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Elstner, born into a theatrical family, was exposed to the stage and entertainment world early on through his actor parents. He launched his own career at age ten when Südwestfunk cast him as the lead in a radio adaptation of Walt Disney's "Bambi". Over the following years, he became one of the most active child radio actors in West Germany. Throughout high school, Elstner continued taking acting lessons. After completing the 13th grade in Rastatt without earning a high school diploma, he accepted a role at the Karlsruhe Chamber Theater under the stage name Christian Kort. Simultaneously, he volunteered as a journalist for the "Badische Neuesten Nachrichten". At 21, Elstner joined Radio Luxembourg, where within a year he became the most popular presenter on RTL's "Fröhliche Welle".
His career progressed rapidly: in 1966, he became the station's chief spokesman; by 1968, assistant director; in 1970, deputy program director; and in 1972, director of the German RTL program. Meanwhile, he gained recognition on television, appearing in TV films such as "Grundgesetz" and "Funmaker", hosting the television lottery, and presenting game shows like "Dot, Dot, Comma, Dash" and "Game without Limits". His major breakthrough came in 1974 with the show "Montagsmaler". From 1981 to 1987, Elstner hosted "Wetten Dass...?" on ZDF, a program he created himself that became the most successful and popular show on German television.
Between 1982 and 1987, he also appeared annually on ZDF's review show "People", took viewers on brief trips to Las Vegas and Tokyo in 1983, led the discussion series "We introduce ourselves", and hosted his program "Nase vorn" from 1988 to 1990. In 1982, Elstner founded Frank Elstner Productions in Luxembourg, his adopted home. Since 1985, the Nobel Prize-winning series "The Silent Stars" has been produced there. He also developed shows such as "Stadt, Land, Fluss", "Koffer-Hoffer", and "First Love" for Tele 5, as well as "Mann-o-Mann" for Sat.1. In 1993, Elstner returned to RTL, creating the format "Aber Hallo - The Frank Elstner Show". From October 1994, he hosted the daily game and knowledge show "Jeopardy", and between 1995 and mid-1997, he presented "April, April" and "April, April Extra".
Starting in 2000, Elstner hosted the talk show "People of the Week" from the old power plant in Baden-Baden, featuring intimate one-on-one interviews with guests. Another regular SWR production includes "Do you understand fun?". On January 29, 2005, ARD premiered "Simply Millionaire", a show about the major ARD television lottery. Since 2001, he has hosted the television gala "A Matter of Honor - The Big Gala for Volunteering," celebrating civic engagement, for the third time by 2005. He also took part as a presenter in the Felix Burda Foundation's "Stars with Courage" program promoting early colon cancer detection. From September 12, 2006, he presented the quiz show "The Best in the Southwest" on Südwest television.
Elstner co-hosted "The Great Show of Natural Wonders" for ARD alongside science presenter Ranga Yogeshwar; by the end of 2007, six episodes had aired. On May 25, 2007, the Bavarian Prime Minister awarded him the Honorary Bavarian Television Prize for his lifetime achievements. In 2009, he hosted the "Golden Camera" awards ceremony press conference. Ahead of his 75th birthday, ARD celebrated him on April 8, 2017, with the evening show "Top, the bet is valid!". Early in 2019, Elstner publicly disclosed his Parkinson's disease diagnosis. On November 21, 2019, he received the Bambi Award for his life's work in Baden-Baden.
Frank Elstner is married and has five children. His son Thomas has also pursued a career as a presenter at ARD.
