Dirk Bach
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Actor
- comedian
- television presenter
Dirk Bach | |
|---|---|
_Dirk_Bach.jpg) Bach in 2009 | |
| Born | 23 April 1961 |
| Died | 1 October 2012 (aged 51) Berlin, Germany |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1980–2012 |
| Partner | Thomas |
Dirk Bach (23 April 1961 – 1 October 2012) was a German actor, comedian and television presenter, best known as the co-host of Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier raus!, the German version of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!.[1]
Other work
Bach was born in Cologne.[2] After school, he worked in theatres in Amsterdam, Brussels, London, New York, Utrecht, and Vienna.[3] In 1992, Bach was a member of the theatre group in Cologne at the Schauspielhaus and appeared on the German television channel RTL on the Dirk Bach Show.[3] He performed in Lukas (1996–2001) on the German TV channel ZDF, for which he received the Telestar award (1996), the German Comedy Award (1999), and the Goldene Kamera (2001).
In 2002, Bach starred in Der kleine Mönch on ZDF. He worked in Sesamstraße, the German version of Sesame Street, as the character Pepe. He often performed with Hella von Sinnen on different television productions. Starting 2004, Bach and Sonja Zietlow presented the German edition of the show I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!. In 2005, he played the character Urmel in Urmel aus dem Eis (Impy's Island), In 2006, Bach was host of the German game show Frei Schnauze on RTL. In 2010, he appeared as Pastor Hinze on the soap opera Verbotene Liebe, in which he performed the first church wedding between two men ever dramatized on German television with characters Oliver Sabel and Christian Mann.[4][5]
Bach was an LGBT activist[citation needed] and member of the LSVD organisation (Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany). He was part of the campaign to bring the 2010 Gay Games to Cologne.[6] He also helped Amnesty International and the organization PETA.
Personal life and death
Bach lived together with his partner Thomas in Cologne.Bild Archived 24 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine
Bach died on 1 October 2012 in Berlin at the age of 51 from presumed heart failure."Dirk Bach tot - Herzversagen als Todesursache wahrscheinlich". berlin.de (in German). Retrieved 25 August 2021."Dirk Bach ist tot". Spiegel Online (in German). 1 October 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
After his death, the city of Cologne decided to commemorate Bach by naming a public square after him. In mid-2025 the area formerly known as the “kleiner Offenbachplatz” in front of the Schauspielhaus Köln at Offenbachplatz was officially renamed Dirk-Bach-Platz, reflecting his contribution as a theatre performer and entertainer, and marking his connection to the city’s cultural life."Köln: Dirk-Bach-Platz offiziell benannt". Retrieved 7 January 2025."Hier findet man den Dirk-Bach-Platz in der Kölner City". Retrieved 7 January 2025.
