Dieter Thomas Heck

Dieter Thomas Heck (born Carl-Dieter Heckscher, 29 December 1937) is a German television presenter, singer and actor. He is known as the presenter of the TV program ZDF-Hitparade, featuring German Schlager music, in the 1970s and 1980s. As an actor, he starred in the TV play Das Millionenspiel in 1970.

Heck was born in Flensburg, Germany and grew up in Hamburg. In April 1943, when he was five years old, he developed a stutter after being trapped under a staircase after a nighttime British bombing raid during World War II. The stutter went away after he received training in classical singing at age 16. After completing "Mittelschule" and a technical "Oberschule" he was trained as a "Technischer Kaufmann" by Borgward in Hamburg and worked afterwards as a salesman. He left the company before it went bankrupt in 1961.

In 1959, Heck appeared on Peter Frankenfelds talent show toi, toi, toi, singing Hippe-di-hipp, mein Mädchen. In 1961, he participated in the preliminary round of the Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson (now Eurovision Song Contest). After employment as a car salesman, Heck worked for a record company. He visited the radio station Südwestfunk in Baden-Baden on 23 November 1963 and was asked to be interviewed because a scheduled guest did not show up. The moderator asked clumsy questions so Heck took over conducting the interview himself. As a result, Herbert Falk offered him the job of hosting a 90-minute "Sendung" broadcast every Saturday. Heck then worked for Radio Luxemburg from 1965 to September 1966. It was customary there to use only a first name, and as "Dieter" was already taken, Heck asked readers of the youth magazine Bravo for an alternative name. The readers chose "Thomas", and he has used it since. He collaborated with Frank Elstner and they became friends.

He then worked for SR 1 Europawelle of the Saarländischer Rundfunk. He concentrated on German Schlager music, a topic not favored by other moderators. His series Die Deutsche Schlagerparade was so successful that it was partly recorded. In 1967, he was a co-founder of the award Goldene Europa for German singers, which was first awarded in 1968.

Heck's breakthrough came with ZDF-Hitparade, a TV series for the ZDF in Mainz, based on the model of the Schlagerparade and staged by Truck Branss. It was considered an influential music feature of the 1970s and 1980s. He presented it 183 times between 1969 and 1984. Heck initiated the award Goldene Stimmgabel. From 1982 to 1989, he was also moderator for the Südwestfunk (SWF) in the series Gute Laune aus Südwest and Vom Telefon zum Mikrofon. For the ZDF, he moderated 4 gegen 4 (1973), Die Pyramide (1978), Schwarz auf Weiß, Ihr Einsatz bitte – Made in Germany, Das ist ihr Leben (1994), Das große Los, Showpalast, Das Sommer-Hitfestival, Das Silvester-Hitfestival and finally Melodien für Millionen (Melodies for Millions), a gala for the benefit of the German Cancer Aid. He retired from the ZDF in 2007. Heck published his biography in 2011.

As an actor, in 1970 he starred in the role of the showmaster in the TV play Das Millionenspiel. He played supporting roles in TV crime series, such as Tatort in 1981, Rosenheim-Cops, Praxis Bülowbogen, and SOKO Stuttgart in 2009.

Dieter Thomas Heck talking to Marie Sagenschneider, 2011

Heck married in 1962 and again in 1976. He has two sons and one daughter.

• 1961: Schlagerparade 1961, film
• 1970: Das Millionenspiel
• 1971: Glückspilze
• 1971: Hurra bei uns geht´s rund
• 1972: Sternschnuppe
• 1973: Klimbim, TV series
• 1978: Café Wernicke, TV series
• 1981: Tatort – Beweisaufnahme
• 1983: Pankow '95
• 1987: Praxis Bülowbogen, TV series
• 1987: Manta, film
• 1992: Tatort – Stoevers Fall
• 1993: Salto Postale, sitcom
• 1994: Heimatgeschichten TV series
• 1998: In aller Freundschaft TV series
• 1998: Und vor mir die Sterne
• 2008: Die Rosenheim-Cops
• 2009: SOKO Stuttgart
• 2010: C.I.S. – Chaoten im Sondereinsatz

• 1966: Die deutsche Schlagerparade
• 1969–1984: ZDF-Hitparade
• 1978–1994: Die Pyramide
• 1981–1989: Der Tag des deutschen Schlagers
• 1981–2007: Goldene Stimmgabel
• 1988–2000: Deutsche Schlagerparade (production)
• 1985–2007: Melodien für Millionen
• 1987–1990: Ihr Einsatz bitte
• 1987–1988: Schwarz auf weiß
• 1992–1994: Das ist Ihr Leben
• 1991–1998: Musik liegt in der Luft
• 1996–2000: Das große Los
• 1994, 1997–1999: Die deutschen Schlagerfestspiele
• 1998-2001: Welt Hunger Hilfe Telethon

• 1971: Goldene Kamera in the category Beste Sendung für junge Leute (best feature for young people) for ZDF-Hitparade
• 1984: Verdienstkreuz am Bande, the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
• 1999: Saarländischer Verdienstorden, the Order of Merit of the State of Saarland
• 2000: Verdienstmedaille of Baden-Württemberg, the Order of Merit of the State of Baden-Württemberg
• 2001: The Goldene Feder, a special prize for charitable work
• 2003: Verdienstorden des Landes Rheinland-Pfalz, the Order of Merit of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate
• 2008: Echo, prize for exceptional merits for music in German
• 2009: Verdienstkreuz 1. Klasse of the Federal Republic of Germany
• 2012: Deutscher Musikpreis

• Peter Lanz: Dieter Thomas Heck – Die Biographie, Edel Books. Hamburg 2011. ISBN 978-3-8419-0101-9.