Farewell to the master of pratfalling

Comedy actor Stephan Kreiss, known for his work with the  Spymonkey troupe, has died at the age of 59.

He passed away ‘suddenly and unexpectedly’ last  Monday, following a short illness, the group has announced.

The German-born performer joined the company in 2000 for their production of Stiff, and was part of their international tours Moby Dick, Cooped, Oedipussy and The Complete Deaths alongside Toby Park, Petra Massey and  Aitor Basauri.

He and the rest of the company also had a two-year residency with Cirque du Soleil’s Zumanity in Las Vegas.

In their statement, Spymonkey said ‘His absurd, anarchic sense of humour and consummate physical comedy skill earned him the admiration of both his profession and international audiences, the ultimate expression of which must remain his role as Queequeg, a masterclass in pratfalling... He will be sorely missed by all those who knew him, and the wider theatre community’

Here is in action in that role at the Lyric, Hammersmith,  in 2010: 

;

Based in Vienna for the last two decades, Kreiss has appeared in other productions, including The Right Size’s Penny Dreadful as well as being a clown, physical theatre and slapstick, not only for Spymonkey’s extensive professional training programme but for institutions and performers across Europe.

He leaves a wife Elke, and two children Thelonious and Paulina.

Published: 22 Aug 2021