Johannes Heesters
Johannes Heesters | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | December 5, 1903 Amersfoort, Netherlands |
| Died | December 24, 2011 (aged 108) Starnberg, Germany |
| Genres | Musical |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 1921–2011 |
| Website | www.johannes-heesters.de |
Johan Marius Nicolaas "Johannes" Heesters (5 December 1903 – 24 December 2011), known professionally as Johannes Heesters, was a Dutch actor, singer, and entertainer.
He worked for 90 years, almost always in German-speaking Europe. Heesters was one of the oldest working people in entertainment. Some people disliked Heesters because he once sang for Adolf Hitler[1] and supported Nazi Germany during World War II.
Heesters was married twice: to Belgian actress Louise Ghijs (1906-1985) from 1930 until her death and from 1992-2011 to Simone Rethel. Heesters had two daughters from his first marriage and five grandchildren, eleven great-grandchildren, twenty-five great-great-grandchildren and one great-great-great-grandson as of 2011. His younger daughter Nicole Heesters is a well-known actress in the German-speaking world, as is his granddaughter Saskia Fischer.
On 1 January 2008, he fell down some stairs in his holiday house in Tyrol, Austria, breaking two ribs.[2]
On 29 November 2011, he suddenly fell ill and was rushed to hospital.[3] He was operated on to fit an artificial pacemaker. He was allowed home less than a week later. This was in time to spend his 108th birthday the next day with family. He did not feel strong enough to make the planned stage appearance to sing in celebration of his birthday. He also missed the premiere of his latest movie, Ten. Due to a relapse in his condition, on 17 December he went back to the hospital. He had a stroke and died on Christmas Eve 2011.[4][5][6]
Discography
[change | change source]- Albums
- 1965: Jetzt geh' ich ins Maxim
- 2003: Ich werde 100 Jahre alt
- Singles
- 1937: "Ich werde jede Nacht von ihnen träumen"
- 1939: "Musik, Musik, Musik" (featuring Marika Rökk)
- 1941: "Liebling, was wird nun aus uns beiden"
- 1941: "Man müßte Klavier spielen können"
- 1949: "Das kommt mir spanisch vor"
- 1949: "Tausendmal möchte' ich dich küssen"
- 1998: "Ich werde 100 Jahre alt" (song)
- 2007: "Generationen" (featuring Claus Eisenmann)
Honours, decorations, awards
[change | change source]- 1984: Bavarian Order of Merit
- 1993: Berlinian Order of Merit
- 2000: Ring of Honour of the City of Vienna
- Bambi in 1967, 1987, 1990, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
- 2001: Platinum Romy (TV award)
- 2003: Goldene Kamera
- 2004: Kammersänger
Filmography
[change | change source]
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References
[change | change source]- ↑ Ellicott, Claire (18 February 2008). "Anger at concert by Hitler singer, 104". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2008-12-08. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
- ↑ "Johannes Heesters geht es besser", Der Spiegel, 2 January 2008
- ↑ "Johannes Heesters muss Zwangspause einlegen", Berliner Morgenpost, 30 November 2011
- ↑ "Johannes Heesters ist Tot", Berliner Morgenpost, 24 December 2011
- ↑ Gayathri, Amrutha (26 December 2011). "Hitler's Favorite Actor Dead at 108". International Business Times.
- ↑ "Johannes Heesters". The Daily Telegraph. London. 14 February 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
Other websites
[change | change source]- Johannes Heesters on IMDb
- Official website Archived 2010-01-26 at the Wayback Machine (in German)
- Postcards and tobacco cards
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