Dirk Bach - German Celebrity, Actor

Dirk Bach was born in Cologne, Germany on April 23, 1961 and died on October 1, 2012 in Berlin, Germany. Dirk Bach was a well-known actor and comedian who was openly gay. He was the son of an engineer and an office assistant. Dirk Bach landed his first theater role in 1978 for the Cologne director Hans Günter Heyme in a production of Heiner Muller’s “Titan.”

Dirk Bach did not attend drama school, but began learning his stage skills at a young age by working in theaters after school. He eventually joined several independent theater groups with which he ended up traveling to places such as The Netherlands, Brussels, London, America and Austria. In 1985, Dirk Bach won the Max-Ophuls Prize. In the mid-1980s, he had his big break as a comedian when he joined the cast of a project called “Geierwally.” In 1988 he received a “Commitment on Improvisational Theater.” In 1992, Dirk Bach became member of the “Ensemble of the Cologne Theatre,” where he was known for being both funny and dramatic.

Bach gained a wider audience in 1992 with “The Dirk Bach Show,” on the German television station RTL, which was followed by the television series “Lukas,” which aired on the ZDF network from 1996 to 2001. From 2000 to 2007, Dirk Bach appeared as "Pepe" on the German version of the popular American children’s show “Sesame Street.” He was also well-known for being the voice of several popular children’s cartoon characters. Dirk Bach also lent his voice to various audio books by authors such as Walter Moers, as well as children’s books such as “Impy’s Island” by Max Kruse. He also was the voice of the popular children’s character “Capt’n Sharky.”

In 2004, he began co-hosting the RTL show “I’m a Celebrity … Get Me out of Here!” with Sonja Zietlow. In 2005 he starred in the lead role in a movie adaptation of “Impy’s Island.” From 2006 to 2008 he served as the leader an improvisational comedy show on RTL. Dirk Bach also worked with Cordula Stratmann in 2004 and 2005 on the improvisational comedy show called “Schillerstraße,” which aired weekly on Saturdays. In 2009 he became good friends with Jurgen Vogel.

In 2008, Dirk Bach hosted the television game show “Power of Ten.” In 2009, he hosted a show simply titled “Dirk Bach.” In the summer of 2010, he was part of the ensemble of the “Worms Nibelungen Pageant.” Dirk Bach also worked closely with Hella von Sinnen in several productions. In 2012, he was preparing to play the title role in the play “The Little King December” at the Schlosspark Theater in Berlin when he passed away.

In 1999, Dirk Bach married the man who had been his life partner since 1995, although the ceremony, which took place in Key West, Florida, had no legal validity in Germany. Dirk Bach was well-known as a gay rights activist. He was a member of LSVD (the Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany), and supported Amnesty International and PETA as well, all of which helped earn him a Humanitarian Award in 2001. In 2008 he received the Reminders Day Award for his involvement in the fight against HIV and AIDS.

On October 1, 2012, Dirk Bach was found dead in a hotel room in Berlin. According to Berlin officials, Dirk Bach had been receiving treatment for heart-related issues and had most likely died of heart failure. After his death, there were blood-pressure and cholesterol-lowering medications found in his home. Dirk Bach was alone at the time of his death and officials say there were no signs of foul play. On October 7, 2012, Dirk Bach was laid to rest at the Melaten site in Cologne-Lindenthal at a private ceremony for family and friends.

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