Philipp Hochmair (German pronunciation: [ˈfɪǀɪp ˈhoːxmɑɪɐ]; born 16 October 1973) is an Austrian theater, film and television actor.
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Early life
Hochmair grew up in Vienna where he discovered his passion for literature, film and theater. He studied acting at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna in the master class of Klaus Maria Brandauer and at the Conservatoire National Supérieur d'Art Dramatique in Paris.
Career
Theater
From 2003 to 2009 Hochmair was engaged at the Viennese Burgtheater (admitted in the gallery of honor). When he left the Burgtheater in 2009, he worked at the Thalia Theater in Hamburg until 2016. Apart from this, he had engagements at the Schauspielhaus Hamburg, Staatstheater Hannover, Volksbühne Berlin and at the Zürich Schauspielhaus.
Since summer 2024, Hochmair took on the role of “Everyman“ in the play of a rich man´s death by Hugo von Hofmannstahl (Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Jedermann), at the Salzburg Festival under the direction of Robert Carsen.
Movies and TV
He has appeared in Austrian and German movies, TV-films and television series, including Die Manns – ein Jahrhundertroman (directed by Heinrich Breloer: 30th International Emmy Awards), The Shine of the Day (by Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel), Die Auslöschung (director: Nicholas Leytner), Tomcat (by Händl Klaus) and Animals (directed by Greg Zglinksi).
Candelaria - Ein kubanischer Sommer (2017) is one of his first international productions. Directed by Jhonny Hendrix Hinestroza, it was shot in Cuba in 2016.
In the series Vorstadtweiber (2015-2022), he plays a corrupt and cynical homosexual politician, who loses his mind and becomes a murderer.
In the third season of Charité (German-Netflix-Production, 2020), Hochmair stars as Professor Otto Prokop, an Austrian forensic pathologist who was internationally recognized for his influence on forensic medicine and research policy during the German Democratic Republic era.
Blind ermittelt (since 2018) centers on Hochmair's character Alexander Haller, a blind ex-police investigator.
In the Netflix-Series Freud (2019), he plays an evil count obsessed by dark powers.
Die Wannseekonferenz (2022, directed by Matti Geschonneck) is a multi-award winning German TV docudrama: On January 20, 1942, leading representatives of the Nazi regime meet at Wannsee in Berlin at the invitation of Reinhard Heydrich (played by Hochmair). The meeting will go down in history as the infamous Wannsee Conference. The sole topic of discussion is the so-called "Final Solution of the Jewish Question" by the National Socialists: the organization of the systematic mass murder of the Jews of Europe by the millions.
Other projects
Hochmair has performed his solo projects Werther! (by Goethe), The Trial and America, (both by Franz Kafka).
Jedermann Reloaded is Hochmair's rock interpretation of Hugo von Hofmannsthal's original play Jedermann, which he performs with his band Die Elektrohand Gottes on stage. With his band, he has also set ballads by Friedrich Schiller to music in a rock style (Schiller Balladen Rave) and in The Bachelors by Adalbert Stifter.
In November 2018, Hochmair and his band performed Jedermann Reloaded at the Viennese St. Stephen's Cathedral. All proceeds of this sold-out charity event went to a South African AIDS hospice.
