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Michael "Bully" Herbig

Michael "Bully" Herbig
Herbig in 2012
Born
Michael Herbig

(1968-04-29) 29 April 1968 (age 56)
Munich, West Germany
Occupation(s)Comedian, actor, filmmaker, businessman
Years active1992–present
Spouse
Daniela
(m. 2003)
Children1

Michael Herbig (born 29 April 1968) is a German comedian and actor. His nickname "Bully" (in German commonly associated with the VW Bully, rather than the English term) became part of his stage name as a comedian.

Career

His career began in 1992 with regular appearances on radio (more than 800), leading to appearances on various television shows. He gained wider fame as writer, actor and director of the comedy show Bullyparade. The show featured him as the host, his good friend Rick Kavanian, Christian Tramitz, and Diana Herold as a dancer and occasional actress in the skits. The show featured many different themes, including stereotypical gay archetypes in a Star Trek parody, an homage to westerns, and of the Austrian royal, Elisabeth of Bavaria, known as Sissi. On the show, he let the audience vote which theme to use for each of his movies based upon characters from the show. The first, the 2001 Der Schuh des Manitu ("Manitou's Shoe") was seen by over 11.7 million people, one of the most successful German films to date. His second film, (T)Raumschiff Surprise – Periode 1 (2004) was also a commercial success, cementing his career.

Herbig making a silly face, 2008

In January 2008, Variety reported that Herbig was set to film a live-action adaptation of animated series Vicky the Viking. The film, carrying the same name as the animated series, was released in 2009.[1]

In 2018, the film Balloon was released, in which he acted as a director, screenwriter and producer. It is his first directorial work that is not a comedy. The movie depicts the balloon escape of the Strelzyk and Wetzel families, from East to West Germany in 1979.

Herbig voiced Sheriff Woody in the German dubs of Toy Story 3 and 4, after his former German dubber Peer Augustinski had a stroke in 2005 and died in 2014.

Since April 2021, Herbig has been the Host of Last One Laughing: Germany on Amazon Prime.

Awards

Filmography

Year Title Notes
1997 Easy Bully (TV) Director, producer, writer and starring
1997–2002 Bullyparade (TV series) Director, producer, writer and starring
1999 Die Bademeister [de] (TV film) Starring
2000 Erkan & Stefan [de] Director
2001 Manitou's Shoe Director, producer, writer and starring
The Emperor's New Groove German voice of Kuzco
2002 More Ants in the Pants [de] Supporting
2004–2007 Bully & Rick (TV series) Director, producer, writer and starring
2004 Boo, Zino & the Snurks Voice of Buu
(T)Rraumschiff Surprise – Periode 1 Director, producer, writer and starring
2005 Robots German voice of Fender
2006 Hui Buh: The Goofy Ghost [de] Voice and model for the CGI main character
2007 Lissi and the Wild Emperor Writer, director and starring
2008 Asterix at the Olympic Games Supporting
Bully sucht die starken Männer! (TV) Judge in casting show for the movie "Vicky [...]"
The Legend of Brandner Kaspar [de] Starring
2009 Vicky the Viking Director and starring
2010 Toy Story 3 German voice of Woody
2011 Hotel Lux Starring
2012 Zettl [de] Starring
2013 The Incredible Burt Wonderstone Supporting
Buddy [de] Director, producer, writer and starring
2016 Vier gegen die Bank Starring
2017 Bullyparade – The Movie Director, producer, writer and starring
2018 Tabaluga Starring
Balloon Director
2019 Toy Story 4 German voice of Woody
2020 Der Boandlkramer und die ewige Liebe Starring
2022 A Thousand Lines Director

References

  1. ^ Meza, Ed (7 January 2008). "Herbig to direct 'Vicky the Viking'". Variety. Retrieved 8 June 2020.