Anke Christina Fischer ( Engelke; born 21 December 1965) is a German comedian, actress, voice actress and television presenter.
Personal life
Born in
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
, Canada, Engelke moved to
Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
, Germany in 1971 with her German parents. Early on, she exhibited singing talent, and was discovered in 1978 by Georg Bossert at a performance of her school's choir.
From 1994 to 2000, Engelke was married to the keyboardist Andreas Grimm with whom she has a daughter. She was married to musician Claus Fischer from 2005 to 2015, with whom she has two sons.
Career
From 1979 to 1986, she was the presenter of the daily children's television show broadcast from the Funkausstellung (a German radio exhibition, held every other year in
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
), and the weekly children and youth's sports magazine show ''Pfiff''. From 1978 to 1980, she hosted the show ''Moment mal'' (Wait a minute) on
RTL
RTL may refer to:
Media
* RTL Group, a European TV, radio, and production company
*** List of RTL Group's television stations (including part-owned channels)
*** List of RTL Group's radio stations
** RTL Lëtzebuerg, usually referred to simply a ...
. SWF3 first brought her on board in 1986 as an editor; later on, she was the presenter there until 1998. She has sung with ''Fred Kellner und die famosen Soul Sisters'' since 1989. Since 1993, she has been part of the SWF3-Comedy-Ensemble ''Gagtory''.
From 1996 to 2000, she was part of ''
Die Wochenshow
''Die Wochenshow'' (English: ''The Weekly Show'', lit.: ''The Week's Review'') was a German weekly sketch comedy show that aired on Sat.1 and was produced by Brainpool TV. It first aired on 20 April 1996 and was cancelled early in 2002. The show ...
'' on
Sat.1
Sat.1 () is a German free-to-air television channel that is a part of the ProSiebenSat.1 Media Group.
It is considered the first privately owned television network in Germany, having been launched in January 1984 as ''PKS'' ''(Programmgesell ...
, a rather famous comedy TV show in Germany at that time, alongside
Bastian Pastewka
Bastian Pastewka (born 4 April 1972) is a German actor and comedian.
In Bochum, he first became known to a wider audience in Germany around 1996 as a regular cast member of the comedy show '' Die Wochenshow'' (engl.: The Weekly Show), essentiall ...
,
Ingolf Lück
Ingolf Guenter Lück (born 26 April 1958) is a German former actor, comedian and television host.
Lück was born in Bielefeld. He hosted several sketch comedy shows; the best known, '' Die Wochenshow'', aired on Sat.1 between 1996 and 2002.
H ...
and Marco Rima.
In 2003, Engelke and
Olli Dittrich
Oliver Michael Dittrich (born 20 November 1956) is a German television personality, comedian, actor, and musician.
Life
Dittrich completed a three year-education as a theatre painter in the Hamburg State Opera (1975–1978). At the same time, ...
were awarded the
Grimme-Preis
The Grimme-Preis (Grimme Award), formerly known as the Adolf-Grimme-Preis, is one of the most prestigious German television awards. It is named after the first general director of Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk, Adolf Grimme. The Grimme Institute ...
for the improv show ''Blind Date 2 – Taxi nach Schweinau''.
In December 2003, Engelke provided the voice of the fish Dory in the German dubbing of the animated film ''
Finding Nemo
''Finding Nemo'' is a 2003 American animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Andrew Stanton, co-directed by Lee Unkrich, and produced by Graham Walters, from ...
'', which is voiced by
Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen Lee DeGeneres ( ; born January 26, 1958) is an American former comedian, actress, television host, writer, and producer.
She began her career in stand-up comedy in the early 1980s, gaining national attention with a 1986 appearance on '' ...
in the English original. She also provided the voice of Jane Porter in the German dubbing of the
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
movie ''
Tarzan
Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer.
Creat ...
'', who is voiced by
Minnie Driver
Amelia Fiona Jessica "Minnie" Driver (born 31 January 1970) is a British and American actress and singer. She rose to prominence with her break-out role in the 1995 film ''Circle of Friends (1995 film), Circle of Friends''. She went on to star i ...
in the original version.
Engelke can also be seen in the successful sketch comedy show ''
Ladykracher
''Ladykracher'' was a German television comedy, German sketch comedy show starring Anke Engelke. The show ran on Sat.1 from 2002 to 2004 and was produced by Brainpool (company), Brainpool. In 2008 the show was reproduced until 2013.
