Thomas Gottschalk
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Thomas Johannes Gottschalk (born 18 May 1950) is a German radio and television host and entertainer. He is best known for hosting '' Wetten, dass..?'', for many years Europe's biggest television show, which he steered to huge success in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and
South Tyrol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous province , image_skyline = , image_alt ...
between 1987 and 2011. Until 2015, he was also the brand ambassador in television advertisements for
Haribo Haribo ( ) is a German confectionery company founded by Hans Riegel Sr.. It began in Kessenich, Bonn, Germany. The name "Haribo" is a syllabic abbreviation formed from Hans Riegel Bonn. The company created the first gummy candy in 1960 in the f ...
confectionery.


Early life

Gottschalk was born in
Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main. The town dates back to the 9th century, when its name was derived from the nearby ' castle. C ...
,
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
, the son of a lawyer. After attending the '' Humanistisches Gymnasium'' (
humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...
-oriented high school) in
Kulmbach Kulmbach () is the capital of the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany. The town is famous for Plassenburg Castle, which houses the largest tin soldier museum in the world, and for its sausages, or ''Bratwürste''. Geography Location Ku ...
, he studied history and
German philology German studies is the field of humanities that researches, documents and disseminates German language and literature in both its historic and present forms. Academic departments of German studies often include classes on German culture, German hi ...
, eventually taking his exams as a teacher for primary and secondary schools; however, it was during this time that he discovered his true vocation: entertainment.


Career

From 1971 on, Gottschalk worked as a
freelancer ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...
for the youth program of the
Bayerischer Rundfunk Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR; "Bavarian Broadcasting") is a public-service radio and television broadcaster, based in Munich, capital city of the Free State of Bavaria in Germany. BR is a member organization of the ARD consortium of public broadcas ...
(Bavarian Broadcasting); in 1973, he became anchor for a news program. In 1976, after a brief detour to the newspaper ''Münchner Merkur'', he became a regular contributor at the Bayerischer Rundfunk, and subsequently gained popularity as the host of the show ''Pop nach acht''. He was awarded the '' Kurt-Magnus-Preis'' for his "outstanding talents" as a radio host in 1978. Starting in 1977, Gottschalk hosted the TV show ''Telespiele''. Initially broadcast on the Bayerischer Rundfunk's television channel, it switched to the national public ARD channel in 1980. In the same year, Gottschalk founded GLS United, the first German hip hop group and performed the first German rap song, "Rapper's Deutsch". From 1982 to 1987, Gottschalk hosted the show ''Na sowas'' on
ZDF ZDF (, short for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen; ; "Second German Television") is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is run as an independent nonprofit institution, which was founded by all fe ...
and was awarded the
Goldene Kamera The Goldene Kamera ("Golden Camera") is an annual German film and television award, awarded by the Funke Mediengruppe. The award show is usually held in early February in Hamburg, but has also taken place in Berlin in the past. The gold-plate ...
(golden camera) for his performance on that show in 1985. During that period he also starred in several German comedies with actor
Mike Krüger Michael Friedrich Wilhelm Krüger (born 14 December 1951 in Ulm) is a German comedian, actor and singer. Filmography * ''Piratensender Powerplay'' (1981) * '' Die Supernasen'' (1983) * ''Zwei Nasen tanken Super'' (1984) * '' Seitenstechen'' (1 ...
. Gottschalk occasionally works as an actor until today, taking roles in the Hollywood movies '' Trabbi goes to Hollywood'' (1991) and ''
Zookeeper A zookeeper, sometimes referred as animal keeper, is a person who manages zoo animals that are kept in captivity for conservation or to be displayed to the public.Hurwitz, Jane. Choosing a Career in Animal Care (World of Work). New York: Rosen Gr ...
'' (2011). In 1993, Gottschalk starred in '' Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit'' (1993) as a consequence of leading actress
Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...
losing a bet in Gottschalk's gameshow '' Wetten, dass..?''. He plays the sausage-obsessed German cook, Father Wolfgang. In 1987, Gottschalk replaced
Frank Elstner Timm Franz Maria Elstner (born 19 April 1942), known as Frank Elstner, is a German television presenter. Early life Elstner went to school in Rastatt in Germany and gained his first experience in broadcasting as a child when he acted in radio ...
as host of ''Wetten, dass..?'', which he continued until December 2011, with only a brief interruption from 1992 to 1994 when the show was taken over by Wolfgang Lippert. Reportedly, his withdrawal from the show was related to an accident that happened live on ''Wetten, dass..?'' on 4 December 2010. A contestant in the show, a young gymnast named Samuel Koch, was paralyzed from the shoulders down after being hit by a car during a stunt where he was to jump over it with spring-loaded boots. Gottschalk was upset this happened and called off the show early for the first time ever when it became apparent that Koch was severely injured. Gottschalk announced his retirement from the show in the next episode. From 1992 to 1995, Gottschalk also hosted a late night show on television, ''Gottschalk Late Night'', and while it was not very successful, it is considered a predecessor to such shows such as ''
Die Harald Schmidt Show ''Die Harald Schmidt Show'' ("The Harald Schmidt Show") was a German late-night talk show hosted on Sky Deutschland by comedian Harald Schmidt. The show first aired from 5 December 1995 to 23 December 2003 on Sat.1. Schmidt then moved his show ...
'', ''
TV total ''TV total'' is a German late-night television comedy talk show which originally aired from 8 March 1999 to 16 December 2015 on ProSieben, hosted, created and produced by entertainer Stefan Raab. Following a six-year hiatus, it was revived on ...
'' and the '' Johannes B. Kerner Show''. ''Gottschalk Late Night'' also featured the ''Model '92'' Competition during 1992, in which
Heidi Klum Heidi Klum (; born 1 June 1973) is a German-American model, television host, producer, and businesswoman. She appeared on the cover of the ''Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue'' in 1998 and was the first German model to become a Victoria's Secre ...
was the winner and received a modeling contract and winning prize, paving the way for her modeling career. Gottschalk has been awarded a number of prizes for his work; apart from those mentioned above. These include the ''
Telestar The Telestar was a former German television award, created by Das Erste and ZDF. It was succeeded in 1999 by the Deutscher Fernsehpreis The Deutscher Fernsehpreis (''German Television Award'') is an annual German award for television programmin ...
'' in 1987, the ''Goldenes Schlitzohr'' (golden rascal) and the ''Goldenes Kabel'' (golden cable) in 1991, as well as the ''Goldene Feder'' ("golden feather") in 2001. He also received a total of three
Bambi ''Bambi'' is a 1942 American animated drama film directed by David Hand (supervising a team of sequence directors), produced by Walt Disney and based on the 1923 book ''Bambi, a Life in the Woods'' by Austrian author and hunter Felix Salten. ...
awards, which he returned in 1988 after a dispute with the publisher Burda. However, in 2001, he was awarded a "Bambi of honor" which he accepted. In 2012 Gottschalk co-hosted the show ''
Das Supertalent ''Das Supertalent'' (''Germany's Got Talent'', ''Got Talent Germany)'' is a German talent show, part of the internationally successful ''Got Talent franchise'', presented by Lola Weippert and Chris Tall. Just like in all other versions of the f ...
''. Gottschalk also co-hosts the German TV show ''Die 2 – Gottschalk und Jauch gegen alle'' together with
Günther Jauch Günther Johannes Jauch (; born 13 July 1956) is a German television presenter, television producer, and journalist. Career Jauch is known for a unique style of informing and entertaining people that is generally considered witty and funny. ...
.


