Udo Walz

Walz was born in Waiblingen, Baden-Württemberg. His parents divorced when he was young, and his father, a truck driver, moved in with another woman when he was six years old.{{Cite web |last=Szuttor |first=Robin |last2=Höhn |first2=Simone |last3=Hartmann |first3=Bettina |date=20 November 2020 |title=Udo Walz ist tot: Der Star-Friseur ist friedlich eingeschlafen |trans-title=Udo Walz is dead: The star hairdresser has passed away peacefully |url=https://www.stuttgarter-zeitung.de/inhalt.im-alter-von-76-jahren-star-friseur-udo-walz-ist-tot.612a32fc-8f37-45ed-a556-2ab003f95371.html |access-date=5 December 2023 |website=Stuttgarter Zeitung |language=de |agency=Agence France-Presse}} Walz initially wanted to enter a hotel management school, but his mother didn't have the financial means, and so at 14 years old he began a hairdressing apprenticeship instead. Three years later, despite finishing with the third worst rating out of 600 candidates in the certification exam, Walz moved to St. Moritz. There he began his hairdressing job and first met celebrities such as Marlene Dietrich.{{Cite news |last=Pfaffenzeller |first=Martin |date=4 January 2019 |title=Der Aufstieg des Udo Walz: Wie der Mensch zur Marke wird |language=de-DE |trans-title=The Rise of Udo Walz: How a person becomes a brand |work=Der Tagesspiegel Online |url=https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/wie-der-mensch-zur-marke-wird-5539600.html |access-date=5 December 2023 |issn=1865-2263}}

In 1963, Walz moved to West Berlin due to the absence of conscription in the enclave, as opposed to the rest of the country.{{Cite web |last=Dunkel |first=Monika |date=7 June 2018 |title=Udo Walz über sein Berlin |trans-title=Udo Walz about his Berlin |url=https://www.capital.de/immobilien/berlin-zum-entspannen-in-den-dom |access-date=5 December 2023 |website=capital.de |language=de}} Originally intending for the stay in Berlin to be temporary before moving to New York City, Walz was pleased by the city and decided to remain. Due to his relation with Dietrich, he was hired by popular hairdresser Ina Sailer to work in her beauty salon, but was eventually fired for tardiness. In 1968, Walz began a partnership with Heinz Schlicht in a salon in Charlottenburg.{{Cite web |date=22 August 2004 |title=Karriere im Friseur-Salon |trans-title=Career in the hair salon |url=https://www.welt.de/print-wams/article114748/Karriere-im-Friseur-Salon.html |access-date=5 December 2023 |website=welt.de |language=de}} His lucky break came when Walz covered for a colleague who was meant to style a famous model's hair but fell ill. The photographer of the model's photoshoot, F. C. Gundlach, was fond of the model's hair and wanted to work with Walz, increasing his reputation. Walz styled the hair shown in multiple magazines, including Brigitte and Otto, as well as accompanying the aforementioned F. C. Gundlach internationally.

In 1970, Walz bleached and styled the hair of Red Army Faction founding member Ulrike Meinhof, who desired to separate the organisation from the "sloppy APO look", which began to arouse suspicion, and instead adopted an innocent middle-class appearance.{{Cite web |last=Röhl |first=Bettina |author-link=Bettina Röhl |date=3 September 2003 |title=Blond und kurz und ungeheuer bürgerlich |trans-title=Blond and short and immensely bourgeois |url=https://www.welt.de/print-welt/article257294/Blond-und-kurz-und-ungeheuer-buergerlich.html |access-date=5 December 2023 |website=Die Welt |language=de}} According to Walz, he did not know the identity of Meinhof and that it occurred prior to her participation in breaking Andreas Baader out of prison, which included a librarian being shot in the process. Bettina Röhl disputes this, claiming the styling occurred in October and that Walz performed it knowing Meinhof was hiding from the attempted murder conviction.

