Michelle Hunziker
Encyclopedia
Michelle Yvonne Hunziker (born 24 January 1977) is a Swiss
television hostess, actress, model
and singer.
(Lugano
), in the Italian
-speaking part of Switzerland
. Her mother Ineke is Dutch
; her father Rudolf, who died of a heart attack in the fall of 2001, was a German
-speaking Swiss national. He was a painter, but worked as a hotel manager. In 1983, the family moved to Ostermundigen
, a suburb of Bern in the German speaking part of Switzerland. In Ostermundigen Hunziker attended elementary school. After moving to Milan
with her mother, she decided to become a fashion model and was hired by Riccardo Gay, a renowned agent. Although considered to be both too heavy and short, at 17 she posed for well-known labels such as Armani
, Rocco Barocco
, La Perla, Colmar, Fuerte Ventura, Lovable and Swish.
's fiancée, she was discovered by a Italian TV producer. In 1996, she co-hosted the Rai Uno
-show I cervelloni with Paolo Bonolis
. In summer she presented the prime time comedy show Paperissima Sprint (Canale 5
) with Gabibbo
. Because of her popularity she hosted the afternoon show Colpo di Fulmine (Italia 1
) in 1997. At the same time she wanted to extend her artistic abilities. Therefore she attended the professional academy M.A.S. in Milan with her choreographer Susanna Beltrami.
In 1998, the Italian film director Vincenzo Verdecchi offered Hunziker her first film role in the TV series La Forza dell'Amore (Canale 5). After she took the female main role in Fammi stare sotto al letto. She can also be seen in the documentary film The Protagonist and in another film, Alex l'Ariete, where she acted with ex ski star Alberto Tomba
. Then she co-hosted with Pippo Baudo the Canale 5 show La festa del Disco. From 1999–2001 she presented the late night show Nonsolomoda (Canale 5) where she reported about fashion and lifestyle.
In 1999, TV3, the first Swiss private television station, was founded in Zürich
, and Hunziker presented a show called Cinderella, where a hair and make-up artist as well as a styling adviser helped both a prominent person and a viewer of the program to get a new look. After the first episode, Hunziker was caught in the crossfire. The Swiss newspaper Blick even wrote: "Cinderella, TV3's new lifestyle show is not bad. It is catastrophic". Later, Hunziker was interviewed by the Swiss German magazine Schweizer Illustrierte and she said that she could not speak German anymore after having lived in Italy for many years. After TV3 had changed the concept, the show became more popular.
After having hosted the Swiss show Cinderella, Hunziker was discovered by German TV producers. In 1998, she presented the awarding of the Goldene Kamera with Thomas Gottschalk
(a very well known presenter in Germany). A year later, she co-hosted the show Michael Jackson & Friends (ZDF
) in Munich
. After having attended different talk shows, she presented her first show in Germany: Erstes Glück (SWR
/Das Erste
). She co-hosted the show with Thomas Elstner and interviewed prominent people about their first love. The show was not very popular though, and was finally suspended.
When she got back to Italy, she presented the shows Donna sotto le stelle and Piazza di Spagna (Canale 5) with Gerry Scotti
and Tacchi a spillo (Italia 1) with Claudio Lippi. In 2002–2004 she presented with Carsten Spengemann the first and second season of Deutschland sucht den Superstar
, the German version of the British
TV show Pop Idol
.
Hunziker joined ZDF's Wetten, dass..?
, Germany's most popular TV show in October 2009. Wetten Dass..? is also being syndicated live on the Austrian ORF
and SF1
in her native Switzerland.
In 2006 she released a music album in English, Lole, that was available only in German-speaking countries; the only single off the album was From Noon till Midnight. In it she covered 3 songs of Ira Losco, a Maltese singer. The 3 songs are 'Get Out', 'Someone Else' and 'Love me or Hate me'.
Hunziker co-hosted the Italian comedy shows Zelig (Italia 1) and Scherzi a parte (Canale 5) in 2001. Zelig is one of the most famous Italian TV shows. Later that year, she got the Italian TV Oscar in the category Discovery of the year. Besides, she co-hosted the famous Italian open air music show Festivalbar
with Daniele Bossari and Alessia Marcuzzi
.
She has also starred in the musicals directed by Saverio Marconi The Sound of Music
(playing the role of Maria von Trapp
) and Cabaret
(playing the role of Sally Bowles); both had great success in Italy.
