Hanno Coldam (real name Heinz Matloch: 25 October 1932 – 13 April 1992) was a circus
animal trainer from
East Germany
East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
.
With his wife and daughter, he specialised in
lions,
tigers
and
black panthers.
Born in Berlin just three months before the dramatic
regime change of 1933, after leaving school Heinz Matloch trained for work as a blacksmith, his father's trade. Instead of that, however, he went on to take a job in the props department at the Barlay Circus. Here, between 1950 and 1954, he worked taking care of animals with Gilbert Houcke. In 1954 he was appointed an animal trainer with the Aero Circus, which in 1960 merged with the Barlay Circus to form the
State Circus of East Germany. Between 1960 and 1990 he was the chief animal trainer with the State Circus. His comedy act "Rasierlöwen" (''"Lions shaving"'') became particularly well known, and was featured in 1966 by
DEFA, the state-owned film company, in a film entitled ''Black Panthers''.
German reunification
German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...
in 1990, the State Circus was dissolved. Hanno Coldam died in 1992.[
]
Awards and honours
* National Prize of East Germany
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coldam, Hanno
German circus performers
Recipients of the National Prize of East Germany
1932 births
1992 deaths
Lion tamers