Herman José
Encyclopedia
Hermann Joseph von Krippahl, known as Herman José (born 19 March 1954 in Lisbon
, Portugal
), is a well-known Portuguese
comedian, though virtually unknown abroad. His career has focused on television.
His mother is Portuguese
(of half-Spanish
descent) and his father was German. He is in fact a German citizen: he never acquired dual citizenship, first so he could avoid conscription
and the Portuguese Colonial War
(1961–1974) and secondly because he said he was not interested. He went to Lisbon's German school Deutsche Schule Lissabon
for all his schooling and is fluent in Portuguese, German, English, French, and Spanish. He lives in Azeitão
, Setúbal
, and keeps houses in Lisbon and Vilamoura
, Algarve.
s spun by the Carnation Revolution
of April 1974) and acting in revue
s. His first leap to national fame was in 1975, invited by comedian Nicolau Breyner on to his TV show "Nicolau no País das Maravilhas", where he performed opposite the host in a weekly skit called "Sr. Feliz e Sr. Contente" ("Mr. Happy and Mr. Content"). His first big success as an author and performer was with O Tal Canal ("That Channel"), where he played several characters appearing on a fictitious TV channel. With this show, Herman José was attempting to shape the sense of humour of the Portuguese in the wake of the revolution that had ended almost fifty years of totalitarianism under the Estado Novo regime.
Hermanias continued his huge success, but the state channel RTP
cancelled Humor de Perdição, the next show, after a sketch based on Saint Elizabeth of Portugal caused public outrage. He then turned mainly to daily gameshows like Wheel of Fortune and Com a Verdade m'Enganas ("You Fool Me With the Truth"), and the talk/game show Parabéns ("Happy Birthday"). These shows had straight formats that he used for comedy. He returned with comedy in the 1990s: with Herman Enciclopédia and Herman 98, he was still a top comedian, although for the first time the shows were mainly written by other people, from the company Produções Fictícias.
for a reported 1.5 million euros a year, to host a late-night show called HermanSic. Its sexual innuendo and X-rated acts resulted in low ratings. An attempt to go family-friendly in 2006 was also a failure. In 2007 he presented a new sketch show called Hora H ("The Eleventh Hour"), and in 2008 he began a new game show called Chamar a Música, which was a success; also on SIC in September 2008 he began a new series of Wheel of Fortune. Between July and September 2009 he presented Nasci p'ra Cantar ("Born to Sing"), this time on TVI.
In 2009 he received the Top Choice Award for Top International Television Personality of Portugal.
He is now hosting the late-night talk show "Herman 2010" on Portuguese television network, RTP1.
He owns Café Café and Bastidores, two popular back-to-back restaurants in Lisbon
, where he performs stand-up comedy
once a week. He is also a partner in the seafood restaurant Jardim do Marisco and the Tivoli Theatre, both also in Lisbon. His expensive tastes include high-end automobiles and motorbikes. He currently owns two Bentley
s, a BMW Z4
, a BMW Z8
, a BMW 7 Series
760, and a Rolls Royce
and keeps a large Azimute 55 yacht at the Vilamoura
marina.
He is known for destroying scenery and props. On the last broadcast of Wheel of Fortune, in 1993, he fired a shotgun live on air at the scenery and at a TV set. He later justified the act as "just wanting to see what it looks like on the inside".
s connected with the Casa Pia scandal
. In May 2003 he was summoned to appear before the Criminal Court
, accused of abusing an adolescent. However, he was able to prove that he was working for the SIC television channel in Brazil at the time. The judge, Ana Teixeira e Silva, dismissed the case.
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
), is a well-known Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
comedian, though virtually unknown abroad. His career has focused on television.
His mother is Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
(of half-Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
descent) and his father was German. He is in fact a German citizen: he never acquired dual citizenship, first so he could avoid conscription
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
and the Portuguese Colonial War
Portuguese Colonial War
The Portuguese Colonial War , also known in Portugal as the Overseas War or in the former colonies as the War of liberation , was fought between Portugal's military and the emerging nationalist movements in Portugal's African colonies between 1961 and 1974, when the Portuguese regime was...
(1961–1974) and secondly because he said he was not interested. He went to Lisbon's German school Deutsche Schule Lissabon
Deutsche Schule Lissabon
Deutsche Schule Lissabon is a German school situated in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon. It was founded in 1848 and is now located on the 2ª Circular, near Lisbon's Portela airport. The school consists of a primary school with kindergarten and a secondary school...
for all his schooling and is fluent in Portuguese, German, English, French, and Spanish. He lives in Azeitão
Azeitão
Azeitão is a region near Setúbal composed by a cluster of small "aldeias" or small villages, some of those are: Vila Fresca de Azeitão, Vila Nogueira de Azeitão,Brejos de Azeitão, Aldeia de Irmãos, Vendas de Azeitão....
, Setúbal
Setúbal
Setúbal is the main city in Setúbal Municipality in Portugal with a total area of 172.0 km² and a total population of 118,696 inhabitants in the municipality. The city proper has 89,303 inhabitants....
, and keeps houses in Lisbon and Vilamoura
Vilamoura
Vilamoura is in the municipality of Loulé, in the Algarve, Portugal. Its boundaries lie within the parish of Quarteira. Vilamoura is a purpose built resort and Marina which was started from scratch by a wealthy banker from Porto, Cupertino de Miranda. The resort was started in 1974 and is still...
, Algarve.
