Eberhard Cohrs (4 January 1921 – 17 August 1999) was a German
comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing
Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...
and
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
.
A short man, he was frequently known as "
erKleene mit der großen Gusche", a Saxon dialect epithet which loosely translates as "the little guy with the big mouth".
Life
Early years
The father of Eberhard Cohrs was a hat maker, originally from
Uelzen
Uelzen (; officially the ''Hanseatic Town of Uelzen'', German: ''Hansestadt Uelzen'', , Low German ''Ülz’n'') is a town in northeast Lower Saxony, Germany, and capital of the county of Uelzen. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, a ...
in
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
. His mother Alma, who also worked in the little hat making business, came from
the Vogtland. His first ambition as a youth was to become a jockey. His weight of approximately 40 kg justified this choice, but his legs were too short and he fell back on his second ambition, to be a pastry and cake baker: this was the trade in which he was apprenticed between 1936 and 1939. However,
war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
resumed in 1939 and he was conscripted for military service.
[ As the war neared its end, between September 1944 and February 1945 he was a member of the SS-Totenkopf battalion and a guard at the ]Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen () or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a German Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used from 1936 until April 1945, shortly before the defeat of Nazi Germany in May later that year. It mainly held political prisoners ...
, although he was able to conceal these aspects of his war service from the public during his life. By the time the war ended, in May 1945, his mother had been killed in an air-raid and his father was dying.
The performer
His first stage appearance took place in the ("White Hart") quarter of Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...
. He then underwent an audition before the "International Artists' Club" in the "Dresden Skala" on 11 November 1945, after which he embarked on a career as a variety performer. He quickly found Dresden becoming "too small", however, and looked for a way to bring laughter to a wider public. In 1947 he succeeded in moving his base to Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
, and it was here that he quickly became a favourite with the public, known affectionately as "the little guy with the big mouth" As a "young talent", in 1948 he also worked in Berlin with the Berliner Kammerbrettl cabaret recently set up by Hans Joachim Heinrichs.
The head of culture at Dresden Radio, Ulli Busch (real name Richard Hahnewald), gave him his first big opportunity to work on the radio, and towards the end of the 1950s he moved into television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
, thanks to , appearing from 1959 in the by then established television variety show ' (literally "There the bear laughs"). Stage performance would nevertheless feature strongly through the rest of his career, and in 1961, thanks to , Cohrs made his debut at the Friedrichstadt-Palast review theatre in Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
. He toured with fellow theatre performers Roby Hanson, Horst Feuerstein and . He appeared as a regular guest on radio and television, produced records, and took small movie roles. In 1976 he even moved (briefly) into Opera, taking a supporting part in a production of ''Die Fledermaus
' (, ''The Flittermouse'' or ''The Bat'', sometimes called ''The Revenge of the Bat'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée, which premiered in 1874.
Background
The original ...
'' at the Rostock People's Theatre
The Volkstheater Rostock ( en, Rostock People's Theatre, link=no) is the municipal theatre of the Hanseatic city of Rostock. It has three venues: the ''Großes Haus'', the ''Theater im Stadthafen'' and the ''Kleine Komödie'' and puts on plays, ...
(''Volkstheater Rostock'').
The 1960s and 70s found Eberhard Cohrs in the mainstream of East Germany's entertainment and media worlds. His formula, based on "earthy Saxon humour", covered themes such as the differences between sophisticated Berlin and provincial Saxony, between "high politics" and peoples' daily difficulties, and gave public voice to the plight of the so-called "little man". Although his performances were necessarily apolitical, his brand of humour and his contrived Saxon punning, were not appreciated by every Party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...
Apparatchik
__NOTOC__
An apparatchik (; russian: аппара́тчик ) was a full-time, professional functionary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union or the Soviet government ''apparat'' ( аппарат, apparatus), someone who held any position ...
, and in the early 1970s he was banned from writing his own material.[
Early in 1977 Cohrs, now aged 56, succeeded in escaping to ]West Berlin
West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...
, "turning his back on East Germany for ever", and stating that the restrictions in East Germany had become unbearable. The price to be paid may have appeared to include separation from his wife, Dagmar, and young son, Christopher, but as matters turned out, within a couple of months his wife and son were not merely permitted, but required, to join him in West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
, following a decision by East Germany's ruling Socialist Unity Party to expel them from the "German Democratic Republic
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
".
In terms of television, the Eberhard Cohrs formula did not transfer easily from East to West. His first appearance on mainstream television in the West, on Rudi Carrell
Rudi Carrell (born Rudolf Wijbrand Kesselaar; 19 December 1934 – 7 July 2006) was a Dutch entertainer. Along with famous entertainers such as Johannes Heesters and Linda de Mol, he was one of the most successful Dutch personalities active in ...
's show ',[The format of ]Rudi Carrell
Rudi Carrell (born Rudolf Wijbrand Kesselaar; 19 December 1934 – 7 July 2006) was a Dutch entertainer. Along with famous entertainers such as Johannes Heesters and Linda de Mol, he was one of the most successful Dutch personalities active in ...
