Jürgen von der Lippe

Jürgen von der Lippe (born 8 June 1948 in Bad Salzuflen; real name Hans-Jürgen Dohrenkamp) is a well-known German television presenter, entertainer, actor and comedian. His stage name comes from the fact that he was born near the source of the river Lippe.

Life

Jürgen von der Lippe grew up in Aachen, where he attended the Kaiser-Karls-Gymnasium and was a Catholic altar boy. (Today he is an agnostic). His father was the barkeeper in a striptease bar.

From 1966 to 1970 he trained as a signaller in the "Bundeswehr", leaving the armed forces a lieutenant.

In 1976 he, Hans Werner Olm and others founded the music group Gebrüder Blattschuss (The Blattschuss Brothers - literally, "Blattschuss" is a hunting term for a shot through the shoulder into the heart; figuratively, it means getting one's point across succinctly.)

From 1986 to 1988 he was married (his second marriage) to the famous German television presenter Margarethe Schreinemakers.

Before his career in show business, he began studying German language and literature, philosophy and linguistics in Aachen and Berlin, but without graduating.

Television career

Jürgen von der Lippe's first major success was "Donnerlippchen" (Little Thunder Lips) on WDR television station. He went on to present another very successful dating show, "Geld oder Liebe" (Money or Love) on ARD; this finished in 2001 after twelve years on air.

Some other public service broadcasting programmes of his included "WWF Club" (1980 to 1990), "So isses" ("That's how it is"), "Die Goldene Eins" ("The Golden No. 1"), "Hast Du Worte" ("Got words?", "Wat is?" ("Whassup?"), "Lippes Lachmix" ("Lippe's Comedy Mix") and "Was liest Du?" ("What are you reading?").

On commercial television he presented the show "Blind Dinner" (Sat.1, 2001), and since 2001 he has presented the humorous Sat.1 review of the year's events, "Wer zuletzt lacht" ("He who laughs last").

In spring 2004 he played the main role of Father Erdmann in the comedy series "Der Heiland auf dem Eiland" ("The Saviour on the Island") on RTL Television. The first series of six episodes was very successful. The second series ran from 23 February 2005, this time with eight episodes. Jürgen von der Lippe had already played a Catholic priest in the comedy "Nicht mit Leo", in which he also played a brothel manager and a Foreign Legionnaire.

Currently (2007) he sometimes appears in the improvisational comedy series "Schillerstraße", playing the role of Cordula Stratmann's father.

Since 15 July 2006 von der Lippe has also presented the programme "Extreme Activity" on the commercial station ProSieben.

Career as a singer

In 1976 von der Lippe founded the "Gebrüder Blattschuss", which lasted until 1979. His greatest musical success, however, was "Guten Morgen, liebe Sorgen" ("Good morning, dear worries"), which made it to first place in the ZDF hit parade in July and August 1987.

Stage programme

Von der Lippe's stage appearances have been sold in large numbers as sound tracks and videos. Typically, he dissects odd quirks and everyday events, expertly poking gentle fun at them, with plenty of self-irony. He makes playful use of amusing borrowed words and synonyms in German.

The main themes are marriage, relationships between men and women and the way people act in certain situations. He often brings in fictitious "autobiographical" stories supposed to be from his youth or childhood, often based on his old "arch enemy" "Udo Lohmeier". Each show generally has a topic running through it. When on tour, von der Lippe also likes to vary the content of his stage shows, integrating current events.

One recurring element over the years has also been von der Lippe's parodies of well-known German stars such as Udo Lindenberg, Peter Maffay and Helge Schneider.

During his career, von der Lippe has created many characters who appear and reappear in monologues and songs, often played by von der Lippe himself in costume. These include a naive Catholic priest who reflects on human behaviour (often sexual), a postal worker from the Sauerland, with an appropriate accent, and "Kalle", a Berlin heavy metal fan.

Singles ; Guten Morgen, liebe Sorgen (1987): Germany: 3 (05.6.1987) 15 weeks: Austria: 11 (15.9.1987) 18 weeks; Dann ist der Wurm drin (1987): G: 28; Is was (1989): G: 65; König Der City (1992): G: 83Albums ; Guten Morgen, liebe Sorgen (1987): G: 4; Is was? (1989): G: 62; Der Blumenmann (1995): G: 78; Männer, Frauen, Vegetarier (1998): G: 23 (23.1.1998) 15 weeks; So bin ich (2001): G: 59 (20.4.2001) 3 weeks