Guido Cantz (born August 19, 1971) is a German television presenter and comedian. His trademark is his blonde dyed hair.
Career
From 1991 to 1994, he studied Business Administration at the University of Cologne, followed by an apprenticeship as a state-certified commercial media assistant at the Joseph-DuMont-Berufskolleg.
Since 1991, Cantz has appeared as a stand-up comedian at the Cologne Carnival, performing up to 200 times per season. Since 2015, he has been one of the two lead commentators for the live broadcast of the Cologne Rosenmontag parade on WDR television.
Since 1998, he works for German broadcasters. Aside from guest appearances on comedy and satire shows like Quatsch Comedy Club and TV Total, he was the host of game shows such as Deal or No Deal. Starting in 2010, he hosted the live Saturday-evening show Verstehen Sie Spaß? on Das Erste, and from 2013, Verstehen Sie was? on SWR Fernsehen. In June 2021, it was announced that Cantz would step down as host at the end of 2021. Barbara Schöneberger succeeded him.
Cantz appeared as a rotating quiz partner alongside fellow comedian Alice Hoffmann on the panel of the show Meister des Alltags (SWR). He has been touring Germany with his own stage shows since 2006 and celebrated his 25th stage anniversary, dubbed "Blondiläum", in 2017. Guido Cantz is the author of several books. Furthermore, he serves as a co-commentator for the SWR1 Hitparade.
In 2022, Cantz appeared in several formats on RTL; the satirical panel talk show 7 Tage, 7 Köpfe was relaunched in January, with Guido Cantz taking on the role of a host. He also hosted the relaunch of the betting show Ich setz auf Dich, which aired in July and December. As both formats achieved only weak ratings, the broadcaster decided against continuing them.
In the same year, Cantz was a contestant in the second season of the game show Der König der Kindsköpfe, which he won.
In late September 2023, it was announced that Cantz would host the relaunch of Glücksrad on RTL Zwei starting in 2024, succeeding Thomas Hermanns.
After the death of his mother in June 2026, he cancelled several tour dates.
Family and private life Cantz was born as the son of Otto and Irmhild Cantz and has a brother. He is a descendant of the reformator Kaspar Cantz, who wrote the first known Protestant agenda, and, according to himself, the 10th cousin once removed of Albert II of Monaco. Since 2009, he is married to Kerstin Cantz and is the father of a son. They live in Porz, Cologne.
He is Roman Catholic and has served as an altar server when he was younger.
Cantz is an active association football player for the SSV Troisdorf 05 veterans' team. He previously played for Spvg Wahn-Grengel in the Landesliga and 1. FC Spich in the Bezirksliga. He regularly plays for the Lotto-Elf Rheinland-Pfalz (alongside former professionals such as Wolfgang Overath, Stefan Kuntz, and Dariusz Wosz) for charitable causes. Cantz is a fan of the VfB Stuttgart.
Criticism In August 2019, the results of a viewer survey of 47 respondents made headlines, describing Cantz as "unfriendly," "arrogant," and "artificial". SWR spokesperson Wolfgang Utz defended Cantz, saying that he and his humour would fit perfectly to the show Verstehen Sie Spaß? and that the viewership ratings would prove this.
Filmography
Presenter since 1991: Karneval in Köln since 1998: Sessionseröffnung Kölner Karneval 2000–2011: Karnevalissimo 2001: TV – TV 2002: Elften im Elften – Kölsche Lieder 2003: Kölle Alaaf 2003: Karneval Hoch Drei 2004: Aprés Sno Party 2004: Die witzigsten Werbeagenten 2004: Die große Edgar-Wallace-Show 2004: Reklame! 2004: Kenn ich – die witzigste Serienshow 2005–2008: Deal or No Deal 2008: Wiesn Hits 2008 2010-2021: Verstehen Sie Spaß? 2011: Die beliebtesten Showmaster 2013–2017: Verstehen Sie was? 2015: Wie geil ist das denn? 2016–2021: SWR3 New Pop Special 2017: Flieg mit mir! 2018: Für immer Kult 2018: Die Montagsmaler 2020: Quizz dich auf 1 since 2022: Wider den tierischen Ernst 2022: 7 Tage, 7 Köpfe 2022: Der König der Kindsköpfe 2022: Ich setz auf Dich since 2024: Glücksrad
Commentator
since 2015: Rosenmontag parade in Cologne
Juror or Panel Member
2003: Die Gong-Show 2012–2025: Meister des Alltags 2012: Einfach die Besten! 2020: Weinduell 2022: Gipfel der Quizgiganten
Guest Appearances
2001–2002: Unter uns (episodes 1681–1715) 2003: Fetenhits 2003–2010, 2018–2024: Genial daneben 2005: Urmel aus dem Eis 2009: TV total Eisfußball 2009: Die Dreisten Drei (episode 7x02) 2011: Schlag den Star 2011, 2016, 2020: Die große Maus-Show 2014: Pastewka (1 episode) 2015–2019: Lachgeschichten 2015–2021: Quizduell 2016–2020: Hirschhausens Quiz des Menschen 2017–2023: Wer weiß denn sowas? 2019: Luke! Die Schule und ich 2019: Heute-show 2021, 2023, 2024: Grill den Henssler 2022: Glückwunsch Guido Cantz: 30 Jahre Karneval! 2022, 2024: Quizduell Olymp
Voice Actor
2006: The Wild (German voice of Larry)
Musical Actor
2001: Vom Geist der Weihnacht as Charles Dickens 2023, 2024: Himmel und Kölle as Saxon-speaking taxi driver
Comedy Solo shows 2006–2007: Cantz schön frech 2007–2010: Ich will ein Kind von Dir 2012–2015: Cantz schön clever 2016–2019: Blondiläum 25 Jahre – Best of Guido Cantz 2021–2025: Das volle Programm – Ich sehe was, was du nicht siehst 2025: Komische Zeiten
CDs 2006: Cantz schön frech 2009: Ich will ein Kind von dir! 2012: Cantz schön clever (audiobook) 2015: Wo ist der Witz (audiobook) 2015: Ist das ein Witz? Vol. 3 Kommt ein Entertainer zum Arzt... mit Eckart von Hirschhausen
Books 2006: Cantz nah am Ball 2012: Cantz schön clever 2015: Wo ist der Witz? 2021: Bauchgefühl und Gottvertrauen. Mein Leben von 1971 bis 20 Uhr 15 (autobiography) 2023: Restaurant CANTZINI Kochbuch
Awards
2003: Spitze Feder of the Hauptausschuss Gross-Mülheimer-Karneval 1957 e. V. 2004–2006: Närrischer Oscar of the newspaper Express 2009: Winner of the TV total Deutscher Eisfußball-Pokal 2012: Deutscher Comedypreis for Best Hidden Camera 2018: Rheinischer Provinzialpreis 2022–2023: Steckenpferdritter der Prinzengarde der Stadt Krefeld 1914 e.V. 2023: Gourmand Award
References
External links
Zum Glauben gehört Humor interview, Pro Medienmagazin 6/2013 (December 2, 2013), p. 32ff