80th birthday Udo Walz - At brisk pace to the star barber
Naturally, Berlin's social life continued after the death of Udo Walz (1944-2020) on November 20, 2020, but with less charm and glamour. With the passing of the charismatic star hairstylist, another shining relic of old West Berlin disappeared, where the man born in Waiblingen on July 28, 1944, found the ideal conditions for his rise to becoming the "Official Hairdresser Master" and most famous hairstylist in Germany.
When he arrived there in 1963 at the age of 19, the young hairstylist had already laid the groundwork for his astonishing career, which would later contribute to his myth as a Glamour Icon. In numerous interviews and TV appearances, Walz rarely spoke about his film-ready start in his professional life, always telling anecdotes about it.
A Film-Ready Career Start
As he had to begin his apprenticeship as a hairdresser at the age of 14 due to his parents' financial situation not being able to afford the desired training at a hotel school. He finished his journeyman exam as the third worst among 600 apprentices ("The others had practiced the same haircut for months - I was lazy," he later commented in the Tagesspiegel). And how he managed to gain direct access to the world of the Beautiful, Famous, and Rich through small tricks.
The ambitious young hairstyler allegedly landed a job in his first station in Zurich by pretending to speak both English and French fluently, which was far from the truth. "They found the name Udo there to be crap," Walz told the Tagesspiegel, so he took care of his wealthy and often prominent clients under the name "Monsieur Boris" during this time. Among these were film legends like Marlene Dietrich (1901-1991) and Romy Schneider (1938-1982). Marlene Dietrich even invited him to dinner - but he was too shy to sit at her table.
With a "Marlene Dietrich Bonus" to West Berlin
With his move to West Berlin in 1963, the now 19-year-old newcomer successfully avoided military service and brought his "Dietrich Bonus" to bear there. Ina Sailer, who was the most popular prom hairstylist in the city in the 60s, reportedly hired him mainly because he had previously been the regular hairstylist for the world-renowned actress in St. Moritz. When he dared to take the leap into self-employment in 1968 and opened his own salon in the Charlottenburger Fasanenstraße, which resembled a large living room more than a salon, he took some of his prominent clients with him.
From the beginning, the rising self-promotion genius not only sought the proximity to the highest echelons of prominence but also to the media. He secured a title story in the Berlin tabloid "B.Z." in 1967, which portrayed him as "the young hairdresser who really wanted to go to New York but stayed in Berlin because he liked it." After this title story significantly increased his popularity in West Berlin, the rising star hairdresser also became a prominent figure and a favorite of the tabloids.
Another doors opened for him at the end of the Sixties also marked Udo Walz's collaboration with the renowned fashion photographer F.C. Gundlach (95). This happened by chance - Walz stepped in as a hairdresser for a sick colleague during one of Gundlach's photo shoots, and afterwards, Gundlach wanted to work exclusively with him.
Star Hairdresser of Supermodels
This is how Udo Walz made his way into the world of Supermodels. During his career, he missed the mark for the likes of Claudia Schiffer (53), Naomi Campbell (54), and Heidi Klum (51), and gained international recognition for it. According to his own statements, various Hollywood stars such as Julia Roberts (56), George Clooney (63), Eva Longoria (49), or Gwyneth Paltrow (51) frequently called on his services.
Walz did not limit himself to being a "celebrity hairdresser," but also looked at the glamorous events of West Berlin's High Society to become a prominent figure and a shining brand himself. "I'm TV and newspaper crazy," Walz confessed to the "Tagesspiegel" just before his death. He added: "The more one appears, the better it is for business."
For this reason, he did not shy away from appearing on the reality show "Big-Brother" for a day as a hairdresser for the container dwellers in 2000. According to surveys, around 98 percent of all Germans knew his name, as he liked to mention in later interviews. Udo Walz apparently took great pride in this.
Rise to "Berlin's reigning hairdresser master"
When Walz fulfilled his dream in 1985 and opened a large salon with an integrated bar in the Kempinski Plaza on the Kurfürstendamm, he had long since become "Berlin's reigning hairdresser master" and had good contacts in the political sphere of the island city. As he revealed to the "Kurier" in an interview, his friendship with Richard Burt (77), who was the US Ambassador in Germany between 1985 and 1989, and his wife played a significant role. "They came every Friday from Bonn to Berlin to their residence. On Saturdays, they were either at my salon or we went out," he reported. He added: "That's how you meet many people."
The contact with the jovial US Ambassador opened doors for Walz to the political elite of the then divided city. After the fall of the Wall and the move of the Bundestag to Berlin, the enterprising celebrity hairdresser profited from the contacts he had made and eventually secured the position of "Chancellor's hairdresser." Gerhard Schröder (80) and Angela Merkel (70) were among his loyal customers. That he failed to give Schröder a new look before her tenure as Federal Chancellor, which she has stuck with ever since, only added to his star power. In interviews, the "Chancellor's hairdresser" often flirted with the idea that he should have been awarded the Federal Cross of Merit for this achievement.
From his home branch at Kurfürstendamm, the celebrity hairstylist, who advanced the well-known brand, eventually built an actual Udo Walz empire over the years. At one point, he operated eleven salons under his name in Berlin, Potsdam, Mallorca, and even on a cruise ship. It would have certainly displeased the star hairstylist if only a few months after his death that very chic home branch had to file for insolvency. His surviving husband Carsten Thamm-Walz (54) promised to continue his husband's legacy in his name and to keep the remaining salons. Even after his departure, Udo Walz remains the "Acting Hair Master" of Berlin.
- After his move to West Berlin in 1963, Udo Walz successfully avoided military service and brought his "Dietrich Bonus" to bear in the city.
- Udo Walz managed to gain direct access to the world of the Beautiful, Famous, and Rich in Zurich by pretending to speak both English and French fluently, a skill he did not truly possess.
- Among the prominent clients he served under the alias "Monsieur Boris" in Zurich were film legends like Marlene Dietrich and Romy Schneider.
- Ina Sailer, who was the most popular prom hairstylist in West Berlin in the 60s, hired Udo Walz mainly because he had previously been the regular hairstylist for the world-renowned actress Marlene Dietrich in St. Moritz.
- Udo Walz became a prominent figure and a favorite of the tabloids in West Berlin after securing a title story in the Berlin tabloid "B.Z." in 1967 that portrayed him as "the young hairdresser who really wanted to go to New York but stayed in Berlin because he liked it."
- German Chancellor Angela Merkel was one of Udo Walz's loyal customers, having secured the position of "Chancellor's hairdresser."
- In 1985, Udo Walz fulfilled his dream of opening a large salon with an integrated bar in the Kempinski Plaza on the Kurfürstendamm, by which time he had long since become "Berlin's reigning hairdresser master."
- Following his death in 2020, Udo Walz's surviving husband Carsten Thamm-Walz promised to continue his husband's legacy and keep the remaining salons under the Udo Walz name.
