Almost 23 years ago, Bruno Ganz accepted the legendary Iffland-Ring as the best German-speaking actor - touched and with soft knees, as the then 55-year-old confessed in May 1996 during the festive matinee in the Vienna Burgtheater. The three months earlier died Austrian folk actor Josef Meinrad Ganz had determined in his legacy as a new winner of the prize.

Now Bruno Ganz died at the age of 77 years in Zurich. And so the question arises, who now receives this high honor of the Iffland-Ring.

The diamond-studded iron ring is said to go back to August Wilhelm Iffland (1759-1814), he shows a portrait of the Berlin actor and theater director. The ring receives the "most significant and most worthy stage artist of the German-speaking theater" for life. Among those honored were Albert Bassermann (1867-1952) and Werner Krauß (1884-1959).

Ganz 'desired candidate is also already dead

However, Krauss had not received the ring in 1954 from predecessor Albert Bassermann, because three of his nominated actors were also dead. He was awarded by the cartel association of German-speaking stage members.

DPA

Bruno Ganz receives the Iffland Ring (1996)

In order to exclude such situations as well as possible, the person who receives the ring must already decide within three months for a successor - and deposit the name in a sealed envelope in the Austrian Ministry of Arts.

Josef Meinrad, ring bearer since 1959, had changed his last disposition in 1984: "My wish is that after my death Bruno Ganz receives the Iffland ring", the letter stated without further explanation.

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Bruno Ganz's death: In the sky over Zurich

Ganz, it was said, is said to have appointed his stage-mate Gert Voss, almost the same age as his successor, who had already been traded as a candidate at Meinrad's death. Voss died in 2014 - so it will put another in the series of Iffland ring bearer. Only the question remains: who?