's (originally Dutch) show "Eén van de acht" / "Am laufenden Band" became well known to British audiences when it was copied for The Generation Game
''The Generation Game'' is a British game show produced by the BBC in which four teams of two people from the same family, but different generations, compete to win prizes.
The game
There are eight competitors, hence the catchphrase "Let's me ...
. was a "fiasco" according to television chief Peter Gerlach. It was not merely the Saxon's humour that baffled Western audiences. Three decades of separation had given westerners little opportunity to familiarize themselves with the dialects of Saxony, and the show was produced in Bremen
Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...
, which, even by West German standards, was a long way from Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...
. The rich Saxon dialect that delighted East German audiences encountered blank incomprehension from studio audiences in Bremen. Nevertheless, during his time in the west Cohrs made further television appearances, for instance in the sketch series Ein verrücktes Paar where he and Harald Juhnke
Harald Juhnke () (born Harry Heinz Herbert Juhnke, 10 June 1929 – 1 April 2005), was a German actor, comedian, and singer.
Life and career
Juhnke was born in Berlin-Charlottenburg. His father was a police officer and his mother came from a ...
appeared as guests. He also continued to work for Rudi Carrell
Rudi Carrell (born Rudolf Wijbrand Kesselaar; 19 December 1934 – 7 July 2006) was a Dutch entertainer. Along with famous entertainers such as Johannes Heesters and Linda de Mol, he was one of the most successful Dutch personalities active in ...
, providing gags and sketches for Carrell's television shows. Away from the television studios he appeared beside Dieter Hallervorden
Dieter "Didi" Hallervorden (born 5 September 1935) is a German comedian, actor, singer, and cabaret artist.
He achieved great popularity in German-speaking countries in the mid-1970s with the slapstick series Nonstop Nonsens and his character Did ...
in a stage version of ' at Berlin's and at the Karl May Festival Karl may refer to:
People
* Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne
* Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer
* Karl of Austria, last Austri ...
in Bad Segeberg
Bad Segeberg (; Low German: Sebarg) is a German town of 16,000 inhabitants, located in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, capital of the district (Kreis) Segeberg. It is situated approximately northeast of Hamburg, and west of Lübeck.
It is famo ...
. His brand of humour never caught on in West Germany to the same extent as it had in the east, however.
After the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...
came down, Eberhard Cohrs returned to his native city, appearing in Dresden at the end of 1989. From the outset it became apparent that his public remained true to his comedy, not merely in Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
, but across the entire (former) German Democratic Republic
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
. During the next few years he enjoyed popular success and re-established his television career, appearing on shows produced by the Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
based MDR (television) company with fellow stars such as Leni Statz, Wolfgang Roeder and Winfried Krause.
Personal
Eberhard Cohrs married the cabaret performer Lieselotte Homuth in 1945. Following their divorce in 1957 he remained close to their recently born daughter Petra. His second marriage produced two sons, Matthias and Andreas, born in the late 1950s. His third marriage, to fellow variety performer Dagmar Graf, was followed by the birth of their son Christopher in 1972. Christopher died as the result of a diving accident in 1998.
Cohrs was diagnosed with Colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel m ...
in 1997. He was immediately operated on. The next two years were characterised by repeated stays in hospital and, towards the end, a growing dependency on Morphine (Medicinal Heroin) to try and diminish the pain of the illness. There was a curious incident on 19 July 1999 when he hit the headlines by shooting his (by now estranged) third wife, Dagmar with an old pistol. Four bullets entered her body, and for about a week her life seemed to be in danger. Michel Neff, a local official, told the press that Cohrs had been so befuddled by morphine and other drugs that he had been unaware of his actions: a lawyer for Cohrs explained that his client had been deeply depressed and that the incident was a tragic accident for which his client could not be blamed. Nevertheless, it was also reported that Cohrs and his wife had become separated and that she had found a new life-partner. Reports also mentioned the refusal of the lawyer to deny rumours of family ructions, possibly involving money. The incident appeared to give rise, at least potentially, to criminal charges regarding both the shooting of Dagmar and the possession, without a permit, of a fire arm for which a permit was required. Cohrs himself was vague as to the provenance of the pistol, which he had been given a long time ago, as a present. However, as Dagmar was taken out of intensive care a week after the shooting, the local prosecutor announced a preliminary view that Cohrs was not medically fit to be tried, and added that there was no point in placing him in investigative detention because clearly he was too ill to run away in the event of charges ever being laid against him. By this time his lawyer was explaining that his client had not even recognised his estranged wife. In the event Eberhard Cohrs died at his home at Scharmützelsee less than three weeks later, on 19 August 1999. He was aged 78.[
Shortly before his death Eberhard Cohrs disinherited his third wife, the writer Dagmar Cohrs, in favour of the two sons from his second marriage,] with whom he had recently re-established contact.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cohrs, Eberhard
German male comedians
German cabaret performers
20th-century German male actors
Waffen-SS personnel
Sachsenhausen concentration camp personnel
Actors from Dresden
1921 births
1999 deaths
German male actors
20th-century comedians