Oscar Sales Bingisser

About me

I grew up in the 60s in the sheltered environment of my grandparent’s hotel and my father’s trucking business, surrounded by family, three older siblings, hotel guests, drivers, workmen, monks, pilgrims, and diligent drinkers.

After attending the usual schools, including the grammar school at the monastery in Einsiedeln, I headed off to the Schauspiel Akademie Zurich for three years, followed by my first acting contract in 1982 at the Schauspielhaus Zurich under Gerd Heinz for three-and-a-half years.

Then came thirty-five never-ending years of travels through dozens of theatres, film sets and studios as an actor and director, with a few short detours into writing. All with their ups and downs, and copious amounts of coffee and cigarettes.

A journey full of pride, desperation, tears, fits of rage, lots of fun and alcohol that led me to cross paths with many wonderful people and the occasional idiot.

You know, the usual.

At 40, I bagged a master’s in Advanced Studies Cultural Management in a two-year postgraduate course.

Got married in the meantime and became a father of two wonderful young ladies.

Now, I look back on more than 50 productions as a director, 12 self-produced projects, and more than 80 stage productions as an actor. More than 30 appearances in film and television, countless adaptations, a play and a book. And hopefully, much more of this lies ahead.

I’m neither rich nor famous but ended up in the most wonderful profession in the world. And if there were reincarnation, I would choose it again – despite knowing better –and happily sail the seas of dreams as an eternal buccaneer of world literature.

Any other facts about me you’ll find on these pages. The rest? In silence or over a cup of coffee. I’d look forward to it. You now know my coordinates.

So long.

oscar

P.S.: If you’re curious where my middle name Sales came from, I can tell you this much: My grandfather, great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather, etc. were all called that. Seriously.