Walz's social standing elevated in the mid-1980s due to his friendship with Richard R. Burt, United States ambassador to Germany at the time, and his wife, whose role heavily influenced the high society of West Berlin.{{Cite news |last=Binder |first=Elisabeth |date=25 July 2004 |title=Berlin: An der Schnittstelle |language=de-DE |work=Der Tagesspiegel Online |url=https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/an-der-schnittstelle-1139614.html |access-date=5 December 2023 |issn=1865-2263}}

In 1985, Walz opened his own salon on Kurfürstendamm, a popular shopping street in Berlin. At the time of his death, Walz owned four other salons—two in Berlin, one in Potsdam and one in Mallorca.

File:Berlin-Kurfuerstendamm-130-Nr 29-Udo Walz-2016-gje.jpg|link=|alt=Photograph of Udo Walz's salon on Kufürstendamm 29|The flagship salon on Kurfürstendamm 29

File:Charlottenburg Kurfürstendamm 32 Udo Walz-003.jpg|link=|alt=Photograph of Udo Walz's salon on Kurfürstendamm 32|Kurfürstendamm 32

File:Schmargendorf Hohenzollerndamm 92 Udo Walz.jpg|link=|alt=Photograph of Udo Walz's salon on Hohenzollerndamm 92|Hohenzollerndamm 92

Singer Jeanette Biedermann began an apprenticeship with him before dropping out after winning a pop song competition in 1999.{{Cite web |date=21 November 2020 |title=Diese Stars ließen sich von Udo Walz frisieren |trans-title=These stars had their hair done by Udo Walz |url=https://www.brigitte.de/aktuell/udo-walz--diese-stars-liessen-sich-von-udo-walz-frisieren-12226234.html |access-date=5 December 2023 |website=brigitte.de |language=de}}

In April 2002, Gerhard Schröder filed an injunction against the {{Ill|Deutscher Depeschendienst|lt=ddp|de|Deutscher Depeschendienst}} press agency for publishing an opinion saying that he "would be more credible if he didn't dye his gray hair". On ddp's contestation, Walz, due to being Schröder's hairstylist, took the stand. He stated Schröder's hair "has never been coloured or tinted, but [is] always in a natural state."{{Cite web |date=12 April 2002 |title=Des Kanzlers Haarpracht vor Gericht |trans-title=The Chancellor's Magnificent Head of Hair on Trial |url=https://www.stern.de/lifestyle/leute/klage-des-kanzlers-haarpracht-vor-gericht-3608134.html |access-date=5 December 2023 |website=stern.de |language=de}}

Walz claimed to have transformed Angela Merkel's haircut in the run-up to the 2005 German federal election, which hairdresser Martina Acht contests. Walz replied, "Martina Acht might have used a blow-dryer on my client's hair, but she did not cut it... There are always people around who want to jump on the bandwagon."{{Cite web |date=30 September 2005 |title=Stylists Battle to Claim Merkel Makeover |url=https://www.dw.com/en/stylists-battle-to-claim-merkel-makeover/a-1726676 |access-date=5 December 2023 |website=dw.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Rabimov |first=Stephan |last2=Binar |first2=Natasha |date=17 November 2020 |title=How Chancellor Angela Merkel Changed Fashion Politics |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephanrabimov/2020/11/17/how-chancellor-angela-merkel-changed-fashion-politics/ |access-date=5 December 2023 |website=Forbes.com}}

Walz was an ambassador for Dianiño, a childhood diabetes foundation.{{Cite press release |title=Frank-Walter Steinmeier wird Schirmherr der Stiftung Dianiño |date=24 September 2012 |url=https://www.diabetes-kids.de/artikel/frank-walter-steinmeier-wird-schirmherr-der-stiftung-dianino-3592 |language=German |trans-title=Frank-Walter Steinmeier becomes patron of the Dianiño Foundation |access-date=5 December 2023}}{{Primary source inline|date=December 2023}} In 2005, he joined the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, with the hope that "the CDU would clear out the bureaucracy."{{Cite news |last=Lang |first=Susanne |date=21 November 2020 |title=Nachruf auf Udo Walz: Von Dietrich bis Merkel |language=de |trans-title=Obituary for Udo Walz: From Dietrich to Merkel |work=Die Tageszeitung |url=https://taz.de/!5730286/ |access-date=5 December 2023 |issn=0931-9085}}

