He always had guidelines for his life, says Didi Hallervorden, comedian and cabaret artist. “That’s justice, peace, a lot of responsibility. And I live that out.” On Friday evening he sat on the MDR talk show “Riverboat” and talked about it. He addressed the debate about “all this freedom of expression.” Didi believes: Many people no longer dare to express their opinion on some topics. “I break through this very consciously, without regard to private or professional advantages or disadvantages.”

Dieter Hallervorden criticizes Merz and Israel policy: “Peace can also be a battle”

He wonders: “Why is Putin talking about a war of aggression against Ukraine that violates international law, but why is that not being said about the USA and Iran?”

However, one has to be honest and say that this is definitely a very selective and incorrect perception of the cabaret artist. Dieter Hallervorden, who recently sharply criticized talk showshas been campaigning for peace for years, and he has realized: “Peace can also be a battle, but a battle of words. Words that can only be heard when the weapons are silent.”

“We have to do something to point out the injustice”

This is especially true in the Middle East. “We needed a chancellor with backbone,” demands Hallervorden of Merz, whose attitude he criticizes. “We have to say to Israel: We don’t accept goods from you. We have to do something to highlight the injustice that is happening there. We have to side with the Palestinians so that at some point there is a two-state solution.”

Hallervorden is definitely done with nonsense. He needs new challenges. Again and again. His latest challenge is: growing old. “It’s not important that you grow old, but how you grow old,” he says. “The number of years I have under my belt wouldn’t kill me. But inactivity would kill me. I have to work, I don’t want retirement, I want restlessness. And I have very emotional health. I love – and I’m loved. That’s great.”

Dieter Hallervorden has lost nine kilos

Hallervorden has achieved pretty much everything in his life. He was almost 80 years old when he discovered his talent for serious films. In “His Last Race” he played an aging marathon runner. With excess weight. “You have to promise a film producer that you can do something,” remembers Hallervorden.

“But running isn’t really my thing. I’m actually a water sports enthusiast. So I rehearsed intensively for nine months. And I lost nine kilos. I knew: This role would open the door to another world for me.” Reel after reel of film followed.

Hallervorden’s Ku’Damm Theater has existed for decades: “And without any subsidy”

In the 1970s, Hallervorden was known as the chaotic “Didi” on the ARD show “Nonstop Nonsense”. He did political cabaret, recorded hits, and made musical nonsense with hits like “You, the tub is full” and “Schweinetango”. “But this film was a chance for me to say: I’m giving people the opportunity to see me as a character actor. It worked out.” Hallervorden was awarded the German Film Prize as best actor. A year later there was an honorary Bambi award for his most famous film “Honey in the Head”.

The cabaret artist has been running “Die Wühlmäuse”, a cozy cabaret theater on Ku’Damm, in Berlin for 66 years. “I founded it when I was 25 and it still exists today. I’m of course proud that in such a fast-moving time, a theater like this has survived for so long. And without any subsidy.”

Hallervorden fulfilled one of his greatest wishes in 2009: He bought the Schlosspark Theater in Berlin, which was a real institution for many years. “I saw a lot of plays there, with the really big ones like Martin Held. And one day I drove past the theater and saw that it was closed. Simply closed! I thought, that’s not what theaters are actually made for. Maybe you can do that with toilets. So I applied with ten other people to reopen the theater.”

Hallervorden paid 1.7 million euros for the Schlosspark Theater

Hallervorden was awarded the contract. “In 2009, I signed the contract with the then governing mayor Wowereit and committed myself to completing all the renovation work on time, taking into account all monument protection requirements.” And Hallervorden covered the entire cost. “I paid 1.7 million,” he says proudly.

Dieter Hallervorden now doesn’t just own the Schlosspark Theater. You can always see him on stage there. For example, six months ago on his 90th birthday. “You have to try to get the positive out of seemingly negative things,” he has learned in recent years.

Now Hallervorden will soon be on stage with a new program. In it he talks about himself, his life and his parents. “I had a very touching set of parents and a very, very nice childhood, and I always imagine how my parents would react if I was on stage and they were sitting downstairs. That calms me down. I’m always very excited and have a lot of stage fright. And it helps me to think that my parents would be sitting downstairs to keep their fingers crossed for me.”