Markus Lanz

Markus Lanz is an Italian-German journalist, television presenter, and talk show host based in Germany. He is widely recognized for hosting various prominent television programs, including his own self-titled talk show.

Born on 16 March 1969, Lanz is a member of the German-speaking majority in South Tyrol, an Italian province. He grew up in the central Alps village of Geiselsberg. Following the early death of his father, his mother raised three children in financial hardship. Due to his strong academic performance, Lanz received a scholarship to attend a private Catholic secondary school at the Neustift monastery. He graduated from the Humanistisches Gymnasium in Bruneck in 1988. Afterwards, he served as a radio operator in the Italian army's alpine division and worked at the radio station Radio Holiday. In 1992, he completed vocational training in communications at the Bayerische Akademie für Werbung und Marketing.

Lanz began a two-year trainee program at Radio Hamburg in 1992. He transitioned to television in 1995 as a news announcer for the regional station RTL North. By 1997, he was presenting a regional evening news show in Schleswig-Holstein.

Over his career, Lanz has hosted several notable television projects. Beginning in 2008, he hosted the weekly cooking program Lanz kocht!. In October 2009, he began hosting the talk show Markus Lanz, which broadcasts three evenings a week. Additionally, between October 2012 and 2014, he succeeded Thomas Gottschalk as the presenter of the monthly German television show Wetten, dass..?.

In addition to his broadcast work, Lanz plays the piano and co-founded the musical group W5 with his brother. He has also authored books, including a 2007 publication about Horst Lichter and a 2010 book detailing his travels to Greenland.

In his personal life, Lanz is Roman Catholic. He has a son born in 2000 from a former relationship with television presenter Birgit Schrowange. In July 2011, he married Angela Gessmann.