In 2007, Michelle Hunziker co-hosted with Pippo Baudo
the worldiwide popular Italian song contest, the Festival di Sanremo on Rai Uno.
Later, Hunziker co-hosted again Striscia la Notizia
with Ezio Greggio and Paperissima with Gerry Scotti
.
.
She was married to Italian singer Eros Ramazzotti
from 1998 to 2002; they have one daughter together, Aurora Sophie, born on 5 December 1996.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
television hostess, actress, model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
and singer.
Early life
Hunziker was born in SorengoSorengo
Sorengo is a municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Sorengo is first mentioned in 1189 as Sourengo when the S. Lorenzo Cathedral in Lugano acquired the right to collect tithes....
(Lugano
Lugano (district)
The district of Lugano is a district of Canton Ticino, Switzerland. It has a population of .-Geography:The Lugano District has an area, , of . Of this area, or 15.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 66.5% is forested...
), in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
-speaking part of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. Her mother Ineke is Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
; her father Rudolf, who died of a heart attack in the fall of 2001, was a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-speaking Swiss national. He was a painter, but worked as a hotel manager. In 1983, the family moved to Ostermundigen
Ostermundigen
Ostermundigen is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.The city is the birthplace of screen legend, Ursula Andress.-Geography:...
, a suburb of Bern in the German speaking part of Switzerland. In Ostermundigen Hunziker attended elementary school. After moving to Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
with her mother, she decided to become a fashion model and was hired by Riccardo Gay, a renowned agent. Although considered to be both too heavy and short, at 17 she posed for well-known labels such as Armani
Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani is an Italian fashion designer, particularly noted for his menswear. He is known today for his clean, tailored lines. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, and by 2001 was acclaimed as the most successful designer to come out of Italy, with an annual turnover of $1.6 billion and a...
, Rocco Barocco
Rocco Barocco
Rocco Barocco, born in Naples, Italy in 1944 is a Fashion designer.His real name is Gennaro Muscariello. After his first steps in the fashion industry he legally changed his name and surname to Rocco Barocco....
, La Perla, Colmar, Fuerte Ventura, Lovable and Swish.
Career
Being Eros RamazzottiEros Ramazzotti
Eros Luciano Walter Ramazzotti , known simply as Eros Ramazzotti, is an Italian singer and songwriter. Ramazzotti is enormously popular in Italy, and is well known in most non-English-speaking European countries and in the Spanish-speaking world, as he has released most of his albums in both...
's fiancée, she was discovered by a Italian TV producer. In 1996, she co-hosted the Rai Uno
Rai Uno
Rai 1 is the primary television station of RAI, the national public service broadcaster, and the most watched television channel in Italy. It was born as Rai Tv from 1954 to 1961, called Programma Nazionale from 1961 to 1979, after called Rete 1 from 1979 to 1982, then called Rai Uno from 1982 to...
-show I cervelloni with Paolo Bonolis
Paolo Bonolis
Paolo Bonolis in an Italian television host.He made his debut 1981 in Tre, due, uno, contatto..., a program for children that aired on Italian national broadcast RAI....
. In summer she presented the prime time comedy show Paperissima Sprint (Canale 5
Canale 5
Canale 5 is an Italian private television network of Mediaset, the media branch of Fininvest. Canale 5 was the first private television network to have a national coverage in Italy in 1980, based on a local channel, TeleMilano 58, founded in 1978....
) with Gabibbo
Gabibbo
Gabibbo is an Italian mascot for the Mediaset-controlled channel Canale 5, created in 1990 by Antonio Ricci and operated by Gero Caldarelli. Gabibbo's main role has been in the programs Paperissima and Striscia la notizia, but he has appeared in several other Canale 5 programs...
. Because of her popularity she hosted the afternoon show Colpo di Fulmine (Italia 1
Italia 1
Italia 1 is an Italian commercial television channel on the Mediaset network. It is oriented especially at young people.Italia 1 was launched in January 1982 and, originally, was owned by Rusconi; after a few months, however, due to the aggressive dumping practices of Silvio Berlusconi's rival...
) in 1997. At the same time she wanted to extend her artistic abilities. Therefore she attended the professional academy M.A.S. in Milan with her choreographer Susanna Beltrami.
In 1998, the Italian film director Vincenzo Verdecchi offered Hunziker her first film role in the TV series La Forza dell'Amore (Canale 5). After she took the female main role in Fammi stare sotto al letto. She can also be seen in the documentary film The Protagonist and in another film, Alex l'Ariete, where she acted with ex ski star Alberto Tomba
Alberto Tomba
Alberto Tomba is an Italian retired alpine ski racer. He was the dominant technical skier in the late 1980s and 1990s. Tomba won three Olympic gold medals, two World Championships, and nine World Cup season titles; four in slalom, four in giant slalom, and one overall title...