Walz starred in a five-part docusoap named "Typisch Udo" (Typical Udo), which premiered in 2004 on RTL.{{Cite web |last=Lückerath |first=Thomas |date=15 August 2004 |title=Starfriseur Udo Walz bekommt eigene DokuSoap bei RTL |trans-title=Star hairdresser Udo Walz gets his own docu-soap on RTL |url=https://www.dwdl.de/nachrichten/3036/starfriseur_udo_walz_bekommt_eigene_dokusoap_bei_rtl/ |access-date=5 December 2023 |website=DWDL.de |language=de}}

In July 2008, Walz entered a civil union with Carsten Thamm-Walz, his partner since 1993. After same-sex marriage in Germany was legalised in 2017, Walz stated his opposition to converting his civil union to a marriage and reiterated his position on same-sex marriage in general, saying "I think only a man and a woman should get married, if they want to start a family."{{Cite web |last=Rosendahl |first=Iris |date=11 January 2019 |title=Udo Walz: »Darum bin ich gegen Homo-Ehe |trans-title=Udo Walz: That's why I'm against same-sex marriage |url=https://www.bild.de/bild-plus/regional/berlin/berlin-leute/udo-walz-ich-finde-nur-ein-mann-und-eine-frau-sollten-heiraten-59469244.bild.html |access-date=5 December 2023 |website=bild.de |language=de}}{{Cite web |date=1 October 2004 |title=Udo Walz gegen Homo-Ehe |trans-title=Udo Walz against gay marriage |url=https://www.queer.de/detail.php?article_id=1718 |access-date=5 December 2023 |website=queer.de |language=de-DE}} Walz lived in Schmargendorf, an Ortsteil of Berlin.

Walz suffered from severe diabetes, and was wheelchair-bound for months before his death. He died on 20 November 2020, two weeks after suffering diabetic shock and falling into a coma, and was buried at Waldfriedhof Dahlem.{{Cite news |date=20 November 2020 |title=Udo Walz ist tot: Starfriseur mit 76 Jahren gestorben |language=de |trans-title=Udo Walz is dead: Star hairdresser died aged 76 |work=Der Spiegel |url=https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/leute/star-friseur-udo-walz-gestorben-a-cad7993a-434b-4686-ba31-4a5560a46f30 |access-date=5 December 2023 |issn=2195-1349}}{{Cite web |date=23 December 2020 |title=Blumengeschmücktes Grab: Hier fand der Star-Friseur seine letzte Ruhe |trans-title=Grave decorated with flowers: this is where the star hairdresser found his final resting place |url=https://www.bunte.de/stars/star-news/trauerfaelle/udo-walz-76-blumengeschmuecktes-grab-hier-fand-der-star-friseur-seine-letzte-ruhe.html |access-date=5 December 2023 |website=BUNTE.de |language=de}}

• {{Cite book |last=Walz |first=Udo |title=Haargenau. Mein Leben für die Schönheit |publisher=Quintessenz Verlag |year=1997 |isbn=978-3861243335 |location=Berlin |language=de |trans-title=Meticulous Hair: My Life for Beauty}}
• {{Cite book |last=Walz |first=Udo |title=Udo Walz, Coiffeur |publisher=Bastei Lübbe (Quadriga) |year=2014 |isbn=978-3869950730 |location=Berlin |language=de}}

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Category:2020 deaths

Category:1944 births

Category:People from Waiblingen

Category:Businesspeople from Berlin

Category:Christian Democratic Union of Germany politicians

Category:German hairdressers