1. Otto Waalkes became famous in the 1970s and 1980s in Germany with his shows, books and films.
21 Facts About Otto Waalkes
1. 2.
Otto Waalkes's parents were deeply religious Baptists and members of the Evangelic Free Church community of Emden, which taught a Bible-class that Waalkes visited regularly.
3.
Otto Waalkes made his first public performance at the age of eleven years in a shopping mall in Emden, where he presented songs, including the Babysitter Boogie, a German version of the Baby Sittin' Boogie.
4.
Otto Waalkes was awarded with a voucher of 30 Deutschmark and the book Mutiny on the Bounty.
5.
When Otto Waalkes was twelve years old, he received his first guitar.
6.
Otto Waalkes was the front of the band, being the lead singer and the lead guitarist simultaneously.
7.
Otto Waalkes toured with his band in the regions of East Frisia for five years.
8.
In 1968, Otto Waalkes passed his final exams at a boys' grammar school in Emden.
9.
Otto Waalkes lived in a commune named Villa Kunterbunt together with 14 roommates in Hamburg.
10.
Otto Waalkes kept performing smaller gigs with his guitar in clubs of Hamburg to finance his studies.
11.
Otto Waalkes cracked some jokes alongside to his songs and apologized whenever he accidentally dropped the microphone due to his nervousness.
12.
Otto Waalkes founded the label Russl Rackords with Mertens, because no other record label wanted to publish the live records of Waalkes' performance.
13.
Otto Waalkes is a survivor of the MGM Grand Fire on 21 November 1980.
14.
Otto Waalkes was residing on the 26th floor during the accident and was evacuated by firefighters during the rescue efforts.
15.
In 1987, his son Benjamin Karl Otto Waalkes Gregory was born.
16.
In 2000, Otto Waalkes married Eva Hassmann in Jork, an actress born in 1972.
17.
Otto Waalkes's Otto-Bucher are regularly published and his Otto-Langspielplatten became bestsellers, whereby many records attained top spots in musical charts and shops.
18.
Otto Waalkes is counted among the entertainers that have influenced the general use of language.
19.
Besides his stage performances, Otto Waalkes has appeared several times on camera as an actor or off camera as a director.
20.
Otto Waalkes's movies are parodies of current events within the scope of culture and public life and are characterized by situation comedy and caricatured individuals.
21.
In 2018, Otto Waalkes was awarded with the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for his lifework.