Harald Schmidt

Acting

Harald Schmidt

Born 1957-08-18 · Neu-Ulm, Bavaria, West Germany [now Germany]

Harald Franz Schmidt is a German actor, comedian, television presenter, and author, best known as the host of two popular German late-night shows. The son of refugees who fled the Sudetenland (now the Czech Republic) in 1945, Schmidt spent his youth in the Swabian town of Nürtingen. Due to his strict Catholic upbringing, he became actively involved in the Roman Catholic Church, serving as a choirmaster and playing the organ. At the age of 21, Schmidt moved to Stuttgart, where he attended drama school for three years. Subsequently, he gained stage experience at the *Städtische Bühne* (Municipal Theater) in Augsburg. His first role was that of the Second Mamluk in Lessing’s *Nathan the Wise*. In 1984, Schmidt became a lyricist for the cabaret ensemble *Kom(m)ödchen* in Düsseldorf, and in 1986, he was named "Best Up-and-Coming Cabaret Artist." That same year, he toured Germany with his own solo show. Television soon took notice of the talented young comedian, and in 1988, Schmidt hosted his first TV program, *MAZ ab*. This was followed by shows such as *Psst!* and *Schmidteinander*. He experienced the greatest boost of his career in 1992, when he took over as host of the popular Saturday-night show *Verstehen Sie Spaß?*. Schmidt was awarded the Adolf Grimme Prize—Germany’s most prestigious television award—the first of many such honors to follow. Just one year later, he was named "Entertainer of the Year" and received both the Bambi and the *Goldene Kamera* awards.

Acting credits

Frei:Gespielt - Mehmet Scholl - Über das Spiel hinaus poster
6.6

No synopsis available yet.

Frei:Gespielt - Mehmet Scholl - Über das Spiel hinaus

2007

7 Zwerge - Männer allein im Wald poster
5.5

The Seven Dwarves live deep within a female-free-zone of the Enchanted Forest, but they cannot resist the innocent charms of Snow White when she enters their world. So when the evil queen abducts her, it is up to the dwarves to save her life.

7 Zwerge - Männer allein im Wald

2004

The Legend of Timm Thaler: or The Boy Who Sold His Laughter poster
7.1

The devil tricks a little boy off his laughter in exchange for assured wins in all his bets. It depicts his journey after the deal with the devil, how he loses his soul bit by bit with each win.

The Legend of Timm Thaler: or The Boy Who Sold His Laughter

2017

Schreckenstein Castle poster
5.9

Eleven-year-old outsider Stephan arrives at Castle Schreckenstein, an all-boys boarding school, where he learns about life within a community and soon finds himself being part of a funny 'pranks-competition' the boys are currently fighting against the neighboring girls of Castle Rosenfels. When the girls have no choice but to move to Schreckenstein after a failed prank, life at school is suddenly nothing like it used to be...

Schreckenstein Castle

2016

Die Musterknaben 2 poster
5.7

A new case for "The Model Boys": The two Cologne commissioners Docker and Dretzke to take the next 14 days a journalist to their missions.

Die Musterknaben 2

1999

Stopped on Track poster
6.8

Frank and Simone have fulfilled a dream and live with their two children in a row house in the suburbs. They are a happy couple, until the day Frank is diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. The family is suddenly confronted with death.

Stopped on Track

2011

Late Show poster
5.6

Hannes Engel is a successful radio presenter in the countryside. By chance, he is heard by program director Conrad Scheffer one night, who immediately recognizes the potential of the cheeky presenter and wants to sign him up as the new figurehead for his late show, which is in a ratings slump. But this proves to be more difficult than planned. First of all, they have to get rid of the old show host, then Engel's wife has just been thrown out of one of the station's productions, and Engel is also being pursued by a sensationalist tabloid journalist who never misses a chance to drag Engel through the mud....

Late Show

1999

About the Looking for and the Finding of Love poster
4.7

Director helmut Dietls and Patric Susskinds illustrate a legendary story of two lovers who cant keep themselves away from death.

About the Looking for and the Finding of Love

2005

Zettl poster
4.5

A social satire in which a chauffeur accidentally becomes the editor of an online newspaper.

Zettl

2012

Nich' mit Leo poster
5.0

Leo the foreign legionnaire, Wilhelm the priest and Charly the brothel owner are unequal brothers. Wilhelm is determined to have Charly's brothel closed down. When Charly kidnaps Wilhelm to his brothel, he recognizes his brother - and promptly pretends to be him. And then Leo comes along as well.

Nich' mit Leo

1995

Best of Harald Schmidt - Respektlos und Rezeptfrei poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Best of Harald Schmidt - Respektlos und Rezeptfrei

2000

Rosamunde Pilcher: Ein Doktor und drei Frauen poster
5.2

No synopsis available yet.

Rosamunde Pilcher: Ein Doktor und drei Frauen

2016

Beckenbauer poster
6.4

He is considered one of the most important athletes in football history. Franz Beckenbauer was the shining light of German football, won everything there was to win in club football as a player and coach, became world champion as a player and coach and, as the father of the "Summer Fairy Tale", brought the 2006 World Cup to Germany. He was also a pioneering advertising icon and an occasional singer and actor. The man whom everyone in his home country simply calls “Kaiser” shaped the image of the Federal Republic of Germany like no one else. The legendary footballer seems like a national treasure today, but little is known about the person behind the ball artist. Public knowledge of his private life is shaped by his long-term relationships with four women. The documentary, completed shortly before his death, uses archive material and prominent contemporary witnesses from sports, politics and entertainment to weave both facets into a look at a life's work with light and shadow.

Beckenbauer

2024

Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten poster
3.8

A man had a donkey that had carried the sacks to the mill for many years, but whose strength was now coming to an end, so that he became increasingly unfit for work.

Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten

2010

Gruschel mich! Die studiVZ-Story poster
7.0

A crazy Facebook deal and trouble over the "Gruscheln": studiVZ rose at an incredible pace in the 2000s to become Germany's largest social network. This drove its US competitor Facebook crazy. So much so that studiVZ founder Ehssan Dariani and his co-founders met Mark Zuckerberg in Silicon Valley and were presented with an offer that would go down in history. But a rise in ecstasy was followed by a dramatic fall - of the network and its most important founder. The documentary is about scandals, personal stories of loss and the question: did the studiVZ founders just steal everything?

Gruschel mich! Die studiVZ-Story

2025

No artwork available
NR

A short film adaption of the novel "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka.

Die Samsas

1998