TV star Mark Keller turns 60: Without Grandma Hedwig, he would never have become famous

“I know that I am old at 60 now, even if I don’t feel that way,” the actor admits on time for his birthday on May 5 in an interview with the news agency spot on news. “The number is still there and time runs.” For the “Bergdoktor” star, his round birthday is still a special occasion to look back with gratitude.

Keller becomes particularly emotionally when he talks about his late grandmother. “My grandma Hedwig was my and everything,” he recalls. “After my mother’s death, I could have landed in the children’s home without her, but she took me up and pulled me up like her own son.”

Keller’s mother was only 30 years old – a difficult stroke of fate for the young mark. But his grandmother became not only his most important caregiver, but also the pioneer of his career. “She was always there for me and believed in me unshakably,” said Keller. “It was too you who encouraged me to apply for the casting of the ‘Rudi Carrell Show’.”

This decision should change his life forever. “The most important moment in my life and for my career was certainly when I went to Rudi Carrell,” recalls Keller. His grandmother had sent a recording from him and the young mark was invited to the casting. With his interpretation of Dean Martin’s “Everybody Loves Somebody”, he won the show – in front of twelve million viewers.

“After this success, Rudi Carrell received a call from a director who asked him if he would also see me as an actor,” says Keller. When Carrell affirmed that, he was invited to the casting for the series “Stars of the South”. “The rest is history – I got the leading role and was allowed to travel all over the world.”

In keeping with his 60th birthday, Keller released his new album “Songs of My Life” on May 2, on which “Everybody Loves Somebody” can also be found – the song that gave the starting signal for his career. “Actually, I owe this song – and my grandma – to do everything I have and do today,” emphasizes the artist.

The song “60 Sommer” can also be heard on the album, which he recorded together with his sons Joshua and Aaron. “For me, the title is a look back on the one hand, but also the look ahead,” he explains. “I always said that I still have ten summer. Maybe I can create all my plans – shows, films – in the next ten years because there is not so much time.”

By the way, Keller is not planning big celebrations for his honorary day. “At the moment I am on a promotion tour and even have a program on RTL on my birthday,” he reveals. “For me it is a day like everyone else.”