Ottfried Fischer

Ottfried Fischer (born November 7, 1953) is a retired German actor and Kabarett artist, best known for his role as Benno Berghammer in the popular German TV series Der Bulle von Tölz. He is a supporter of the Social Democratic Party of Germany. Fischer was born to Werner Fischer and Maria Fischer on the farm "Ornatsöd" in Untergriesbach, Lower Bavaria. He began studying law at LMU Munich but quit after a short time and founded the Münchner Hinterhoftheater with some friends in 1980, where he started as a Kabarett artist and actor.

In 1983, Austrian Kabarett artist Werner Schneyder invited Fischer onto his television show Meine Gäste und ich. In 1989, he gave his first solo performance as a Kabarett artist with his program Schwer ist leicht was, and in 1994 he toured with his second program Was tun. In 1990, he appeared on Mitternachtsspitzen with Richard Rogler, and since 1995 he has hosted Ottis Schlachthof, a show dedicated to interviewing solo Kabarett artists and giving a platform to newcomers.

While working as a Kabarett artist, Fischer also worked as an actor in multiple films and television series. His first television appearance was arranged by Franz Xaver Bogner in the series Zeit genug, and in 1985 Bogner offered him the lead in Irgendwie und Sowieso. His greatest success began in 1995 when he took the lead in Der Bulle von Tölz, and from 2003 he was the lead actor in Pfarrer Braun, a series loosely based on Father Brown. His awards include the Salzburger Stier (1986), the Deutscher Kleinkunstpreis (1986), and four Goldene Romy awards for best actor in a TV series. In 2008, he informed the press that he has Parkinson's disease.