After graduating from secondary school in 1967, Klaus Hoffmann completed an apprenticeship as a wholesale merchant for steel and iron with no prospect of escaping his bourgeois existence. But he had discovered the guitar, learned a few chords, was fascinated by Bob Dylan, wrote his first lyrics and melodies, and eventually made his way through the clubs of West Berlin. Visually, the young Hoffmann had no interest in the fashion dictates of the time, which dictated a bushy beard. Nor did he care for the politically fashionable partisan songs. He dispensed with any facial hair and instead perfected his songwriting. After completing his training, however, he first embarked on a real adventure in 1969, wanting to travel to Goa in a VW Beetle, but ended up in the war zone in Afghanistan, returning emaciated and broke.
In 1970, he began training as an actor at the renowned Max Reinhardt School in West Berlin and was soon celebrated as a rising star of the acting scene. He had engagements at major theaters such as the Freie Volksbühne Berlin, the Hamburger Schauspielhaus, and the Thalia Theater in Hamburg, and worked with top-class directors such as Kurt Hübner and Boy Gobert. But he also worked with film greats such as Ingmar Bergman, in whose drama »The Serpent’s Egg« he appeared on camera alongside the crème de la crème of European cinema. For the title role in the film adaptation of Ulrich Plenzdorf’s »The New Sufferings of Young W.«, he was awarded the Golden Camera and the Bambi, among other prizes.
He also worked intensively on his career as a songwriter and singer, releasing his self-titled debut album in 1975, which has since been followed by over four dozen more. His name is inextricably linked with Jacques Brel, his kindred spirit. Remaining down-to-earth, the musician now lives with his wife Malene and various cats in Kladow.
PERFORMERS
Klaus Hoffmann guitar, vocals
Nikolai Orloff piano
Michael Brandt guitar
Peter Keiser bass
Walter Keiser drums
PROGRAM
»Flügel«