Personal life

Gottschalk married his wife Thea in 1976. He has two sons, Roman and Tristan and one grandson (born 2010). In 2019, he announced that he and Thea would be getting divorced after 43 years of marriage. On 16 November 2004, Gottschalk bought Castle Marienfels in
Remagen Remagen ( ) is a town in Germany in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, in the district of Ahrweiler. It is about a one-hour drive from Cologne, just south of Bonn, the former West German capital. It is situated on the left (western) bank of the ...
, Germany. He lived there from 2006 to 2013. It was announced at the end of January 2013 that he had sold the castle to Frank Asbeck. He has had a second home in
Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malibu ...
, since the beginning of the 1990s. The residence burned down in the
2018 California wildfires The 2018 wildfire season was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire season in California history. It was also the largest on record at the time, now third after the 2020 and 2021 California wildfire seasons. In 2018, there were a total of ...
. In 2005, Gottschalk received an entry in the
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
, having been featured in longest running ad featuring one person; between 1991 and 2015 he regularly appeared in ads for the sweets company
Haribo Haribo ( ) is a German confectionery company founded by Hans Riegel Sr.. It began in Kessenich, Bonn, Germany. The name "Haribo" is a syllabic abbreviation formed from Hans Riegel Bonn. The company created the first gummy candy in 1960 in the f ...
.Guinness World Records
/ref> On 20 November 2008, he won €1 million for charity in a celebrity version of '' Wer wird Millionär?'', the German version of ''
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' (often informally called ''Millionaire'') is an international television game show franchise of British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, currently owned and ...
''.


Filmography


Film


Audiobooks

* ''Herbstblond: Die Autobiographie'' (
Audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements. Spoken audio has been available in sc ...
,
Autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
, read by Thomas Gottschalk),
Random House Audio Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...
2015, * ''Herbstbunt: Wer nur alt wird, aber nicht klüger, ist schön blöd'' (
Audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements. Spoken audio has been available in sc ...
,
Autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
, read by Thomas Gottschalk),
Random House Audio Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...
2019,


Awards

*
Goldener Gong ''Gong'' is a German radio and (today, primarily) television listings magazine owned and published by the German media conglomerate Funke Mediengruppe. An extract from the magazine, was featured in the secondary school early 90s German textbook ...
(1983) *
Telestar The Telestar was a former German television award, created by Das Erste and ZDF. It was succeeded in 1999 by the Deutscher Fernsehpreis The Deutscher Fernsehpreis (''German Television Award'') is an annual German award for television programmin ...
(1987) *
Deutscher Fernsehpreis The Deutscher Fernsehpreis (''German Television Award'') is an annual German award for television programming, created in 1999 by German television channels Das Erste, ZDF, RTL and Sat.1. It was created to be an equivalent to the Emmy Awards, t ...
''Beste Show'' für ''Wetten, dass..?'' (gemeinsam mit Viktor Worms und Alexander Arnz) (1999) *
Bayerischer Fernsehpreis Bayerischer Fernsehpreis (the Bavarian TV award) is an award presented by the government of Bavaria, Germany since 1989. The prize symbol is the "Blue Panther", a figure from the Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory. The prize money is €10,000 (Spe ...
''Ehrenpreis des Bayerischen Ministerpräsidenten'' (1999) *
Rose d'Or The Rose d'Or ('Golden Rose') is an international awards festival in entertainment broadcasting and programming. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) first acquired the Rose d’Or in 1961, when it was created by Swiss Television in the lakesi ...
''Goldene Rose für Game-Show-Moderation'' für ''Wetten, dass..?'' (2005)


References


External links

*
Thomas Gottschalk
at the German Dubbing Card Index {{DEFAULTSORT:Gottschalk, Thomas 1950 births German game show hosts German television personalities German television presenters German radio presenters German television talk show hosts Living people People from Bamberg German expatriates in the United States ZDF people RTL Group people Bayerischer Rundfunk people Südwestrundfunk people