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Emil Steinberger
12.05.2023
Emil Steinberger, known simply as “Emil”, celebrated his 90th birthday in January. The Lucerne native remains Switzerland’s most successful and best-loved comedian. Emil has been making most of the country laugh since the 1970s, his popular appeal spanning the demographic and political spectrum – a trick that would seem impossible these days. His stage and television performances, as well as a “sabbatical” year in the Knie circus ring, are ingrained in our collective memory. Many of us can still recite some of Emil’s famous sketches by heart – police headquarters, telegraph office, mountain guide, country sayings, or the father with the “Swedish model” pram. The comedian, who began working life as a postal worker, has always relied on minimal props, his facial expressions, gestures and words sufficient to leave his audience rolling in the aisles. stik, Worten.
Explaining Steinberger’s past success, which extends to Germany, the “Neue Zürcher Zeitung” wrote: “Emil embodies something quintessentially Swiss. Not just a certain awkwardness, but also that small man on the street struggling to cope with the finer details of life. Although his humour is never mocking.” Steinberger’s role in “Die Schweizermacher”, the hit film parodying Switzerland’s tough naturalisation rules, is unforgettable too. At the age of 60, Emil left Switzerland to live in New York. He returned to Switzerland – and to the stage – in 1999. His most recent tour ended last December. Steinberger now resides in Basel. He opened an account on Twitter a couple of years ago and continues to be his happy-go-lucky, kind-spirited self. “Total strangers have told me how I have been an influence in their life,” he recently said in an interview. “Others say they mimic me when they are at home.” Emil never wanted this attention. “All I wanted was to perform and make people laugh.”
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