Cologne – He was one of the most important figures in the German cabaret scene: Richard Rogler has passed away. He was 74 years old, as his family announced on Tuesday in Cologne. Rogler, the first host of the well-known WDR series “Mitternachtsspitzen,” was regarded as a cornerstone of political stage art. According to reports, the Cologne-native died on Sunday.
The Grimme Award winner Rogler, originally from Upper Franconia, began his career in 1974 with children’s theater and then performed as a duo “Der wahre Anton” with Heinrich Pachl. Since 1986, he was on stage with solo programs.
For decades, he reached a large audience across Germany with numerous successful programs and received several German small arts awards until he retired from touring in 2018. Rogler was a member of the “Scheibenwischer” ensemble and also hosted the shows “Gesellschaftsabend,” “Roglers rasendes Kabarett,” and “Roglers Freiheit” on public television.
According to his family’s obituary, Rogler had a unique ability to “weave together with unbridled energy, acting talent, holy anger, and deep love for his characters, theater and cabaret, great world theater and small art, political relevance and human abysses into a completely new form.”
His cabaret colleague Wilfried Schmickler honored him as a “giant role model.” “It was, in a sense, a moment of awakening for me when I saw him on stage for the first time,” Schmickler told the German Press Agency in Cologne. “Standing on stage with such a mouth, expressing his opinion so vehemently and pointedly.”
Rogler’s “cheeky humor and his great ability to present things” fascinated him, said the 69-year-old, who regularly performed in “Mitternachtsspitzen.” “He influenced me and many other cabaret artists profoundly.”
The WDR recalled his authentic presence: “Experts in the scene say that Rogler never really changed for his performances; he remained Rogler on stage – somewhat grumpy, nervous, somehow also resigned, but politically easily stirred, a doer and a friend of humanity, searching for salvation in humor.”
The director of Saarländischer Rundfunk (SR), Martin Grasmück, honored Rogler as a top German cabaret artist. His hosting role in the SR “Gesellschaftsabend” from 2004 to 2007 on SR 2 KulturRadio and the television show “Roglers Rasendes Kabarett – Deutschland-Satire” brought significant recognition to the station in the cabaret scene.