Role

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Performer

Genre

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Opera

 

Wolfgang Neuss was a German actor, comedian, and musician who was born on December 3, 1923, in Breslau, Germany (now Wrocław, Poland). He was the son of a Jewish father and a Catholic mother, and his family moved to Berlin when he was a child. Neuss grew up during the rise of the Nazi party and experienced firsthand the persecution of Jews and other minorities. He was forced to leave school at the age of 14 and began working as a messenger boy. Despite the challenges he faced, Neuss developed a passion for music and began playing the piano and trumpet. He also became interested in acting and comedy and began performing in local theaters and cabarets. In 1943, he was drafted into the German army and served on the Eastern Front. He was captured by Soviet forces in 1945 and spent several years as a prisoner of war. After the war, Neuss returned to Berlin and resumed his career as an actor and musician. He became a regular performer at the famous Berlin cabaret, Die Stachelschweine, and gained a reputation for his irreverent humor and satirical songs. In 1951, he formed his own cabaret group, Die Insulaner, which became known for its political commentary and social criticism. Neuss also began recording music and released several albums of satirical songs and jazz music. He collaborated with other musicians, including the jazz pianist Horst Jankowski, and performed at major music festivals throughout Europe. In 1959, he won the German Record Critics' Award for his album, "Wolfgang Neuss spricht und singt Bertolt Brecht" (Wolfgang Neuss speaks and sings Bertolt Brecht). Neuss continued to work as an actor and appeared in several films and television shows. He also wrote and directed his own plays and musicals, including "Die Wühlmäuse" and "Die Kaktusblüte." In 1963, he won the German Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the film, "Das Haus in Montevideo" (The House in Montevideo). Throughout his career, Neuss remained committed to social and political activism. He was a vocal critic of the German government and the Vietnam War and supported various left-wing causes. He was also a supporter of the civil rights movement in the United States and performed at a benefit concert for the NAACP in 1963. Neuss died on May 5, 1989, in Berlin, Germany, at the age of 65. He left behind a legacy as a pioneering figure in German cabaret and a champion of free speech and social justice. His music and comedy continue to inspire new generations of artists and activists.

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