. Then she co-hosted with Pippo Baudo the Canale 5 show La festa del Disco. From 1999–2001 she presented the late night show Nonsolomoda (Canale 5) where she reported about fashion and lifestyle.
In 1999, TV3, the first Swiss private television station, was founded in Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, and Hunziker presented a show called Cinderella, where a hair and make-up artist as well as a styling adviser helped both a prominent person and a viewer of the program to get a new look. After the first episode, Hunziker was caught in the crossfire. The Swiss newspaper Blick even wrote: "Cinderella, TV3's new lifestyle show is not bad. It is catastrophic". Later, Hunziker was interviewed by the Swiss German magazine Schweizer Illustrierte and she said that she could not speak German anymore after having lived in Italy for many years. After TV3 had changed the concept, the show became more popular.
After having hosted the Swiss show Cinderella, Hunziker was discovered by German TV producers. In 1998, she presented the awarding of the Goldene Kamera with Thomas Gottschalk
Thomas Gottschalk
Thomas Johannes Gottschalk is a German TV host. He is best-known for hosting the popular show Wetten, dass..?, which he has led to a huge success in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and South Tyrol.-Early life:...
(a very well known presenter in Germany). A year later, she co-hosted the show Michael Jackson & Friends (ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
) in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. After having attended different talk shows, she presented her first show in Germany: Erstes Glück (SWR
Südwestrundfunk
The Südwestrundfunk is a public broadcasting company for the southwest of Germany, specifically the states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. The company has main offices in three cities: Stuttgart, Baden-Baden and Mainz, with the director's office being in Stuttgart. It is an...
/Das Erste
Das Erste
Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen , marketed as Das Erste , is the principal publicly owned television channel in Germany...
). She co-hosted the show with Thomas Elstner and interviewed prominent people about their first love. The show was not very popular though, and was finally suspended.
When she got back to Italy, she presented the shows Donna sotto le stelle and Piazza di Spagna (Canale 5) with Gerry Scotti
Gerry Scotti
Gerry Scotti is an Italian television presenter, actor and former member of the Italian Parliament.Scotti was born Virginio Scotti on August 7, 1956 in Miradolo Terme, Pavia. After giving up studying law Scotti began his career as a disc jockey at Radio Milano International...
and Tacchi a spillo (Italia 1) with Claudio Lippi. In 2002–2004 she presented with Carsten Spengemann the first and second season of Deutschland sucht den Superstar
Deutschland sucht den Superstar
Deutschland sucht den Superstar is a German reality talent show, also commonly known by its initials DSDS. Part of the Idol franchise, it was created by English media mogul Simon Fuller as a spin-off from the British show Pop Idol, of which two series were broadcast between the years of 2001 and...
, the German version of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
TV show Pop Idol
Pop Idol
Pop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
.
Hunziker joined ZDF's Wetten, dass..?
Wetten, dass..?
Wetten, dass..? is a long-running German-language entertainment television show. It is the most successful Saturday television show in Europe...
, Germany's most popular TV show in October 2009. Wetten Dass..? is also being syndicated live on the Austrian ORF
ORF
ORF may refer to:* ORF , the Austrian public service broadcaster.* Open reading frame, a portion of the genome.* The IATA airport code for Norfolk International Airport in Norfolk, Virginia.* ORF format , Olympus raw image file format....
and SF1
SF 1
SF 1 is a Swiss television channel run under the public SRG SSR idée suisse broadcasting group. It is the first of the three national German language channels in Switzerland ....
in her native Switzerland.
In 2006 she released a music album in English, Lole, that was available only in German-speaking countries; the only single off the album was From Noon till Midnight. In it she covered 3 songs of Ira Losco, a Maltese singer. The 3 songs are 'Get Out', 'Someone Else' and 'Love me or Hate me'.
