Michael Mittermeier

Michael Fritz Mittermeier (born April 3, 1966 in Dorfen) is a German comedian and author. Mittermeier's father worked as an auctioneer. After graduating from high school at the Gymnasium in Gars am Inn, Mittermeier began studying political science and American studies at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. In 1994, he wrote his master's thesis on the topic of American stand-up comedy.

Career Beginnings
Mittermeier, who received private music lessons in piano and guitar from his parents during his childhood, started out as a street musician. Inspired by the American comedian Jerry Lewis, Mittermeier began his career as a humorous singer-songwriter. His first television appearance was at the age of 15 on June 13, 1981, on the ZDF program Scooter, alongside his brother. Following performances at local festivals, he started preparing material in 1987 as he wanted to "become an artist in some form."

At a U2 concert in the Olympiahalle in Munich on July 21, 1987, where he stood in the front row, Mittermeier, a fan of U2 since his youth, witnessed Bono starting to sing the song "People Get Ready" by the Impressions. When Bono made a mistake on the guitar and asked the audience if anyone could play, Mittermeier volunteered and was subsequently pulled onto the stage by security. After Bono briefly showed him the three chords, Mittermeier played the song together with Bono. This guest appearance further encouraged Mittermeier to pursue a career as a solo stage artist. In 2001, Mittermeier performed as the opening act for U2 at the Berlin Waldbühne, as a spontaneous replacement for the Söhne Mannheims. In 2007, Mittermeier presented Bono with the Special Award for Global Engagement as the presenter at the 2007 Echo Awards.

Artistic Career
Becoming known for his show "Zapped" (1996), Michael Mittermeier toured Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, appearing on various comedy TV shows, including "Wetten, dass..?" (Wanna bet..?). Notable parts of "Zapped" included parodies of commercials for Yogurette and AOK, as well as the TV show "Aktenzeichen XY… ungelöst" and the US TV series "MacGyver," the latter becoming a running gag. His subsequent stage shows were named "Wahnsinnlich" (1990), "Back to Life" (2002), "Paranoid" (2004), "Safari" (2007), "Achtung Baby" (2010), "Blackout" (2013), "Wild" (2015), "Lucky Punch" (2018), and "13" (2022). He popularized the term "Arschgeweih" (tramp stamp) and found success with the music project "Mittermeier vs. Guano Babes" (the Guano Apes, who couldn't use their regular band name due to contractual reasons) and their joint single "Kumba Yo!" Since 1992, Mittermeier has regularly performed at the Quatsch Comedy Club in Berlin, which he co-owns with Thomas Hermanns and the actor behind the character Atze Schröder.

In 2001, at the Berlin Waldbühne concert, Mittermeier met U2 again: Due to bad weather preventing the soundcheck for the scheduled opening act Söhne Mannheims, Mittermeier, who was in the audience, was engaged as a temporary support act. Mittermeier spontaneously performed excerpts from his current program "Back to Life." In 2004 and 2005, Mittermeier performed in English at New York comedy clubs. On July 2, 2005, he co-hosted the Live8 concert event in Berlin with Anne Will. At the end of 2006, he concluded his program "Paranoid," and from April 2007, he toured Germany and Austria with a stand-up program called "Stand Up! - Freestyle Comedy with Michael Mittermeier." On July 7, 2007, he performed at Al Gore's Live Earth concert in Hamburg.

In addition, Mittermeier co-wrote the song "Exorcize Your Funky Little Demon" with Tito & Tarantula, featured on the 2001 album "Mittermeier & Friends," alongside collaborations with Badesalz, Sasha, and The King. At the end of 2007, Mittermeier celebrated his 20th anniversary on stage with the gala "20 Years Mittermeier" on ProSieben. His show "Safari" premiered at the sold-out Circus Krone Building in Munich on October 2, 2007. The DVD for "Safari," recorded at Circus Krone on October 22 and 23, 2008, was awarded triple gold during a performance in Munich on October 14, 2009. In the Disney film "Lilly the Witch: The Dragon and the Magic Book" (2009), Michael Mittermeier provided the voice of the animated dragon Hector. He reprised this role in the sequels "Lilly the Witch: The Journey to Mandolan" (2011) and "Lilly the Witch Saves Christmas" (2017). In early 2010, Mittermeier traveled to Cape Town, South Africa, becoming the first German comedian to participate in an international comedy festival there. The documentary "Michael Mittermeier in Cape Town," produced during this trip, was released on June 11, 2010. He also visited the social project Vulamasango as part of the RTL Donation Marathon. In 2011, he was the only German artist to perform at the Just for Laughs Festival in Canada.

Mittermeier wrote the book "Achtung Baby!" about the birth of his daughter and his experiences as a father, which was published on February 22, 2010. "Achtung Baby!" was also the title of his stage program, which premiered at the Circus Krone in Munich on October 18, 2010. In October 2010, the film "This Prison Where I Live" was released, documenting Mittermeier's journey with Rex Bloomstein to Myanmar to speak with imprisoned comedian Zarganar about his fate. A year later, not least due to Mittermeier's efforts, Zarganar was released from prison. In 2011 and 2012, Mittermeier performed with Xavier Naidoo, Rea Garvey, and Sasha as the German Rat Pack. In 2012, 2014, and January 2014, he performed individual shows in English in London. Further English-language performances took place in South Africa and Russia. In the fall of 2015, under the title "Das Blackout," he embarked on a small US tour in Washington DC, New York, Atlanta, and Chicago with the support of the Goethe-Institut. The English show is an adapted version of his last German program, mixed with blocks specifically written for the US audience.

In October 2023, his Lucky Punch Comedy Club officially opened in the cultural area Fat Cat in the former Gasteig.

Family
Since 1998, Michael Mittermeier has been married to the singer Gudrun Allwang, also known by her stage name Somersault. The couple lives in Pullach im Isartal with their daughter Lilly, born in January 2008, who was presented to the public as the indirect main character in Mittermeier's book and live program "Achtung Baby!" They have had four stillborn children together. Since July 2021, the family has been producing the podcast "Mittermeier's Synapse Mikado – Conversations with a 14-Year-Old."

Mittermeier's older brother Alfred Mittermeier is also a cabaret artist.

Social Engagement
Mittermeier supports the campaign "Deine Stimme gegen Armut" (Your Voice Against Poverty), the development policy organization ONE, and the Vulamasango project, which helps children and teenagers from the townships of Cape Town. Mittermeier is politically active on and off stage, describing himself as politically left-wing and a voter of the Green Party, seeing no alternative for himself. On April 25, 2008, Michael Mittermeier spoke out as a co-signer of an open letter to the Chancellor in a full-page advertisement in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, and the Tageszeitung, advocating for the protection of intellectual property. Mittermeier also advocates for human rights. He was a patron of the initiative "Ein Logo für Menschenrechte" (A Logo for Human Rights) and moderated the presentation of the initiative on May 3, 2011.

Discography
Zapped! (1997)
Back to Life (2000)
Mittermeier & Friends (2001)
Paranoid (2004)
Safari (2008)
Achtung Baby! (2010)
Blackout (2013)
WILD (2016)
Lucky Punch (2018)
Zwischenwelt - Once upon a time in Corona (2021)
ZAPPED! - Ein TV-Junkie kehrt zurück - 25 Jahre-Special (2022)
Safety First (2022)
#13 (2023)