Torsten Sträter

Torsten Sträter is a German author, comedian, and kabarettist. He was born on September 4, 1966, in the Eving district of Dortmund, Germany, at his grandmother's house. The day after his birth, his family moved to Waltrop, and he later returned to Dortmund at the age of 16, where he trained as a men's tailor.

Following his vocational training, Sträter completed 15 months of basic military service in the Bundeswehr, stationed in Neustadt am Rübenberge. He subsequently worked in mobile phone sales and was employed by his family's shipping company. In the mid-1990s, he experienced a depressive illness, a subject he later addressed within his cabaret work.

Sträter performed on stage for the first time in 2006 while still dealing with depression. Over the course of his performing career, he has appeared frequently as a guest on the television show Extra 3. His signature trademark look features a black beanie.

In 2021, Sträter competed in and won the first series of the Amazon Prime show LOL: Last One Laughing Deutschland. He chose to split his €50,000 prize with the runner-up, Teddy Tcherbanan, and both individuals donated their respective prize money to charity.

In addition to his stage and television work, Sträter is an established author. He published early works through Eldur Verlag, including Hämoglobin in 2004, Postkarten aus der Dunkelheit in 2005, and both Hit the Road, Jack! and Brainspam in 2006. He later released Der David ist dem Goliath sein Tod with Carlsen Verlag in 2011, followed by Selbstbeherrschung umständehalber abzugeben in 2012, which was republished by Ullstein Taschenbuch in 2014.

His later published books include Als ich in meinem Alter war through Lappan Verlag in 2016, Es ist nie zu spät, unpünktlich zu sein through Ullstein Taschenbuch in 2017, and two books with Ullstein Verlag: Sträters Gutenachtgeschichten in 2021 and Du kannst alles lassen, du musst es nur wollen in 2022. Sträter is the father of one child and currently resides in Dortmund.