1. Johan Marius Nicolaas Heesters, known professionally as Johannes Heesters, was a Dutch-German actor of stage, television and film, as well as a vocalist of numerous recordings and performer on the concert stage with a career dating back to the 1920s.
Johannes Heesters worked as an actor until his death and is one of the oldest performing entertainers in history, performing shortly before his death at the age of 108.
Johannes Heesters was able to maintain his popularity in Germany in the decades until his death.
Johannes Heesters was born in Amersfoort, Netherlands, the youngest of four sons.
Johannes Heesters's father Jacobus Heesters was a salesman and his mother Geertruida Jacoba van den Heuvel, a homemaker.
Johannes Heesters was fluent in German from an early age, having lived for several years in the household of a German great uncle from Bavaria.
Johannes Heesters decided to become an actor and a singer at the age of 16 and began vocal training.
Johannes Heesters specialized in Viennese operetta very early in his career, and made his Viennese stage debut in 1934 in Carl Millocker's Der Bettelstudent.
Aged 31, Johannes Heesters permanently moved to Germany with his wife and daughters in 1935.
Johannes Heesters funded the German war machine by donating money to the weapons industry.
Johannes Heesters met Hitler several times, especially in the role of Count Danilo.
Kuhn cites as evidence the testimony of a Dachau inmate, Viktor Matejka, who worked for the SS and told Kuhn he pulled the curtain when Johannes Heesters performed in 1941.
In December 2009, Johannes Heesters lost his libel suit against Kuhn.
Johannes Heesters worked extensively for UFA until almost the end of the Second World War and easily made the transition from the Nazi-controlled cultural scene to post-war Germany and Austria, appearing again in a number of films.
Johannes Heesters stopped making movies around 1960 to concentrate on stage and television appearances and on producing records.
In later years, Johannes Heesters spoke fondly of Hitler as a person, but condemned his political stance.
In December 2004, at the age of 101, Johannes Heesters appeared in Stuttgart at the theatre in a show commissioned on the occasion of his 100th birthday,.
On 5 December 2006, Johannes Heesters celebrated his 103rd birthday with a concert at the.
On 13 December 2008, at the age of 105, Johannes Heesters apologised for calling Adolf Hitler a "good chap" on the popular German TV show.
Johannes Heesters stated that he had said something stupid and horrible and asked for forgiveness.
Johannes Heesters played smaller roles in his last years, as he began to lose his eyesight due to macular degeneration and could not perform on stage for long periods of times.
Johannes Heesters played in the 2011 short film Ten as Simon Petrus and made his last stage appearance on 31 October 2011 in Munich.
Johannes Heesters had two daughters by his first wife Louisa Ghijs, whom he married in 1930.
Johannes Heesters's younger daughter Nicole Heesters is a well-known actress in the German-speaking world, as is his granddaughter Saskia Fischer.
On 31 October 2011, Johannes Heesters gave his last public performance at the Bayrischer Hof in Munich.
Johannes Heesters was fitted with a heart pacemaker and following a good recovery was allowed to go home less than a week later on 4th December 2011 just in time to spend his 108th birthday the next day with family.
Johannes Heesters did not feel strong enough to make the planned stage appearance to sing in celebration of his birthday and had missed the premiere of his last film, Ten.
Johannes Heesters was survived by two daughters, five grandchildren, eleven great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.