Ferdinand Raimund

Ferdinand Raimund (born Ferdinand Jakob Raimann; 1 June 1790 – 5 September 1836, Pottenstein, Lower Austria) was an Austrian actor and playwright.

Raimund was born in Vienna as a son of Bohemian woodturning master craftsman Jakob Raimann.

[1] Raimund's comedies are still frequently performed in Germany and Austria.

When Raimund was bitten by a dog, which he falsely believed to be rabid, he shot himself on 29 August 1836 and died on 5 September 1836 in Pottenstein, aged 46.

Raimund was a master of the Viennese Posse or farce; his rich humour is seen to best advantage in his realistic portraits of his fellow citizens.

Ferdinand Raimund, lithography by Josef Kriehuber , 1835
Commemorative plaque at the birthplace of Ferdinand Raimund, Mariahilferstrasse 45, 1060 Wien
Ferdinand Raimund monument, Vienna