Theater (selection)
Burgtheater Vienna
2003: The Works (Das Werk) by Elfriede Jelinek – Peter; directed by Nicolas Stemann
2004: Bérénice de Molière by Igor Bauersima – Jean Racine; directed by Igor Bauersima
2005: Babel by Elfriede Jelinek; directed by Nicolas Stemann
2005: Underground Blues (Untertagblues) by Peter Handke – A wild man; directed by Friederike Heller
2006: Torquato Tasso by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe – Torquato Tasso, court poets; directed by Stephan Kimmig
2006: They Are Dying Out (Die Unvernünftigen sterben aus) by Peter Handke – Hermann Quitt; directed by Friederike Heller
2007: The Trial (Der Prozess) by Franz Kafka – Joseph K.; directed by Andrea Gerk and Philipp Hochmair
2007: The Lost (Spuren der Verirrten) by Peter Handke; directed by Friederike Heller
2007: The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky; directed by Nicolas Stemann
2008: Doctor Faustus – my love is a fever based on Thomas Mann; directed by Friederike Heller
Deutsches Theater Berlin
2007: Don Carlos by Friedrich Schiller – Don Carlos; directed by Nicolas Stemann
2008: The Trial (Der Prozess) by Franz Kafka – Joseph K.; takeover of the production from Burgtheater Vienna, directed by Andrea Gerk and Philipp Hochmair
Selected filmography
Film
1996: Lucie Aubrac by Claude Berri: German soldier
2000: The Experiment by Oliver Hirschbiegel: Lars
2005: Winter Journey by Hans Steinbichler: Xaver Brenninger
2010: Day and Night by Sabine Derflinger: Mario
2011: The Fatherless by Marie Kreutzer: Niki
2012: The Shine of the Day by Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel: Philipp Hochmair
2013: Talea by Katharina Mückstein: Stefan
2016: Tomcat by Klaus Händl: Andreas
2017: Animals by Greg Zglinski: Nick
2017: Candelaria by Jhonny Hendrix Hinestroza: El Carpintero
2019: Glück gehabt by Peter Payer: Artur
2019: All my loving by Edward Berger: Nico
2019: Ich war noch niemals in New York by Philipp Stölzl: Doctor
2020: Das Glaszimmer by Christian Lerch: Feik
2024: Der Soldat Monika by Paul Poet: The other Monika
Television
1999-2022: Tatort: Bogdan / Jan Beckern / Peter Altmann / Paul Schemerl / Wolfgang / Schöller
1999: Bella Block: Blinde Liebe by Sherry Hormann
2000: The Manns - Novel of a Century by Heinrich Breloer: Golo Mann
2003: Doppelter Einsatz: Die Wahrheit stirbt zuletzt by Dror Zahavi: Hannes Jessen
2008: SOKO Donau: Nachts kaum Abkühlung by Erwin Keusch: Fipsi Galen
2012: The Extinction by Nikolaus Leytner: Theo
2013: Ein starkes Team: Die Frau des Freundes by Maris Pfeiffer: Sebastian Hauser
2014: Madame Nobel by Urs Egger: Arthur von Suttner
2014: Clara Immerwahr by Harald Sicheritz: David Sachs
2015: Polizeiruf 110: Wendemanöver by Eoin Moore: Joseph Tischendorf
2015: Kleine große Stimme by Wolfgang Murnberger: Hans Reschke
2015-2022: Vorstadtweiber (TV Series): Dr. Joachim Schnitzler
2016: Solo für Weiss: Das verschwundene Mädchen by Thomas Berger: Matthias Matter
2017: Ein Sommer im Allgäu by Jeanette Wagner: Pirmin
2018: Deutschland 86 (TV Series) by Florian Cossen, Arne Feldhusen: Frank Winkelmann
Documentary
2020: Philipp Hochmair - Eine Reise mit Jedermann by Bernadette Schugg, Philipp Hochmair
2021: Jedermann und ich by Katharina Pethke
2021: Jedermann auf Reisen by Wolfgang Tonninger
2023: Jedermann und Ich - Ein Porträt in 3 Kapiteln by Philipp Hochmair and Katharina Pethke
2024: Philipp Hochmair: Zwischen Himmel und Hölle by Hannes Michael Schalle
2026: Wien bei Nacht: Das wilde Leben nach 1945 by Alexandra Venier
Literature
Katharina von der Leyen, Philipp Hochmair: Hochmair, wo bist du?. Biograph. Brandstätter Verlag 2025
Awards and nominations
In 2017, Hochmair won the Diagonale Festival Award in Graz for his performance in Tomcat.
In 2019, he won the Austrian Television Award ROMY for his role Alexander Haller, the blind ex-commissioner in Blind ermittelt.
In 2022, he won the Austrian Television Award ROMY for his role Reinhard Heydrich in The Conference.
In 2022, he was nominated in the category Best Actor for the German Television Award for The Conference.
In 2023, he won the Grimme-Preis for The Conference.
In 2024 he won the Retrospective and Honorary Award at the Film Festival Kitzbühel.
In 2024 he won the Cross Over Award at the Austrian Music Theater Award (Österreichischer Musiktheaterpreis).
In 2025, he won the Austrian Television Award ROMY for Jedermann at the Salzburg Festival.