Richard Felix Fortin

After studying at the famous Max-Reinhardt-Seminar in Vienna Richard Fortin worked as an actor at the Stadttheater Klagenfurt, Carinthia, Austria. Due to Nazi-denunciation he was sent to war to Africa. In a British POW-camp he was allowed to read classic books to the captives to keep up the morals. This helped him back in occupied post-war Vienna to get a job at the newly founded broadcasting station, the predecessor of ORF, the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation. For the following decennials Richard Felix Fortin worked mainly as a speaker for the ORF radio news. His trained and beautiful voice was a daily companion for generations of post-war Austrians. He frequently read plays for the radio, a popular entertainment in the pre-TV era. Apart from scarce appearances on film or stage he never took to acting again, although his marvellous voice never left him until his death at age 95.