Background
Hackl was born and raised in Vienna.
Hackl was born and raised in Vienna.
After his Matura, he went on to study Business economics at the Vienna University of Economics and Business and acting at the Viennese drama school Krauss. He began his career in 1972 at the Theater der Courage in Vienna. Between 1974-1976 he performed at the Viennese Volkstheater, then went on to the Thalia-Theater in Hamburg before returning to Austria in 1978 and joining the Viennese Burgtheater"s ensemble, where he soon became a crowd favourite.
In 1988, Hackl debuted as theater director at the Volkstheater.
He frequently appeared in movies and television series and worked with the likes of Axel Corti and Alan J. Pakula (Sophie"s Choice). From 1996 onward, Hackl taught at the Max Reinhardt Seminar school of drama in Vienna.
In 2003, Hackl was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, but recovered and returned to the stage in 2005, also appearing in different films and series. In 2009 he published a book about his cancer and the long process of recovery and also recorded a Civil Defense with cover versions of songs from Austrian singer Georg Danzer.
In 2012, he was the recipient of the Nestroy award, an Austrian award which honors theater professionals.
In mid-2013, during a performance of Danzer"s songs, he collapsed and was again diagnosed with cancer. On 1 June 2014, Hackl died in Vienna of cancer at the age of 65.
