Rudi Carrell
Encyclopedia
Rudi Carrell born Rudolf Wijbrand Kesselaar, was a Dutch entertainer. Along with famous entertainers such as Johannes Heesters
, Linda de Mol
and Sylvie van der Vaart, Carrell was one of the most successful Dutch personalities active in Germany.
He worked as a television
entertainer and hosted his own show. The Rudi Carrell Show ran first in the Netherlands
, then in Germany
for many years. Carrell was also a singer with a number of hits, and acted in several movie
s.
at the Eurovision Song Contest 1960
singing "Wat een geluk" (What luck). He finished 12th out of 13 scoring just 2 points. Carrell provided the Dutch radio commentary for the 1987 Contest
.
or Mark Keller. It also featured comedy sketches.
His show was also pretty popular in some other European non-German speaking countries like Slovenia
.
In between he hosted other popular shows, including "Am laufenden Band", "Rudis Tagesshow", "Herzblatt", "Die verflixte Sieben" and "7 Tage, 7 Köpfe".
with a sketch in which veiled women threw their undergarments at someone dressed like Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini. The Iranian government responded by expelling two German diplomats and closing the Goethe Institute in Tehran
.
Another controversial sketch used clever editing to show the then Chancellor Helmut Kohl
and other prominent German politicians apparently consorting with prostitutes.
, that he was suffering from lung cancer
. He died on 7 July 2006, aged 71.
Johannes Heesters
Johan Marius Nicolaas "Johannes" Heesters is a Dutch actor, singer and entertainer with a -year career, almost exclusively in the German-speaking world. In Germany and Austria, Heesters is mainly known for his acting career...
, Linda de Mol
Linda de Mol
Linda Margaretha de Mol , known as Linda de Mol, is a Dutch actress and television presenter in the Netherlands and in Germany. She is the sister of Endemol founder John de Mol...
and Sylvie van der Vaart, Carrell was one of the most successful Dutch personalities active in Germany.
He worked as a television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
entertainer and hosted his own show. The Rudi Carrell Show ran first in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, then in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
for many years. Carrell was also a singer with a number of hits, and acted in several movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s.
Eurovision Song Contest
He represented the NetherlandsNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
at the Eurovision Song Contest 1960
Eurovision Song Contest 1960
The Eurovision Song Contest 1960 was the fifth in the series, and was held on 29 March 1960 in London. France's win this year was their second in the contest....
singing "Wat een geluk" (What luck). He finished 12th out of 13 scoring just 2 points. Carrell provided the Dutch radio commentary for the 1987 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
.
Rudi Carrell Show
The "Rudi Carrell Show" was a huge success in Germany from the 1960s to the 1990s. The show included a similar concept to "Star Search" or "Pop Idol" and brought many well-known German pop stars and actors to prominence, such as AlexisAlexis (singer)
Alexis is a German pop and gala singer. She is mainly known for participating in the German "Rudi Carrell Show" in 1989, singing Whitney Houston's song "One Moment In Time"...
or Mark Keller. It also featured comedy sketches.
His show was also pretty popular in some other European non-German speaking countries like Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
.
In between he hosted other popular shows, including "Am laufenden Band", "Rudis Tagesshow", "Herzblatt", "Die verflixte Sieben" and "7 Tage, 7 Köpfe".
Controversial humor
In 1987, he famously caused a diplomatic rift between Germany and IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
with a sketch in which veiled women threw their undergarments at someone dressed like Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini. The Iranian government responded by expelling two German diplomats and closing the Goethe Institute in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
.
Another controversial sketch used clever editing to show the then Chancellor Helmut Kohl
Helmut Kohl
Helmut Josef Michael Kohl is a German conservative politician and statesman. He was Chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998 and the chairman of the Christian Democratic Union from 1973 to 1998...
and other prominent German politicians apparently consorting with prostitutes.
Death
In an interview in November 2005 the entertainer confirmed to the magazine BunteBunte
Bunte is a German weekly magazine; coverage includes celebrity, gossip, news and lifestyle matters. It is published by Bunte Entertainment Verlag GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hubert Burda Media....
, that he was suffering from lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
. He died on 7 July 2006, aged 71.
Literature
- Rudi Carrell, Gib mir mein Fahrrad wieder, Wenen/München/Zürich/Innsbruck 1979.
- Ingo Schiweck (Red.), "Laß dich überraschen ..." Niederländische Unterhaltungskünstler in Deutschland nach 1945, Münster 2005.
- Susanne Schult, Rudi Carrell. Das Image eines Stars in der Geschichte des deutschen Fernsehens, Osnabrück 2000.