Dieter Thomas Heck facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dieter Thomas Heck
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| Born |
Carl-Dieter Heckscher
29 December 1937 |
| Died | 23 August 2018 (aged 80) Berlin, Germany
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| Occupation | Television presenter, singer and actor |
| Years active | 1959–2018 |
Dieter Thomas Heck, born Carl-Dieter Heckscher (December 29, 1937 – August 23, 2018), was a famous German TV host, singer, and actor. He was best known for hosting the popular TV show ZDF-Hitparade. This show featured German pop music called Schlager music and was watched by millions from 1969 to 1984. He also acted in TV shows, like the play Das Millionenspiel in 1970.
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Dieter Thomas Heck's Early Life
Heck was born in Flensburg, Germany, and grew up in Hamburg. When he was five, in April 1943, he had a scary experience during a British bombing raid in World War II. He got stuck under a staircase, which caused him to develop a stutter.
Luckily, his stutter went away when he was 16. This happened after he started training in classical singing. After finishing middle school and a technical high school, he became a technical salesman for a company called Borgward. He worked there for four years before leaving.
How Dieter Thomas Heck Started in Radio and TV
In 1959, Dieter Thomas Heck appeared on a talent show called Toi – Toi – Toi. He sang a song called Hippe-di-hipp, mein Mädchen. In 1961, he also tried out for the Eurovision Song Contest.
After working as a car salesman, Heck got a job at a record company. One day, in 1963, he visited a radio station called Südwestfunk. The person who was supposed to be interviewed didn't show up, so Heck was asked to step in. The interviewer wasn't very good, so Heck took over and did the interview himself! Because of this, he was offered a job to host a 90-minute show every Saturday.
From 1965 to 1966, Heck worked for Radio Luxemburg. At this station, hosts usually used only their first name. Since "Dieter" was already taken, Heck asked readers of the youth magazine Bravo to help him pick a new name. They chose "Thomas," and he used it ever since. He also became good friends with another host, Frank Elstner.
Heck then moved to SR 1 Europawelle radio. He focused on German Schlager music, which other hosts didn't really like. But his show, Die Deutsche Schlagerparade, became very popular. In 1967, he helped create the Goldene Europa award for German singers. The first award was given out in 1968.
Dieter Thomas Heck's Big TV Shows
Dieter Thomas Heck became very famous with ZDF-Hitparade, a TV show for the ZDF channel. This show was based on his successful radio show. It was a very important music show in the 1970s and 1980s. Heck hosted it 183 times between 1969 and 1984. He featured many international singers, but they all had to sing in German. Some of these artists included Ricky Shayne, Costa Cordalis, Bata Illic, Mireille Mathieu, Mouth & McNeal, Karel Gott, Michael Holm, and Marianne Rosenberg.
Heck also started another award called Goldene Stimmgabel. He hosted many other shows for ZDF, including Die Pyramide (starting in 1978) and Melodien für Millionen (Melodies for Millions). This last show was a special event to raise money for the German Cancer Aid. He retired from ZDF in 2007. He once said, "My life was to entertain people. That I succeeded makes me happy." He also wrote a book about his life in 2011.
As an actor, he played the role of a TV host in the 1970 TV play Das Millionenspiel. He also had smaller roles in TV crime shows like Tatort (in 1981), Rosenheim-Cops, and Stuttgart Homicide (in 2009).
Dieter Thomas Heck's Personal Life
Dieter Thomas Heck got married in 1962 and again in 1976. He had two sons and one daughter. He passed away on August 23, 2018, in Berlin.
Awards Dieter Thomas Heck Received
Dieter Thomas Heck received many awards for his work:
- 1971: Goldene Kamera for ZDF-Hitparade (best show for young people)
- 1984: Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- 1999: Saarland Order of Merit
- 2000: Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg
- 2001: The Goldene Feder, a special award for his charity work
- 2003: Order of Merit of Rhineland-Palatinate
- 2008: Echo Music Prize for his great contributions to German music
- 2009: Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- 2012: Deutscher Musikpreis
- 2017: Goldene Kamera lifetime achievement award
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Dieter Thomas Heck
