Hans-Jürgen BÄUMLER

Hans-Jürgen Bäumler started his career as a singles skater and in 1956-59 placed third at the German Championships behind Manfred Schnelldorfer and Tilo Gutzeit. He then changed to pair skating in 1957 with Marika Kilius and they became the most glamorous pair ever in Germany, winning German titles in 1958-59 and 1963-64. From 1959-64 they won six consecutive European Championships. In 1959 they were second at the World Championships, and in 1960 third. They were World Champions in 1963 and 1964, but at the Olympic Games they could only win silver twice in 1960 and 1964, despite being favored in 1964. In 1964 their silver medals were disallowed by the IOC, as they had signed a professional contract before the Innsbruck Games. In 1966, they returned their medals to the IOC, but in 1987 received them back from the German NOC. In 2006, both had a comeback in the German jury of the TV-show Dancing on Ice. In 2011 they were inducted into the German Hall of Fame of Sports.

Directly after the 1964 Games Bäumler signed a contract as a singer and was very successful in Germany (partly together with Kilius), with their song Wenn Cowboys Träumen (If Cowboys Dream), ranking in the Top 10 in Germany. Bäumler then started a solo career as a singer and actor playing many roles in movie comedies from 1964-74 together with well-known German movie stars such as Paul Hörbiger, Johanna Matz, Terence Hill, Heinz Erhardt, Uschi Glas, Theo Lingen, and Gunther Philipp. He then underwent vocational training as an actor and played roles in the theatre. Eventually Bäumler was a successful TV presenter on various German game shows. In 1974 he married and settled in Cote d’Azur with his wife and their two sons.