Peter Siegfried Krausenecker, known as Peter Kraus, born on 18 March 1939 in Munich, is a German-Austrian actor and singer. The son of Austrian director and cabaret artist Fred Kraus, he spent his youth alternating between Munich and Salzburg, where his father ran a small theatre. During his school years, Peter Kraus took singing lessons, acting classes, and tap-dancing courses and began his acting career in the mid-1950s with the role of Johnny in Das fliegende Klassenzimmer (1954), based on the novel by Erich Kästner.
In 1969, Kraus married Ingrid, a model. She brought her daughter Gaby into the marriage, whom Kraus later adopted. A few years later, the couple had a son together. Gaby passed away from breast cancer in her late thirties.
When the German record industry discovered that rock ’n’ roll could also sell well with German lyrics, they marketed Kraus as an Elvis-style performer. Along with his colleague Ted Herold, Kraus quickly became one of the most popular German-language rock singers and teenage idols; his lanky, relaxed demeanour resonated with young audiences. In the first four years after his debut, Kraus released 36 hit songs and sold over 12 million records.
Kraus's first record release was a German version of Little Richard's Tutti Frutti in late 1956. In mid-1957, his first charting hit, Susi Rock, reached number 8 in the charts. From then until 1964, Kraus regularly appeared in the German charts. In 1958, he recorded Wenn Teenager träumen, Hula Baby, and the legendary Sugar Baby, followed in 1959 by his version of Tiger. Initially heavily influenced by Elvis Presley, Kraus soon developed his own style. As the "boy next door," he also sang with his female teenage idol counterpart, Conny Froboess, and appeared with her in hit films such as Wenn die Conny mit dem Peter in 1958 and Conny und Peter machen Musik in 1960. Both became some of the most beloved film stars among German teenagers in the late 1950s.
Kraus also released several songs with Jörg Maria Berg under the pseudonym Die James Brothers, performing German cover versions such as Wenn (When) in 1958, Cowboy Billy in 1959, Rote Rosen (Pretty Blue Eyes), Die jungen Jahre (Endless Sleep), and Hätt' ich einen Hammer (If I Had a Hammer) in 1964, among others. He also sang with artists such as Lil Babs, Danny Mann, Alice and Ellen Kessler, Gus Backus, and Gina Dobra.
Before the rock ’n’ roll wave faded, Peter Kraus had already begun working as an actor in films and on television. He appeared in productions such as Die Freundin meines Mannes and Der Pauker, both directed by Axel von Ambesser, as well as Die Frühreifen, directed by Josef von Baky. He continued to tour with his music, performing in countries including France, England, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States. Kraus adapted his songs to changing musical tastes and became known as Germany's "number one romantic singer" in the early 1960s. In 1961, he sang Schwarze Rose Rosemarie, which reached number 5 in the German charts and earned him the Bronze Lion from Radio Luxembourg. He continued his commercial success in 1962 with classic blues tracks such as Silvermoon and Sweety.
In the late 1980s, Peter Kraus played the role of fashion designer Heinrich Wolfgruber in the television series Die glückliche Familie, produced by BR.
Kraus also worked as a screenwriter and record producer, hosted his own TV show Herzlichst, Ihr Peter Kraus, which aired 14 episodes and introduced international stars to German audiences. In 1970, he hosted 18 episodes of the entertainment series Bäng-Bäng. His appearances in series produced by his father, such as 8 x 1 nach Noten, featuring Marlene Charell, and Hallo Peter, were also very popular with audiences.
Kraus acted in several television musicals, including Die Pickwickier, Bel Ami, Ein Walzertraum, Wenn der Vater mit dem Sohn, Lösegeld für Mylady, and No, no, Nannette. He reunited with his former partner Cornelia Froboess after 26 years, appearing together in the 1985 fantasy film Der Sommer des Samurai by Hans-Christoph Blumenberg, in which he played a dropout character.
In early summer 2002, he released a new CD, Ich mach weiter, and went on a Germany-wide tour in the autumn of the same year. On 28 January 2003, he received the Silver Decoration of Honour for Services to the Province of Vienna.
In total, Peter Kraus sold more than 17 million records and received countless gold records, awards, and honours. In 1990, he published his memoirs under the fitting title Wop-baba-lu-ba – mein ver-rocktes Leben. He also became known as a painter, with his works, pop-art compositions reminiscent of Roy Lichtenstein, earning acclaim in exhibitions in Zurich and St. Moritz.
On 12 March 2006, Peter Kraus was awarded the ECHO for his lifetime achievement. He had already received the Amadeus Austrian Music Award for lifetime achievement in 2004.
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