Two years late, the actor Didi Hallervorden was presented with the Munich Karl Valentin Order. Hallervorden had been nominated by the Narrhalla carnival society as the 2021 prizewinner, but due to the corona pandemic, the medal could not yet be presented to him. On Saturday evening, the award was made up after a theatrical performance in Berlin’s Schlosspark Theater. The 87-year-old played in the play himself.
Hallervorden not only impresses with his multifaceted work, “but also has an excellent understanding of how to use the German language in a wide variety of ways,” said the carnival society in a statement at the end of 2020 when it awarded the medal to the actor. “His creative neologisms like “Palim palim” and “Zumsel” are known throughout Germany.”
Actress Simone Rethel-Heesters held the laudatory speech on Saturday evening. Narrhalla President Günther Grauer then presented the order. Hallervorden was originally supposed to receive the medal in January 2021 in the Deutsches Theater in Munich – but the month-long lockdown until spring 2021 prevented the award.
