Hansi Hinterseer

Hansi Hinterseer from Austria converted his renown as a downhill skiing champion into later pursuits as a vocalist and performer. He came into the world in Kitzbühel on February 2, 1954, the son of Ernst Hinterseer, who captured gold in the slalom at the 1960 Winter Olympics. Following his father’s example, he entered the Austrian Ski Team in 1972 and captured the Alpine Skiing World Cup in giant slalom the next year, the first of six World Cup wins. He secured silver at the world championship in St. Moritz in 1974 and competed at the Innsbruck Winter Olympics in 1976. After leaving competition in 1981, he joined the National Austrian Broadcasting Corporation as a skiing commentator; in 1994 he began a pop career with the LP Wenn Man Sich Lieb Hat, the opening release in a string of successes that included Danke für Deine Liebe, Du Bist Alles, and Vater, Dein Wille Geschehe. During the same period he also built an acting résumé, chiefly in telefilms such as 1996’s Hochwürdens Ärger mit dem Paradies and 2006’s Da Wo das Glück Beginnt. In 2005 he first reached the top of the Austrian charts with Heut Ist Dein Tag and repeated the feat the following year with Meine Berge, Meine Heimat. Seven further albums subsequently earned gold certification at home. Although he continued appearing in several films, his music career took precedence when the 2013 album Heut Ist Dein Tag attained number one in both Austria and Germany.