Erwin Steinhauer Celebrates 75th Birthday

Early Cabaret Roots and Stage Breakthroughs

Before establishing himself as a fixture of Austrian culture, Steinhauer pursued a degree in German and history for teaching following his Matura, as reported by ORF. He left those studies behind to enter the world of cabaret. In 1974, he co-founded the cabaret group “Keif” alongside Wolfgang Teuschl, Erich Demmer, and Alfred Rubatschek, with Lukas Resetarits joining a few years later. Steinhauer went on to perform at the Vienna cabaret Simpl and the Kom(m)ödchen in Düsseldorf. He debuted his first solo program, “Entlassen!”, in 1982, followed by productions such as “Café Plem-Plem” and “Auf der Schaufel”. Following a nine-year hiatus, he returned to the stage alongside Heinz Marecek for the program “Was lachen Sie?”, which audiences continue to watch 25 years later, according to ORF.

Extensive Film, Television, and Theater Credits

Steinhauer has appeared in dozens of radio plays and more than 100 film and television productions, according to ORF. His screen credits include “Single Bells” and Xaver Schwarzenberger’s 1998 comedy “Stella di Mare – Hilfe, wir erben ein Schiff!”—where a supposed dream yacht turns out to be a rusty fishing boat. He also brought Alfred Komarek’s introverted rural gendarmerie inspector Simon Polt to life on screen, a role that earned him widespread recognition including the Romy award for most popular Austrian actor in 2002. More recently, viewers have seen him in Thomas Stipsits’ comedy “Griechenland”, as the Archbishop of Munich in the miniseries “Himmel, Herrgott, Sakrament”, and in the Salzburger Landkrimi “Dunkle Wasser”, according to ORF.

On stage, Steinhauer was an ensemble member at the Burgtheater from 1982 to 1988, taking on roles including the “Herr Karl”. His theatrical footprint extends across major Austrian venues, including the Volkstheater for “Bauer als Millionär”, the Theater an der Wien as Frosch in “Die Fledermaus”, the Salzburg Festival as Mammon in “Jedermann”, and the Landestheater Niederösterreich as “Bockerer”, as reported by ORF.

Extensive Honors and Awards

Throughout his career, Steinhauer has collected numerous accolades for his stage and screen work. According to ORF, he received the Salzburger Stier in 1983 for his solo program “Kopf hoch”, followed by the Austrian Cabaret Award (Österreichischer Kleinkunstpreis) in 1986 and 2004, as well as the Ybbser Spaßvogel. For portraying the Weinviertel gendarme Simon Polt, he won the Special Prize of the German Academy of Performing Arts in 2002 alongside his Romy award. Theatre work brought him the Karl-Skraup-Preis, while public honors include the Golden Decorations of Honor from Vienna and Burgenland, and the Grand Gold Decoration of Honor of the Province of Lower Austria. In 2016, he received the Diagonale Acting Award for his performance as a war reporter in “Thank You For Bombing”, according to ORF.

ORF Birthday Programming Schedule

To celebrate the actor’s 75th birthday, ORF has scheduled a comprehensive lineup of broadcasts across its television and streaming platforms in September 2026. The programming blocks open on September 12 with “Stella di Mare” and the 2013 comedy “Dinner for Two”, which features Marianne Mendt and Gisela Schneeberger. On September 16, the artist portrait series “Orte der Kindheit” features Steinhauer visiting locations from his youth alongside cultural host Peter Schneeberger, followed by the 2008 crime comedy “Der Täter”. Additional broadcasts include his appearance on Patrick Budgen’s “Hinter den Schlagzeilen” on September 18 and Erhard Riedlsperger’s “Die Spielerin” starring Hannelore Elsner.

On his actual birthday, September 19, ORF 2 schedules a morning broadcast of the 2017 district portrait “Mein Alsergrund – mit Erwin Steinhauer durch den 9. Bezirk”, where the actor revisits his childhood memories as an altar boy at the Lichtentaler Church. The day continues with Nils Willbrandt’s 2017 tragicomedy “Für dich dreh ich die Zeit zurück” alongside Gisela Schneeberger, Daniel Glattauers bestseller adaptation “Die Wunderübung” with Aglaia Szyszkowitz and Devid Striesow, and the documentary “Wasser für die Kaiserstadt – Die Wiener Hochquellenleitung”. The evening features the portrait “Erwin Steinhauer – Ein Roadmovie zum Geburtstag”, featuring his son and fellow actor Matthias Franz Stein, concluding with a marathon of the Simon Polt films “Polt.”, “Polt muss weinen” and “Blumen für Polt”.