Olli Dittrich

From the age of three he grew up in Hamburg, where he also attended school. He received his secondary school leaving certificate in 1975. As a teenager, Olli Dittrich already had a great interest in music and received piano, drum and guitar lessons. He also received vocal training. He founded his first band at the age of 16, and a single was also produced, which was released in 1977 under the title "Ich bin 18". After school he trained as a theater painter at the State Opera in Hamburg. However, Dittrich never pursued the profession and instead took a job at a record company. Music became increasingly important and he began to successfully write songs such as "Little Heart" for "Die Prinzen" or the instrumental piece "Alassio" for James Last. In the years up to 1989, around 250 pieces were created. Olli Dittrich released his first album in 1989 under the title "Modern Guy", but he was denied greater success or even popularity.

His penchant for comedy gave him a second source of income alongside his music and he appeared in various clubs as a stand-up comedian. At one of these performances in 1992 at the "Quatsch Comedy Club" in Hamburg, he finally met Wigald Boning, with whom he formed a fruitful friendship from then on. Their sense of humor combined very well and their first joint appearances followed. They both also shared the joy of music and wrote songs together. Olli Dittrich made his breakthrough in November 1993 as a member of the "RTL Saturday Night Show" team. The show was very popular and later even enjoyed a cult following. Dittrich and Boning were not only involved in the show as actors but also as authors; some of the sections were written by them, including the sketches for "2 Chairs - 1 Opinion", "Kentucky screams fuck" and "Spocht". "RTL Saturday Night" and its contributors were awarded the "Bambi", the "Bavarian Film Prize" and a "Golden Lion" in 1994.

Dittrich and Boning again devoted themselves more to making music together and founded the band "Die Doofen", which had its first appearances under the heading "Songs that the world doesn't need" in the "Saturday Night Show". The songs were so successful that they were soon available on CD. The single "Mief" stayed at number one in the German charts for weeks in the summer of 1995. This achievement was also recognized and awarded numerous prizes, for example Olli Dittrich, as a member of "Die Doofen", was honored with a "Bambi", an "Echo" and a "Golden Tuning Fork" in 1995 and for her verbal battles in "2 Chairs - 1 Opinion" Dittrich and Boning were awarded the "Adolf Grimme Prize". Olli Dittrich also extended his acting talent to acting and made his first feature film appearance in "The Nephew" in 1997. He made his film debut the following year in "Frau Rettich, die Czerni und ich". After a few years of great success, the last episode of "RTL Saturday Night" was broadcast in May 1998. However, Olli Dittrich continued to have a presence both on and off screen.

He got his own ZDF show in 2000 with "Olli, Animals, Sensations". The character "Dittsche" and the improvisation comedy "Blind Date" with Anke Engelke were also created during this time. The idea was expanded and broadcast as a feature film. In 2002, "Blind Date 2" was produced and Olli Dittrich and Anke Engelke were awarded the "Adolf Grimme Prize" for their performance. A total of six pieces were created from the improvisation series. In 2004, Olli Dittrich was seen in the successful production "The Wixxer", also alongside Engelke. The parody of Edgar Wallace films became one of the most successful German films of the year. The "Dittsche" series, which had been launched a few years earlier, started in the same year. "Dittsche - The Real Life" is broadcast live and is not only a special feature in the field of comedy. This production was also awarded the "German Television Prize" and Olli Dittrich again received the "Adolf Grimme Prize".

In addition to his great successes as an actor and comedian, Olli Dittrich also repeatedly devotes himself to music. In 2005 he founded the band "Texas Lightning", a country group that reinterprets well-known hits in addition to their own songs. With this band, Olli Dittrich was able to assert himself in the preliminary decision for the "Eurovision Song Contest" against Thomas Anders and Vicky Leandros and thus represented Germany on May 20th at the "Eurovision Song Contest" 2006 in Athens.