Michael Schanze is a German singer, actor, presenter and composer who was born on 15 January 1947 in Tutzing. As the son of radio orchestra director Artur Schanze, he received a musical education at an early age in the Windsbach Boys' Choir and through classical piano lessons. After finishing high school in 1966, he founded the Quarter Deck Combo together with Daniel Friedrich, with whom he first appeared on the TV show Talentschuppen in 1968 and was talent-spotted by a record producer. His first single "Ich bin kein Lord" (1968) led to further recordings, and with "Ich hab dich lieb", "Oh wie wohl ist mir" and "Wer dich sieht, hat dich lieb" he placed in the German charts. The song "Ich hab dich lieb" reached number five in the German charts in 1972 and remained in the Top 100 for 22 weeks. Further chart successes followed in 1975 with "Hell wie ein Diamant" at number 15 and "Oh wie wohl ist mir" at number 16. In 1982, Michael Schanze received a gold record for the LP Olé España, recorded with the German national soccer team for the World Cup in Spain. The single of the same name reached number 14 in the German charts and became one of his best-known musical successes. This was followed mainly by musical productions for children on the subjects of road safety education and environmental protection, as well as audiobooks. In 2014, he composed the music for A Christmas Carol based on writing by Christian Berg. The musical then premiered in Hamburg in November 2014. In the autumn of 2018, his musical version of Heidi was inaugurated in Vienna, and he presented his version of Bambi in 2021. Parallel to his musical career, Michael Schanze developed into one of Germany's best-known television presenters. In 1972, he was given his own personality show Hätten Sie heut' Zeit für mich? with numerous guest stars. He also appeared as a guest in 2017 on TV series Um Himmels Willen, along with taking on other roles over the years.
