Herman José

Hermann José von Krippahl , known as Herman José (born 19 March 1954), is a Portuguese-born German comedian, television host, actor and musician. He is best known for his numerous TV shows and comedy sketches. Starting his career in the mid-1970s, Hermann José has become one of Portugal's most recognized comedians and TV personalities, featuring in some of his shows, among others, Amália Rodrigues, Kylie Minogue, Ramalho Eanes, Tony Bennett, Roger Moore, Cher and Joan Collins.

Early life Herman was born in Lisbon to a Portuguese mother and a Spanish-German father on 19 March 1954. His father worked in a marble company and was an amateur filmmaker. Herman was featured in some of his father's films early in his life. Herman attended Lisbon's German School, and starred in all of his school's suites.

At age 18, he made his TV debut as the bassist of a musical trio on juvenile program. and Com a Verdade m'Enganas ("With the Truth You Fool Me"), and the talk/game show Parabéns ("Happy Birthday"). These shows had straight formats that he used for comedy. He returned to comedy in the 1990s, with Herman Enciclopédia and Herman 98, 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 SIC, for a reported €1.5 million a year, to host a late-night show called HermanSic.

After hosting late-night talk shows on the Portuguese television network RTP1, from 2010 to 2013, and the afternoon talk show Há Tarde (translating literally as "There is afternoon", but serving also as a pun on à tarde, or "in the afternoon"), alongside Vanessa Oliveira, Herman returned to comedy, premiering the sitcom Nelo e Idália on RTP1 in October 2015.

In 2018, he played the character David Attenburger (a pun on David Attenborough) in two filmed skits during the intervals of the semi-finals of the Eurovision Song Contest held in Lisbon. As Attenburger, he parodied Portugal and its habits in the style of Attenborough's TV series Planet Earth, titled Planet Portugal.

Outside television Herman José was a singer and had a popular one-man-show, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, which he performed both in 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 used to own Café Café and Bastidores, two popular bar/restaurants in Alcântara, Lisbon, where he performed 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 Bentleys, a BMW Z4, a BMW Z8, a BMW 7 Series 760, and a Rolls-Royce and keeps an Azimut 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 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 29 December 2003, Herman José was accused of various child sexual abuse offences 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.