Paul Panzer

Paul Panzer is a German comedian known for his standup performances as well as his prank telephone call recordings and film and television appearances. Born Dieter Tappert in 1972, he supported himself as a welder and an educator as he tried to make his way into professional comedy. Tappert initially created the character Paul Panzer for a series of prank phone call recordings that were aired on a number of German radio stations; Panzer was a quirky fellow with a slight speech impediment and a slight disconnect from reality who would ask curious questions to anyone from representatives for the American space program to the host of a Chinese restaurant. In time, Tappert recorded nearly 800 prank calls for radio, and eventually took Paul Panzer onto the comedy club circuit. Wearing his trademark loud, flowered shirt and oversize glasses, Panzer delivered monologues that found a ready audience, and he released his first comedy album, Ich Begrüsse Sie, in 2003. Several more albums followed, and 2006's Heimatabend Deluxe Live earned the comic a gold record in Germany (a DVD of the performance was also made available). Panzer made his movie debut in 2008 with the release of African Race -- Die Verrückte Jagd Nach Dem Marakunda.
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