Viktor Giacobbo

Viktor Giacobbo (born February 6, 1952) is a Swiss writer, comedian and actor.

After school in Winterthur, he made an apprenticeship as a typesetter.

Afterwards, he was a corrector, reader and media documentalist.

Initially, he was author and actor at the independent comedy-theater groups “Stuzzicadenti” (1979–1986) and “Zampanoo's Variété” (1984–1985), then member of the comedy group “Harul's Top Service” (1985–1998).

He became well known, thanks to his job as a moderator and co-author of the satirical programmes Viktors Programm (1990–1994) and Viktors Spätprogramm (1995–2002) on SF DRS and as an author and main actor in the movie Ernstfall in Havanna (2002).

He worked for Radio DRS’ satire programme Satiramisù (1991–1994).

During the 90s, he created satirical figures like Harry Hasler, Debbie Mötteli, Fredi Hinz and Erwin Bischofberger (see below for detailed list).

In 2000, Giacobbo initiated, together with Patrick Frey and others, the “Casinotheater” Winterthur.

Since then, he has been Verwaltungsrats-Präsident of the „Casinotheater AG”.

In 2006 he was the Circus Knie’s guest star.

He lives near Winterthur.

Giacobbo sometimes plays himself as a selfish, arrogant egoist, who is accompanied by bodyguards who hold back the fans.

As part of this characterization: he has a desk full of goblets, a large poster showing himself, and gets paid for product placement in reportages for the Schweizer Illustrierte, a Swiss personality magazine.

He refuses a children home's offer to take part in a ceremony because the offer doesn't offer a large enough honorarium.

Furthermore, Giacobbo cuts Walter Andreas Müller’s gage.

Giacobbo plays a video to show Müller, how miserable Müller's acting was, but the acting shown is Giacobbo’s.

Müller is hustled out of the office and gets the commission and honorarium to participate in the children’s home ceremony.

This alternative Giacobbo is depicted as a man who originally was respectable, prudish and very uptight.

The sketch indicates that his real name had been “Erwin Bischofberger“ (see below) but he had adopted the improbable and discordant alias of “Viktor Giacobbo“ combining the Germanic version of a forename, and an Italian family name.

TV-director Peter Schellenberg discovered him, when Bischofberger was singing as a female yodler in a duet.

But Bishofberger/Giacobbo had a big success after he had stolen the idea to disguise himself as “Harry Hasler” (see below).

This idea allegedly had been stolen from a Chinese programme's main persona, and the Harry Hasler persona was the occidental copy of that Asian figure called "Ha Li Hassel“.

Is a typical macho Manta-driver, he plays a bouncer and pimp from Zürich's "Stadtkreis Schwamendingen“ ( a Zürich City district). His favourite holiday destination is Pattaya, Thailand. His attributes are a hairy chest, white country-singer's clothing and golden necklaces. A typical gesture is standing on one leg and angling the other, then stretching it and angling it again (as in pushing an automobile gas pedal). Typical words: "aber volle Pulle, Du!“ (Give it gas man!), "Wennt weisch was i mein!“ (If you know what I mean!), or the greeting formula "Saletti zäme!“ (Hi there!).

He doesn't visit Thailand to see culture and huge Buddha sculptures or temples, but rather have “meetings” (sexual ones).

Hasler once was a guest of a fictional programme about travelling, to tell the viewers about "Mailand" (Milan, Italy) however, there was an error in understanding and the city actually being discussed was Venice, Italy.

Furthermore, Hasler thinks, the gondola (of which he shows a model) was a fertility goddess symbol.

According to Viktors Universum 1, DVD 1/2, Hasler earns money by selling these souvenirs.

Other sketches show Hasler in other jobs: leader of a private army of civilians, hawker (seller) at an esoteric fair.

Regularly, Hasler is said to be a producer / seller of adult movies.

Hasler drives a "Chevrolet Corvette Stingray“. One of his favourite locals (tavern or pub) is the "Pattaya" bar, a bar that actually exists in Zürich. Harry has a father, who resembles himself, Konrad Hasler. Further, he has an uncle, that isn't similar to him, but is a regular and respectable-looking elder man, who is a bit silent.

According to a comment by Giaccobo, Hasler's first appearance was in a sketch about a fictional discussion programme, that dealt with humour.

But then, he wasn't called "Hasler", but "Grüter" or "Grütter".

He doesn't really enrich the fictional discussion programme, but told jokes about Manta drivers instead of discussing humor.

Giacobbo played a Christmas Santa on the street which was filmed by a hidden camera.

The "Santa" spoke like Harry Hasler, and pretended to intimately (physically) know a female passerby.

In another sequence, the "Santa" had the "Italian guy"'s (see below) pronunciation.

Disguised as Harry Hasler, Giacobbo moderated a programme of Viktors Spätprogramm.

Is a "typical" homeless doper.

His attributes are unkempt hair and clothing, as well as a plastic bag, which he carries all the time.

His style of speaking is in fits and starts, aspirating, like a heavy smoker.