Hunziker co-hosted the Italian comedy shows Zelig (Italia 1) and Scherzi a parte (Canale 5) in 2001. Zelig is one of the most famous Italian TV shows. Later that year, she got the Italian TV Oscar in the category Discovery of the year. Besides, she co-hosted the famous Italian open air music show Festivalbar
Festivalbar
The Festivalbar was an Italian singing competition that took place in the most important Italian squares during summer, such as the Piazza del Duomo, Milan; the first time it was held was in 1964...
with Daniele Bossari and Alessia Marcuzzi
Alessia Marcuzzi
Alessia Marcuzzi is an Italian television host and actress.-Biography:Born in Rome, she has debuted in Telemontecarlo hosting Attenti al dettaglio and then Qui si gioca, with Josè Altafini, in the 1991/1992 season. In march 1992 also presented the kids show Amici mostri...
.
She has also starred in the musicals directed by Saverio Marconi The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
(playing the role of Maria von Trapp
Maria von Trapp
Maria Augusta von Trapp , also known as Baroness Maria von Trapp, was the stepmother and matriarch of the Trapp Family Singers...
) and Cabaret
Cabaret (musical)
Cabaret is a musical based on a book written by Christopher Isherwood, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The 1966 Broadway production became a hit and spawned a 1972 film as well as numerous subsequent productions....
(playing the role of Sally Bowles); both had great success in Italy.
In 2007, Michelle Hunziker co-hosted with Pippo Baudo
Pippo Baudo
Giuseppe Baudo , known as Pippo Baudo, is a popular Italian television presenter. He is often referred to as "Superpippo". Baudo has also been the artistic director and president of Teatro Stabile di Catania....
the worldiwide popular Italian song contest, the Festival di Sanremo on Rai Uno.
Later, Hunziker co-hosted again Striscia la Notizia
Striscia la notizia
Striscia la notizia is an Italian television program on the Mediaset-controlled Canale 5. Its name in Italian translates as "the news slithers", a probable parody of the slighting italian journalist, submitted to politicians and overwhelmed with shame...
with Ezio Greggio and Paperissima with Gerry Scotti
Gerry Scotti
Gerry Scotti is an Italian television presenter, actor and former member of the Italian Parliament.Scotti was born Virginio Scotti on August 7, 1956 in Miradolo Terme, Pavia. After giving up studying law Scotti began his career as a disc jockey at Radio Milano International...
.
Personal life
Hunziker is an Italian citizenCitizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
.
She was married to Italian singer Eros Ramazzotti
Eros Ramazzotti
Eros Luciano Walter Ramazzotti , known simply as Eros Ramazzotti, is an Italian singer and songwriter. Ramazzotti is enormously popular in Italy, and is well known in most non-English-speaking European countries and in the Spanish-speaking world, as he has released most of his albums in both...
from 1998 to 2002; they have one daughter together, Aurora Sophie, born on 5 December 1996.
Filmography and television roles
- 19901990 in televisionFor the American TV schedule, see: 1990-91 United States network television schedule.The year 1990 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1990.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
– Paperissima Sprint – TV series – Host - 19921992 in televisionThe year 1992 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1992.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:*Hallmark Hall of Fame .*Guiding Light .*The Today Show ....
– Scherzi a parte – TV series – Co-Host - 19961996 in televisionThe year 1996 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1996.For the American TV schedule, see: 1996-97 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
– I misteri di Cascina Vianello – TV series – Gaia – 1 episode: "Un matrimonio e un funerale" (1.01) - 19981998 in televisionThe year 1998 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1998.For the American TV schedule, see: 1998–99 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
– La forza dell'amore – TV mini-series – Tiziana - 1999 – Voglio stare sotto al letto – Paola
- 20002000 in televisionThe year 2000 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2000.For the American TV schedule, see: 2000-01 United States network television schedule.-Event:-Debuts:-1940s:...
– Erstes Glück – TV series – Host - 2000 – Alex l'ariete – Antavleva Bottazzi
- 2003 – Ancient WarriorsAncient WarriorsThe are a fictional group from the Digimon anime series Digimon Frontier. These Ancient Warriors were the original Legendary Warriors of the Digital World, and are the group which saved the Ancient Digital World by defeating Lucemon prior to the events of Digimon Frontier...
– Kim - 20042004 in televisionThe year 2004 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2004.For the American TV schedule, see: 2004–05 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1940s:...
– Love BugsUn gars, une filleUn gars, une fille is the title of a Quebec comedy television series created by Guy A. Lepage and broadcast on Radio-Canada, as well as the title of its French adaptation on France 2. It is one of the most successful Quebec television shows, with a concept exported to more than thirty markets...
– Female lead - 2007 – Natale in crociera – Michela Bacci
- 2008 – Natale a Rio – Linda Vita
- 2009 – Christmas in Beverly Hills – Serena