- His father was a fire fighter.
- Decorations: "Goldene Ehrenmedaille der Bundeshauptstadt Wien" (1995), "Österreichisches Ehrenkreuz für Wissenschaft und Kunst" (1999), "Großes Goldenes Ehrenzeichen für Verdienste um das Bundesland Niederösterreich" (2002)
- Some years after his legendary success as Viennese butcher "Bockerer", the anti-Nazi-resistance fighter, in 3 sequels he was the anti-Soviet resistance fighter "Bockerer" (kind of Austrian "Rambo"), a considerable effort of qualifying and downplaying Nazism subsequently.
- In 1996 he received The Golden Romy as the most popular actor.
- He first wanted to become a carpenter.
- From 1999, Merkatz was chairman of the human rights group SOS Mitmensch.
- After World War II he was an active Boy Scout in Wiener Neustadt.
- He started to enroll in acting lessons in Salzburg, Vienna and Zurich. Then he found employment in theaters, most notably in Munich, Salzburg, Hamburg and Vienna (Theater in der Josefstadt).
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