Piet Klocke

Biography

Piet Klocke (born Peter Klocke; * December 20, 1948, in Essen) is a German musician, cabaret artist, author, and actor. After graduating from high school, Piet Klocke studied—among other subjects—psychology, pedagogy, German studies, and philosophy, before turning his attention to music and, later, the theater. After a period as a guitarist in various funk and soul bands in Amsterdam, he worked as an actor at the Städtische Bühnen Essen (Municipal Theaters of Essen) in the early 1980s, subsequently founding the avant-garde music theater ensemble Kamikaze Orkester. There, he developed his well-known artistic persona, the absent-minded Professor Schmitt-Hindemith—a character characterized by absurd leaps of thought, unfinished sentences, and improvisational monologues. In addition to his stage work, Klocke participated in various musical projects, including the bands Gesundes Volksempfinden, The Tanzdiele, and Die Tanzdiebe. Furthermore, he composed music for numerous film and television productions, including the films Der Leibwächter and Peng! Du bist tot! by Adolf Winkelmann. As a cabaret artist, he gained widespread public recognition primarily through television programs such as RTL Samstag Nacht and 7 Tage, 7 Köpfe. His artistic role models include Werner Finck and Loriot. Klocke also appeared regularly as an actor in film productions, including Das fliegende Klassenzimmer, Der Räuber Hotzenplotz, and the short film Mondmann. Alongside his stage shows and readings, he has been releasing his own music and spoken-word productions since the 1990s. In 2025, he performed alongside Horst Evers in the program Lies meinen Text. For 2026, he announced the stage program Wo bitte soll das alles nur...? as well as the musically accompanied reading series Am Hofe König Crimsons.