Austrian caberet performer, writer, actor, stage director, television presenter
Werner Schneyder (25 January 1937 – 2 March 2019) was an Austrian kabarett performer, journalist, writer, actor, stage director, television presenter and sports reporter. He performed political kabarett with Dieter Hildebrandt from 1974 to 1982, with an extra program presented in Leipzig, then in the GDR, in 1985. He moderated "das aktuelle sportstudio" on ZDF from 1975, and a series about boxing for RTL from 1992 to 1999. He described himself as a "Universaldilettant" (all-round amateur).
Life and career.
Schneyder was born in Graz. His father came from Vienna, and his mother from Karlsbad. He grew up in Klagenfurt. Schneyder studied publicism ("Publizistikwissenschaft") and art history in Vienna from 1954, and worked at the same time as a freelance journalist for sports and local news, and as a singer in bars. After earning a PhD, he wrote for advertising agencies and was a dramaturge at the Salzburger Landestheater from 1962, then for the Landestheater Linz. He was a freelance writer from 1965, writing and directing radio features and working for newspapers.
Schneyder lived in Vienna and at the Millstätter See. He was married to his wife Ilse from 1961 to 2005, when she died of cancer. Their son Achim (born in Salzburg in 1964) became a writer and journalist. Schneyder married Regine Bulling in Spittal an der Drau in 2011. Schneyder was found dead in his home in Vienna on 2 March 2019. He was cremated at Feuerhalle Simmering, his ashes are buried in Vienna Central Cemetery.
Kabarett.
In 1973, Kurt Weinzierl saw Schneyder, and recommended him as a partner for Dieter Hildebrandt, whose political kabarett Münchner Lach- und Schießgesellschaft had been dissolved the previous year. They formed a duo in April 1974 and presented five programs in eight years: "Talk täglich", "Lametta &amp; Co.", "Wie abgerissen", "Keine Fragen mehr", "Ende der Spielzeit". They performed together until 1982. They appeared once more in 1985, presenting in an already unstable GDR the program "Zugabe Leipzig" (Leipzig encore).
Schneyder appeared a final time on 25 January 2017, his 80th birthday, playing "Das war's von mir" at the Akademietheater of the Vienna Burgtheater.
Literature.
Schneyder wrote aphorisms, short stories ("Erzählungen"), poems and satire. He wrote a literary portrait of Erich Kästner, "Erich Kästner – ein brauchbarer Autor", in 1982. He published poems in "Reimzeit" (time for rhyming) and essays titled "Ansichten eines Solisten".
Sports.
Schneyder was a sports journalist from the time he was a student. When he worked in kabarett, he had contacts to the television station ZDF, resulting in a position as moderator of "das aktuelle sportstudio" from 1975. Beginning with the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, he commentated on boxing at the Olympics on ZDF, also from the 1988 games in Seoul and the 1992 games in Barcelona. From 1992 to 1999, he commented on boxing for RTL. During his years with Hildebrandt, he was goalkeeper for the FC Schmiere, a football team of the kabarett, and small theatre scene of that time.
Awards.
Schneyder received the Johann Nestroy Ring of Vienna in 1981, the Deutscher Kabarettpreis, the Bayerischer Kabarettpreis ("Ehrenpreis") in 2008, the star of satire on the Walk of Fame of Cabaret in Berlin also in 2008, the Salzburger Lebensstier for his life achievements in 2010, the "Großes Verdienstzeichen" of Land Wien in 2005, the Goldener Rathausmann of Vienna, and the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art in 2012.
Recordings.
LPs.
Recordings by Schneyder are held by the German National Library, including:
References.
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