Karl Valentin (born Valentin Ludwig Fey, 4 June 1882, Munich - 9 February 1948, Planegg, Germany) was a Bavarian comedian, cabaret performer, clown, author and film producer who had significant influence on German Weimar culture. Valentin, as a star of many silent films in the 1920's was sometimes called the "Charlie Chaplin of Germany".
Legendary German comedian, whose jokes and sketches became legendary, although they were more profound as they seemed to be.
"The Karl Valentin Museum" in Munich at the "Isartor" is dedicated to him and his unforgotten humor.
In the 1920s and 1930s, he became Germany's most popular comedian and cabaret artist, often collaborating with Liesl Karlstadt.
After founding the "Panoptikum", a chamber of horror, in Munich, he lost all his savings. Liesl Karlstadt, who also had invested in the project, was hospitalized due to mental problems after the bankruptcy.
Was admired by many artists and authors such as Bertolt Brecht, Thomas Mann (I) and Kurt Tucholsky and still inspires many writers and cabaret artists in the German speaking countries.
As he hated traveling, he refused to tour in the United States.
After performing in a Munich bar in February 1948, he was coincidentally locked in the building and had to spend the night without any protection from the cold. The next day he was found. Karl Valentin caught a cold from that night and died within a few days.
