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Lommel was born on January 10, 1891, as the son of a clothier in the town of Jauer, Silesia. During the First World War, Lommel served as a reserve officer, though he was said to be more involved in entertaining activities than in combat. After the war, he initially attempted to pursue a career related to wine but soon shifted his focus to comedy, which came more naturally to him. Traveling by bicycle through his native Silesia, he delighted both small and large villages with his one-man shows, taking on roles such as cashier, usher, lighting technician, supervisor, and, of course, performer.
Lommel could imitate entire radio play ensembles with his vocal skills and created the fictional radio station "Runxendorf on wave 0.5," featuring characters like Paul and Pauline Neugebauer and the coachman Hermann, who also played the piano. Runxendorf, a typical Silesian village that could exist anywhere in the region, was home to many characters Lommel invented, including Paul and Pauline Neugebauer, Kantor Stockschnupfen, Baron Ruelps von Knullrich, and others. He voiced all characters himself, giving each a distinctive trait. His portrayal of Paul Neugebauer became the Silesian equivalent of Till Eulenspiegel.
Upon arriving in Breslau, Lommel was fortunate to benefit from new technological trials, as the Silesian radio hour began broadcasting. This gave Lommel his first large audience, reaching all of Germany, where he was extremely well received. In the 1930s, Lommel was the most popular German humorist on record. He also authored books, made films, continued performing in theaters, and served as theater manager of Berlin’s "Großes Lustspielhaus" on Friedrichstrasse for a year (1938), though this aspect of his career is little remembered today.
After World War II, Lommel performed guest roles as "Hauptmann von Köpenick" at various German theaters, acted in circuses, toured across Germany, and worked for Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk (the predecessor of the NDR and WDR, two major German broadcasting services). During this period, he discovered and promoted actors who remain well-known in German radio, TV, and theater, such as Anita Kupsch (born May 18, 1940) and Gisela Schlüter (born June 6, 1919), with whom he shared the stage for several years.
After living in Bremen and Berlin, Lommel settled in Bad Sachsa, where he helped establish a home for disabled veterans and founded a relief organization for distressed Silesian compatriots. On his 65th birthday, he was awarded the German "Order of Merit 1st Class." He passed away on September 19, 1962, during a tour in Bad Nauheim, shortly before noon, from a heart attack.
