Emanuel Schikaneder is a character based on theater impresario Emanuel Schikaneder.He was born Johann Joseph Schikaneder on September 1, 1751 in Straubing, Bavaria, Germany into extreme poverty. After his father's death in 1753, his mother moved the family to Regensburg, and supported them selling religious articles. Despite his womanizing (he fathered two children by two different women), Schikaneder's wife, actress Eleonore Arth, whom he married in 1777, stayed with him until his death, and played an important role in his career.As implied in Amadeus, he staged grand amusements for the masses, and built the Theater an der Wien in 1801, which still stands. However, the film ignores his friendship with Mozart (they first met in 1780). He wrote the libretto for Die Zauberfl