Thomas Gottschalk

Thomas Gottschalk
Thomas Gottschalk, 2010
Born	Thomas Johannes Gottschalk (1950-05-18) 18 May 1950 (age 66) Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany
Occupation	Radio host, television personality, entertainer, actor

Thomas Johannes Gottschalk (born 18 May 1950) is a German radio and television host, entertainer and actor. He is best known for hosting the popular show Wetten, dass..?, which he led to a huge success in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and South Tyrol until 2011. Until 2015 he was also the testimonial personality in television advertisements for Haribo confectionery.

Gottschalk was born in the German city of Bamberg, Bavaria, as the son of a lawyer. After attending the Humanistisches Gymnasium (humanities-oriented high school) in Kulmbach, he studied history and German philology, eventually taking his exams as a teacher for primary and secondary schools; however, it was during this time that he discovered his true vocation: entertainment.

From 1971 on, Gottschalk worked as a freelancer for the youth program of the Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian Broadcasting); in 1973, he became anchor for a news program. In 1976, after a brief detour to the newspaper Münchner Merkur, he became a regular contributor at the Bayerischer Rundfunk, and subsequently gained popularity as the host of the show Pop nach acht. He was awarded the Kurt-Magnus-Preis for his "outstanding talents" as a radio host in 1978.

Starting in 1977, Gottschalk hosted the TV show Telespiele. Initially broadcast on the Bayerischer Rundfunk's television channel, it switched to the national public ARD channel in 1980. From 1982 to 1987, Gottschalk hosted the show Na sowas on ZDF and was awarded the Goldene Kamera (golden camera) for his performance on that show in 1985. During that period he also starred in several German comedies with actor Mike Krüger.