Famous designer
He designed the legendary “Wetten, dass ..?”-Couch: Rolf Benz is dead
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His designs revolutionized the furniture industry, made it to the museum and “bet, dass ..?”: Designer Rolf Benz wrote German history. Now he has died.
Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, Iris Berben: The list of national and international stars who have taken a seat on the “Wetten, dass ..?” Couch is long. The piece of furniture has been an integral part of the ZDF show over the decades-and almost as famous as the people sitting on it. The couch designer Rolf Benz from Baden-Württemberg designed the couch. Now he died at the age of 91.
Rolf Benz: The Sofas triumphal march began in the 1960s
Benz, who came from a family of textile retail, was born in Nagold near Stuttgart in 1933. Already at the age of 15 he completed an upholstery teaching in the factory of his uncle. In 1964 he founded his own company. His vision at the time: think again. With his “AddiForm” line, he brought a breath of fresh air to German living room. Away from the stiff shape with a sofa and two armchairs, towards individually combinable living landscapes. Rolf Benz furniture was placed over Eck, expanded as desired or folded down to the sofa bed – a revolution in the sixties. It was also the changed leisure habits of the Germans who inspired Benz for this design.
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The moderators
On November 25, 2023, the last time “Wetten, dass ..?”: The legendary Saturday evening show will be discontinued. Over the years, the ZDF show had four moderators. It all started with Frank Elstner, who came up with the format and moderated from February 1981 to April 1987, a total of 39 programs. By far the longest guided Thomas Gottschalk through the show: he has been using 153 programs so far. Gottschalk moderated from September 1987 to May 1992 and then again from January 1994 to December 2011. In between, Wolfgang Lippert’s short era fell: From September 1992 to November 1993 he presented nine editions of “Wetten, dass ..?”. Between October 2012 and December 2014, Markus Lanz was allowed to try 16 editions as a moderator. For the 40th anniversary of the show, Thomas Gottschalk returned for a show in November 2021. After the great success there was another show in November 2022. The program on November 25, 2023 should now be the last.
© Svea Pietschmann / ZDF
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“I felt the changes in society – something new had to come. It was a time of new beginning in every respect. The furniture no longer fit into the German living room because television competed. Better comfort were now just as popular as new design, “he said in 2023 at a strategy summit for family businesses.
That became from the “Wetten, dass ..?”-Couch
Rolf Benz’s triumphal march became unstoppable. His furniture not only stood for quality “made in Germany”, but also convinced from design aspects. In the eighties, the “6500” model is even exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The famous “Wetten, dass ..?” Couch, a six-meter-wide special production of the Rolf Benz 2000 program, is today in the company’s showroom in Nagold.
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Appeal to humanity In May 1981, “Wetten, dass ..?” In Vienna: On the brown leather armchairs to the left and right of moderator Frank Elstner, Karlheinz Böhm (2nd VR) took a seat. The Austrian actor bet that not every third viewer would donate a mark to do something about the famine in the Sahel zone. Böhm kept right. This bitter experience prompted him to found his aid organization “People for People”. © picture Alliance
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After the sale of the brand named after him, Rolf Benz and his family acquired the Walter Knoll company, one of the oldest upholstered furniture manufacturers in Germany. “It was important to me to continue to bring the family to the path of entrepreneurship and to continue knowing the knowledge as a family business,” said Benz. Today his eldest son Markus Benz is at the head of the company, the granddaughter Mara Benz has been the third generation since 2023 in the management.
Rolf Benz leaves his wife Hilde Benz, with whom he had been married since 1959, four children, 13 grandchildren and two great -grandchildren.
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Source: Stern

I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.