Thomas Gottschalk facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thomas Gottschalk
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Gottschalk at the talk show maischberger. die woche in 2018
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| Born |
Thomas Johannes Gottschalk
18 May 1950 |
| Occupation | Radio and TV host, entertainer, actor |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Thea Hauer
(m. 1976; div. 2024)Karina Mroß
(m. 2024) |
| Children | 2 |
Thomas Johannes Gottschalk is a famous German TV and radio host. He was born on May 18, 1950, in Bamberg, Germany. He is most famous for hosting Wetten, dass..?, which was one of Europe's biggest TV shows. He hosted it from 1987 to 2023, making it very popular in Germany and other nearby countries. For many years, until 2015, he was also the face of Haribo sweets in their TV ads.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Thomas Gottschalk grew up in Bamberg, Bavaria. His father was a lawyer. Thomas went to a special high school focused on humanities in Kulmbach. After high school, he studied history and German language. He even trained to become a teacher for primary and secondary schools. However, during this time, he found his real passion: entertaining people.
Career Highlights
Thomas Gottschalk started his career in 1971. He worked as a freelancer for a youth radio program at Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian Broadcasting). By 1973, he became a news anchor. In 1976, he became a regular at Bayerischer Rundfunk. He became very popular as the host of the radio show Pop nach acht. In 1978, he won the Kurt-Magnus-Preis for his amazing talent as a radio host.
Early TV Shows and Music
In 1977, Thomas Gottschalk started hosting the TV show Telespiele. This show first aired on the Bayerischer Rundfunk channel. Later, in 1980, it moved to the national public channel ARD. In the same year, Gottschalk also started the first German hip hop group called GLS United. They even performed one of the first German rap songs, "Rapper's Deutsch".
From 1982 to 1987, Gottschalk hosted the show Na sowas on ZDF. He won the Goldene Kamera award in 1985 for his work on this show. During these years, he also acted in several German comedy movies with actor Mike Krüger.
Acting Roles
Thomas Gottschalk still acts sometimes. He has appeared in Hollywood movies like Trabbi goes to Hollywood (1991) and Zookeeper (2011). In 1993, he was in the movie Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit. This happened because the main actress, Whoopi Goldberg, lost a bet on his game show Wetten, dass..?. In the movie, he played Father Wolfgang, a German cook who loved sausages.
Hosting Wetten, dass..?
In 1987, Thomas Gottschalk took over as the host of Wetten, dass..? from Frank Elstner. He hosted this huge show until December 2011. There was a short break from 1992 to 1994 when another host, Wolfgang Lippert, took over.
His decision to leave the show was linked to a serious accident. This accident happened live on Wetten, dass..? on December 4, 2010. A young gymnast named Samuel Koch was trying to jump over a car using special spring-loaded boots. He was hit by the car and became paralyzed. Gottschalk was very upset by this. He stopped the show early, which had never happened before. In the next episode, Gottschalk announced he would be leaving the show.
Other TV Work
From 1992 to 1995, Gottschalk also hosted a late-night TV show called Gottschalk Late Night. This show was not a huge success, but it helped pave the way for other popular German late-night shows. Gottschalk Late Night also featured a "Model '92" competition in 1992. Heidi Klum won this competition, which helped start her famous modeling career.
Thomas Gottschalk has received many awards for his work. Besides those already mentioned, he won the Telestar in 1987. He also received the Goldenes Schlitzohr and the Goldenes Kabel in 1991. In 2001, he was given the Goldene Feder. He also received three Bambi awards. He returned some of them in 1988 after a disagreement. However, in 2001, he accepted a special "Bambi of honor".
In 2012, Gottschalk co-hosted the show Das Supertalent. He also co-hosts the German TV show Die 2 – Gottschalk und Jauch gegen alle with Günther Jauch.
Personal Life
Thomas Gottschalk married his wife Thea in 1976. They have two sons, Roman and Tristan. He also has one grandson, who was born in 2010. In 2019, he shared that he and Thea were getting divorced after 43 years of marriage. He later married Karina Mroß in 2024.
In 2004, Thomas Gottschalk bought Castle Marienfels in Remagen, Germany. He lived there from 2006 to 2013. He sold the castle in 2013. He has also had a second home in Malibu, California, since the early 1990s. Sadly, his Malibu home burned down in the 2018 California wildfires.
In 2005, Gottschalk was recognized in the Guinness World Records. He was featured in the longest-running advertisement with one person. He appeared in ads for the sweets company Haribo from 1991 to 2015.
In 2008, he won €1 million for charity on a celebrity version of Wer wird Millionär?, which is the German version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.
Film Appearances
Thomas Gottschalk has appeared in several films:
- 1978: Summer Night Fever as a DJ
- 1981: Piratensender Powerplay as Tommy Jürgensen
- 1983: Die Supernasen as Tommy Jürgensen / Prince Faruk al Habib (also co-writer)
- 1984: Zwei Nasen tanken Super as Tommy Jürgensen (also co-writer)
- 1984: Mama Mia – Don't Panic as Frank Müller
- 1985: Big Mäc as Bernhard Maurer
- 1985: Die Einsteiger as Tommy Jürgensen (also co-writer)
- 1985: Seitenstechen as Showmaster
- 1987: Three Crazy Jerks as Richy (also writer)
- 1988: Three Crazy Jerks II as Richy (also writer, director, and composer)
- 1990: Harry and Harriet as Harry
- 1990: Think Big as Mr. Roberts
- 1991: Keep on Running as a Latin teacher (cameo)
- 1991: Trabbi goes to Hollywood as Gunther Schmidt
- 1992: Ring of the Musketeers as Peter Porthos
- 1993: Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit as Father Wolfgang
- 1999: Late Show as Hannes Engel
- 2004: Garfield: The Movie as Garfield (voice in German dub)
- 2007: Meet the Robinsons as Cornelius Robinson (voice in German dub)
- 2008: 1½ Knights – In Search of the Ravishing Princess Herzelinde as King Gunther
- 2011: Zookeeper as Jürgen Mavroc
Audiobooks
- Herbstblond: Die Autobiographie (2015) - Thomas Gottschalk reads his own life story.
- Herbstbunt: Wer nur alt wird, aber nicht klüger, ist schön blöd (2019) - Another autobiography read by Thomas Gottschalk.
Awards and Recognition
- Goldener Gong (1983)
- Telestar (1987)
- Deutscher Fernsehpreis Best Show for Wetten, dass..? (1999)
- Bayerischer Fernsehpreis Honorary Award of the Bavarian Minister-President (1999)
- Rose d'Or Golden Rose for Game-Show Hosting for Wetten, dass..? (2005)
See also
In Spanish: Thomas Gottschalk para niños
