
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.
Харальд Шмидт · Harald Franz Schmidt
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Titles counted once; a person can act and direct on the same film (roles merged).
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Directing
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Highest TMDB score (min 100 votes)
Highest TMDB vote count (attention / reach proxy; not box office)
7 Zwerge - Männer allein im Wald
2004 · movie
Stopped on Track
2011 · movie
The Legend of Timm Thaler: or The Boy Who Sold His Laughter
2017 · movie
Schreckenstein Castle
2016 · movie
Wetten, dass..?
1981 · tv
Late Show
1999 · movie
About the Looking for and the Finding of Love
2005 · movie
Die Harald Schmidt Show
1995 · tv
By release / first air year · movie & TV merged