The Biography

Herbert Feuerstein (born June 15, 1937, in Zell am See, Austria; died October 6, 2020, in Erftstadt, North Rhine-Westphalia) was an Austrian-German journalist, cabaret artist, actor, and entertainer. Herbert Feuerstein initially studied music at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and later worked in New York as a journalist and editor-in-chief of the German-language newspaper *New Yorker Staats-Zeitung*. After returning to Europe, he became the publishing director of the satirical magazine *pardon* and subsequently, over many years, shaped the German edition of *MAD* magazine as its editor-in-chief. Feuerstein achieved nationwide fame starting in the late 1980s through his collaboration with Harald Schmidt on the television programs *Pssst …* and *Schmidteinander*, in which his absurdist humor and self-deprecating demeanor became his trademarks. Numerous other television formats followed, including *Feuersteins Reisen*, the legendary twelve-hour live broadcast *Feuersteins Nacht*, as well as regular appearances on shows such as *Genial daneben* and *Was bin ich?*. He was also active as an actor, appearing in films such as *Vollidiot* and *Wickie und die starken Männer*, as well as in theater and opera productions. Furthermore, Feuerstein worked extensively as a voice actor and writer. Among other roles, he lent his voice to characters in *Die Sendung mit der Maus* and the animated film *The Incredibles*. His literary radio program *SpielArt* on WDR 5, which he hosted from 2003 to 2017, also received great acclaim; his autobiographically tinged segments blended humor, culture, and personal memories. In 2014, he published his memoirs, *Die neun Leben des Herrn F.*. Feuerstein most recently lived in Erftstadt and was married to editor Grit Bergmann. He died in 2020 at the age of 83.