Hanns Dieter Hüsch

Hanns Dieter Huesch (6 May 1925 - 6 December 2005) was a German author, cabaret artist, actor, songwriter, and radio commentator. With a working life of more than 53 years on the German cabaret stage and 70 of his own programmes, he was one of the most productive and successful representatives of literary cabaret in Germany in the 20th century. He grew up in the Niederrhein area near the Netherlands and, suffering from a foot condition until he was 11, became a loner who began to write. He studied in Mainz, but as he put it, "I did not study, I wrote cabaret pieces."

In 1955, Huesch started his first cabaret ensemble, Arche nova, which became famous in southern Germany and Switzerland. From 1965 he released phonograph records with literary cabaret pieces, chansons, and poems, selling more than 50 albums until his death. In 1967, he joined the left-wing German student movement, but some elements heckled his performances over his non-violent attitude, prompting him to stop performing in Germany for years and move to Switzerland. He returned to German cabaret stages in 1972 and gave more than 200 performances every year.

After his wife died in 1985, Huesch wrote his most successful programme, "Und sie bewegt mich doch." He toured with his farewell programme "Wir sehen uns wieder" until the end of 2000. It is said that more than 3.5 million people saw his live performances between 1947 and 2000. He received the Bundesverdienstkreuz and, twice, the German Cabaret award Deutscher Kleinkunstpreis, along with honorary citizenship of Moers and Mainz. He died six months after his 80th birthday.