Schenk, Heinz

Television presenter, actor, author

Born: 11.12.1924 in Mainz

Died: 01.05.2014 in Wiesbaden

Schenk moved to Wiesbaden in 1939 and took acting lessons at the Wiesbaden Conservatory. After his first engagements as part of radio events, cabarets and pop parades, he became known through the morning show of Hessischer Rundfunk, "Der Frankfurter Wecker".

In 1966, he took over from his predecessor, the Mainz presenter Otto Höpfner (1924-2005), as host of the program "Zum blauen Bock", which he presented until 1987. Alongside Lia Wöhr (1911-1994) as the landlady, he hosted the show in the role of head waiter, which made him known to an audience of millions. After the end of the entertainment show, he devoted himself to acting alongside a number of television roles. At the Frankfurt Volkstheater, he played in "Rendezvous im Palmengarten" and in the popular play "Der Etappenhase"; he also directed from time to time. Schenk also continued to appear on television, for example in the 1987 multi-part "Wilder Westen inclusive" by Dieter Wedel. He wrote numerous songs for himself and others.

Schenk was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit 1st Class (1984) and the Hessian Order of Merit (1999). He lived in Naurod from 1969; his grave is in the cemetery there.