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He attended school in Heidelberg and Paris, graduating from the Urspring School in Schelklingen in 1961. Wickert then chose to study political science and law, completing his studies in Bonn. Between 1962 and 1963, he also studied in the USA on a Fulbright scholarship. In 1968, he passed his state law exam and began working as a freelance radio writer. Soon after, he joined ARD as an employee and editor. In 1969, he transitioned into television journalism, serving as an editor for the political TV magazine "Monitor." From 1977, Wickert worked abroad for ARD: initially as a correspondent in Washington, and a year later relocating to Paris. Feeling at home in various places, he returned to the USA in 1981 to become ARD’s studio manager in New York. Three years later, he assumed the same role in Paris.
Starting in 1990, the cosmopolitan hosted ARD’s "Tagesthemen" in Hamburg, succeeding Hanns Joachim Friedrichs. Through his prominent role in Germany’s leading news program, Wickert became one of the most recognizable figures in German television. Beyond presenting, he produced numerous radio and television documentaries and contributed essays to magazines and anthologies. He also published several books. In 1981, he authored "Freedom I Fear - the State Disempowers Its Citizens," a critical political analysis of the Federal Republic of Germany. Subsequent works include the foreign report "New York - Tokyo - Paris" (1986) and the book "France, the Wonderful Illusion" (1989). Wickert, as a journalist and publicist, received numerous honors and awards for his publications.
His 1990 book "Champagne Clans. German Stories About a French Invention" earned the German-French Journalist Prize. In 2000, he was awarded the Adenauer-DeGaulle Prize for his contributions to German-French cooperation. Other accolades include the "Horizon Award" as "Media Man of the Year" (1992), the German television award "Telestar" (1992), and the "Golden Camera" (1994). In a July 2003 survey by "TV Today" magazine regarding the most popular news presenters, the German TV audience ranked Wickert third, behind "Tagesschau" anchor Eva Herman and RTL presenter Peter Kloeppel. In late September 2004, Wickert was appointed the first honorary professor at Magdeburg-Stendal University, where he began lecturing in journalism and media management during the winter semester of 2004/05.
In the winter semester of 2004/05, he officially became an honorary professor of journalism and media management at Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences. According to a representative survey of the German public in autumn 2004, Wickert ranked fourth among the most popular German news presenters. In late August 2005, he publicly presented the crime novel "The Desert Queen." In November 2005, he was named an officer of the Legion of Honor for his contributions to Franco-German relations. After 15 years, Ulrich Wickert concluded his tenure at "Tagesthemen" on August 31, 2006, with journalist Tom Buhrow succeeding him. Since August 17, 2006, Wickert has hosted the literary program "Wickert's Books" on ARD.
Ulrich Wickert has been married to publishing manager Julia Jäkel since March 1, 2003; this is his third marriage.
