978
• "Der stramme Max", 1980
• "Nicht Fisch nicht Fleisch", 1981

Films

• Series "Kir Royal"; this series was produced by WDR from 1984/85 but first appeared in 1986.

TRANSLATIONS into American: Stallerhof = Farmyard ;Michies Blut = Michi's Blood, Maennersache = Men's Business; Ein Mann ein Woerterbuch = A Man a Dictionary all translated by Michael Roloff, Urizen Books 1976 Request Concert Durch die Blaetter = Through the Leaves [the finall version of what started out as "Men's Business"] translated by Roger Downey; as was Das Nest = The Nest; there are also British translation of some of these and other Kroetz plays.

Awards

• Bertolt-Brecht-Literaturpreis 1995