Early career
Herman José's professional career started in 1973–4 doing studio choruses (mostly on protest songProtest song
A protest song is a song which is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of topical songs . It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre...
s spun by the Carnation Revolution
Carnation Revolution
The Carnation Revolution , also referred to as the 25 de Abril , was a military coup started on 25 April 1974, in Lisbon, Portugal, coupled with an unanticipated and extensive campaign of civil resistance...
of April 1974) and acting in revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
s. His first leap to national fame was in 1975, invited by comedian Nicolau Breyner on to his TV show "Nicolau no País das Maravilhas", where he performed opposite the host in a weekly skit called "Sr. Feliz e Sr. Contente" ("Mr. Happy and Mr. Content"). His first big success as an author and performer was with O Tal Canal ("That Channel"), where he played several characters appearing on a fictitious TV channel. With this show, Herman José was attempting to shape the sense of humour of the Portuguese in the wake of the revolution that had ended almost fifty years of totalitarianism under the Estado Novo regime.
Hermanias continued his huge success, but the state channel RTP
Rádio e Televisão de Portugal
Rádio e Televisão de Portugal, S.A.,commonly known as RTP, is Portugal's public service broadcasting organization. It operates four terrestrial television channels and three national radio channels, as well as several satellite and cable offerings....
cancelled Humor de Perdição, the next show, after a sketch based on Saint Elizabeth of Portugal caused public outrage. He then turned mainly to daily gameshows like Wheel of Fortune and Com a Verdade m'Enganas ("You Fool Me With the Truth"), and the talk/game show Parabéns ("Happy Birthday"). These shows had straight formats that he used for comedy. He returned with comedy in the 1990s: with Herman Enciclopédia and Herman 98, he was still a top comedian, although for the first time the shows were mainly written by other people, from the company Produções Fictícias.
Later career
In 2000, Herman José moved from RTP to the private channel SICSIC (Portugal)
SIC - Sociedade Independente de Comunicação is a Portuguese television network and media company, which runs several television channels. Their flagship channel is the eponymous SIC, the third terrestrial television station in Portugal, launched on October 6, 1992...
for a reported 1.5 million euros a year, to host a late-night show called HermanSic. Its sexual innuendo and X-rated acts resulted in low ratings. An attempt to go family-friendly in 2006 was also a failure. In 2007 he presented a new sketch show called Hora H ("The Eleventh Hour"), and in 2008 he began a new game show called Chamar a Música, which was a success; also on SIC in September 2008 he began a new series of Wheel of Fortune. Between July and September 2009 he presented Nasci p'ra Cantar ("Born to Sing"), this time on TVI.
In 2009 he received the Top Choice Award for Top International Television Personality of Portugal.
He is now hosting the late-night talk show "Herman 2010" on Portuguese television network, RTP1.
Outside television
Herman José was a singer as a popular one-man-show in the late 1970s and early 1980s, travelling through Portugal and abroad, entertaining groups of Portuguese emigrants. His discs "Saca o Saca-Rolhas" ("Screw the Corkscrew", 1977) and "Canção do Beijinho" ("The Kiss Song", 1980) both reached gold record status.He owns Café Café and Bastidores, two popular back-to-back restaurants in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, where he performs stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
once a week. He is also a partner in the seafood restaurant Jardim do Marisco and the Tivoli Theatre, both also in Lisbon. His expensive tastes include high-end automobiles and motorbikes. He currently owns two Bentley
Bentley
Bentley Motors Limited is a British manufacturer of automobiles founded on 18 January 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley known as W.O. Bentley or just "W O". Bentley had been previously known for his range of rotary aero-engines in World War I, the most famous being the Bentley BR1 as used in later...
s, a BMW Z4
BMW Z4
The BMW Z4 is a rear-wheel drive sports car by the German car maker BMW. It follows a line of past BMW roadsters such as the BMW Z1, BMW 507, BMW Z8, and the BMW Z3. The Z4 replaces the Z3. First generation production started in 2002 at BMW USA's Greer, South Carolina plant, with production of both...
, a BMW Z8
BMW Z8
The BMW Z8 was a roadster car produced by German automaker BMW from 1999-2003. It was given the E52 BMW model code.The Z8 was the production variant of the 1997 Z07 concept car, which was designed by Henrik Fisker at BMW's DesignworksUSA in Southern California. The Z07 originally was designed as a...
, a BMW 7 Series
BMW 7 Series
The BMW 7 Series is a line of full-size luxury vehicles produced by the German automaker BMW. Introduced in 1977, it is BMW's flagship car and is only available as a sedan or extended-length limousine...
760, and a Rolls Royce
Rolls-Royce (car)
This a list of Rolls-Royce motor cars and includes vehicles produced by:*Rolls-Royce Limited *Rolls-Royce Motors , which was owned by Vickers between 1980 and 1998, and after that by Volkswagen...
and keeps a large Azimute 55 yacht at the Vilamoura
Vilamoura
Vilamoura is in the municipality of Loulé, in the Algarve, Portugal. Its boundaries lie within the parish of Quarteira. Vilamoura is a purpose built resort and Marina which was started from scratch by a wealthy banker from Porto, Cupertino de Miranda. The resort was started in 1974 and is still...
marina.
He is known for destroying scenery and props. On the last broadcast of Wheel of Fortune, in 1993, he fired a shotgun live on air at the scenery and at a TV set. He later justified the act as "just wanting to see what it looks like on the inside".
Casa Pia scandal
On December 29, 2003, Herman José was accused of various child sexual abuse offenceChild sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...
s connected with the Casa Pia scandal
Casa Pia child sexual abuse scandal
The Casa Pia child sexual abuse scandal was a case of child sexual abuses involving a number of children and employees at Casa Pia, a Portuguese state-run institution for the education and support of poor children and under-age orphans...
. In May 2003 he was summoned to appear before the Criminal Court
Criminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
, accused of abusing an adolescent. However, he was able to prove that he was working for the SIC television channel in Brazil at the time. The judge, Ana Teixeira e Silva, dismissed the case.