Thomas Gottschalk

Thomas Johannes Gottschalk is a German radio and television host and entertainer born on 18 May 1950 in Bamberg, Bavaria. The son of a lawyer, he attended the Humanistisches Gymnasium in Kulmbach before studying history and German philology. Although he completed his exams to become a teacher for primary and secondary schools, he ultimately decided to pursue a career in entertainment after discovering his vocation during his studies.

Gottschalk began his broadcasting career in 1971 as a freelancer for Bayerischer Rundfunk's youth program, becoming a news anchor in 1973. Following a brief period with the newspaper Münchner Merkur in 1976, he became a regular contributor at Bayerischer Rundfunk and gained popularity hosting the radio show Pop nach acht, earning the Kurt-Magnus-Preis in 1978. In 1977, he began hosting the television show Telespiele, which moved to the ARD channel in 1980. That same year, he 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 Na sowas on ZDF, winning a Goldene Kamera in 1985. During this period, he starred in several German comedies with actor Mike Krüger. His film acting roles include Trabbi goes to Hollywood, Zookeeper, and Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, in which he played Father Wolfgang after actress Whoopi Goldberg lost a bet on his gameshow. From 1992 to 1995, he hosted Gottschalk Late Night, which featured the Model '92 Competition won by Heidi Klum.

In 1987, Gottschalk replaced Frank Elstner as the host of Wetten, dass..?, steering it to success across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and South Tyrol through 2023. He hosted the show until December 2011, with a brief interruption from 1992 to 1994 when Wolfgang Lippert hosted. His decision to step down followed a December 2010 live broadcast where contestant Samuel Koch was severely injured during a stunt, leading Gottschalk to call off the show early for the first time and announce his retirement in the following episode. He later co-hosted Das Supertalent in 2012 and Die 2 – Gottschalk und Jauch gegen alle alongside Günther Jauch.

Beyond hosting, Gottschalk was the advertising brand ambassador for Haribo confectionery from 1991 to 2015, securing a Guinness World Record entry in 2005 for the longest-running television ad campaign featuring a single person. His accolades include the Telestar in 1987, the Goldenes Schlitzohr and Goldenes Kabel in 1991, the Goldene Feder in 2001, and an honorary Bambi in 2001. In 2008, he won one million euros for charity on Wer wird Millionär?. Gottschalk married his wife Thea in 1976, with whom he has two sons and a grandson, before announcing their divorce in 2019. He owned Castle Marienfels from 2004 until selling it in 2013, and maintained a residence in Malibu that burned down in 2018.