Skits
All L ...
'' on
Sat.1
Sat.1 () is a German free-to-air television channel that is a part of the ProSiebenSat.1 Media Group.
It is considered the first privately owned television network in Germany, having been launched in January 1984 as ''PKS'' ''(Programmgesell ...
. On 17 May 2004, when the very successful ''
Die Harald Schmidt Show
''Die Harald Schmidt Show'' ("The Harald Schmidt Show") was a German late-night talk show hosted on Sky Deutschland by comedian Harald Schmidt. The show first aired from 5 December 1995 to 23 December 2003 on Sat.1. Schmidt then moved his show t ...
'' left Sat.1, Engelke took over its timeslot with ''
Anke Late Night
''Anke Late Night'' was a German late night talk show hosted by Anke Engelke and produced by Brainpool.
The show first aired on 17 May 2004 on Sat.1, in the same timeslot as ''Die Harald Schmidt Show''. The stage band for the show was the "Elect ...
'', which was cancelled due to low ratings a few months later on 21 October 2004.
Engelke has been the German voice of
Marge Simpson
Marjorie Jacqueline "Marge" Simpson () is a character in the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' and part of the eponymous family (The Simpsons). Voiced by Julie Kavner, she first appeared on television in '' The Tracey Ullman Show'' s ...
on ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
'' since her predecessor
Elisabeth Volkmann
Elisabeth Volkmann (; 16 March 1936 – 27 July 2006) was a German actress and comedian, best known for her part in the German absurd comedy series ' (1973–1979), which was watched by millions of viewers in GermanyMy Fair Laddy", which aired in Germany on 21 January 2007.
In December 2009, she hosted the
European Film Awards
The European Film Awards (or European Film Academy Awards) have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements. The awards are given in 19 categories, of which the mos ...
ceremony, a role she would repeat in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
In May 2011, she hosted the
Eurovision Song Contest 2011
The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the 56th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Düsseldorf, Germany, following the country's victory at the with the song "Satellite" by Lena. Organised by the European Broadcasting Uni ...
in
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...
alongside
Stefan Raab
Stefan Konrad Raab (born 20 October 1966) is a German entertainer, television host, television producer, and businessman. From 1999 to 2015, he hosted the late-night talk show, late-night comedy talk show ''TV total'' on ProSieben. He also creat ...
and
Judith Rakers
Judith Deborah Rakers (born 6 January 1976) is a German journalist and television presenter.
Biography
Rakers was born in Paderborn, West Germany, and grew up in Bad Lippspringe with her single father. After graduating at Pelizaeus-Gymna ...
.
The following year, Engelke served as the spokesperson for
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
at the
Eurovision Song Contest 2012
The Eurovision Song Contest 2012 was the 57th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, following the country's victory at the with the song "Running Scared (Ell & Nikki song), Running Scared" by Ell & Nikki, El ...
held in
Baku
Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...
,
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
. Before presenting the votes, she also gave a live statement on the human-rights issues in the hosting country, saying: "Tonight nobody could vote for their own country. But it is good to be able to vote. And it is good to have a choice. Good luck on your journey, Azerbaijan. Europe is watching you." She was the only spokesperson to articulately address
human rights
Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
during the event. She had also served as one of Germany's national juries for the contest during that year.
In February 2013, her involvement with the Eurovision Song Contest continued as she hosted ''
Unser Song für Malmö
Germany was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 with the song " Glorious" written by Yann Peifer, Manuel Reuter, Andres Ballinas and Tony Cornelissen, and performed by Cascada. The German entry for the 2013 contest in Malmö, Sweden w ...
'', the German national final.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
Audiobooks
* 2009: Heike Faller: ''Wie ich einmal versuchte, reich zu werden'', publisher:
Random House Audio
Random House is an imprint and publishing group of Penguin Random House. Founded in 1927 by businessmen Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer as an imprint of Modern Library, it quickly overtook Modern Library as the parent imprint. Over the followi ...
,
* 2013:
Felix Salten
Felix Salten (; 6 September 1869 – 8 October 1945) was an Austrian author and Literary criticism, literary critic. His most famous work is ''Bambi, a Life in the Woods'', which was adapted into an animated feature film, ''Bambi'', by Walt Disne ...
: ''Bambi: Eine Lebensgeschichte aus dem Walde'', publisher: tacheles,