Klaus Dieter Hoffmann (born March 26, 1951 in Berlin), or Klaus Hoffmann for short, is a singer, actor, author and songwriter from Germany. It was above all his middle-class background and the early death of his father that prompted Klaus Hoffmann to embark on an artistic career. At the beginning of the 1970s, he trained as an actor at the Max Reinhardt School in West Berlin. At the same time, Klaus Hoffmann also tried his hand at songwriting. He became known to a wider audience as an actor in 1976 with the title role in the film adaptation of Ulrich Plenzdorf's novel Die neuen Leiden des jungen W. (The New Sorrows of Young W.). A year earlier, Klaus Hoffmann had released his self-titled debut as a musician. His musical inspirations include Bob Dylan and German entertainers such as Harald Juhnke and Hildegard Knef. In his song lyrics, Klaus Hoffmann often deals with his middle-class roots and his childhood in post-war Berlin. He also loves the music of Belgian chansonnier Jacques Brel. German versions of Brel songs appear again and again on his publications. In the mid-1990s, Klaus Hoffmann wrote the musical Brel - the last performance. In the summer of 1997, the musical celebrates its premiere at the Schillertheater in Berlin. In the same year, the artist releases the album Klaus Hoffmann sings Brel. In 2011, Klaus Hoffmann celebrates his 60th birthday at the Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin. The live album Mit Freunden is later released from the concert. It features long-time companions such as Hannes Wader, Herman van Veen, Lydie Auvray, Romy Haag, Rolf Kühn, Robert Kreis and, above all, Reinhard Mey. Klaus Hoffmann has been friends with him for many years. He describes Reinhard Mey as his brother. On the occasion of his 60th birthday, Reinhard Mey dedicated the song "Für Klaus" to him. To this day, Klaus Hoffmann regularly releases new albums. His album Flügel is released in 2023. Klaus Hoffmann is a recipient of the Order of Merit of the State of Berlin and the Federal Republic of Germany.
