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}} Robin Merrill (born 20th century) is an English actor, musician, presenter, producer and journalist. [1]
He was a member of the original London cast of the musical Evita . Merrill was also a journalist, starting his journalism career with the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) radio in 1989 and then for Deutsche Welle television.
Born in Salisbury, Merrill displayed his musical talents at an early age. He won a scholarship at age thirteen to the musical academia at Repton School, located in Repton, Derbyshire. Merrill then attended London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he embarked upon a study of singing. [1]
He then successfully auditioned to become a member of the original cast of the Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita, which was showcased upon London's West End.
Merrill went on to soon be a member of the Pasadena Roof Orchestra where as lead singer he performed swing-music songs from the 1930s and 1940s. [1] [2] Since 1979, he has also made numerous recordings as a singer with the Pasadena Roof Orchestra. In 1988, Merrill last appeared as lead singer with the Pasadena Roof Orchestra in the theater of London's Savoy Hotel.
From 1989, Merrill lived in Berlin and had numerous engagements as a solo singer and emcee in Europe. In 1993, Merrill appeared at the Ronacher theater in Vienna as a solo singer and conférencier in Ronacher specialties. In 1993, he appeared in the Berlin Wintergarten theatre as a solo singer and emcee in the Kapriolen program , directed by André Heller.
In 1993, he founded the Savoy Dance Orchestra with Stefan Warmuth, the musical director of the Wintergarten in Berlin, trying to build on his past as a singer with the Pasadena Roof Orchestra. In 1994, Merrill was the solo singer at the Federal Press Ball.
From 1999 onwards, there followed further appearances as a singer: 1999/2000 in the winter garden as conférencier and singer in the millennium show As Time Goes By , directed by Bernhard Paul. In 2000, he also played at the Theater am Kurfürstendamm in the operetta Im Weißen Rössl. With the show As Time Goes By, he also appeared in the Friedrichsbau-Varieté in Stuttgart in 2000 and in 2001 in Roncalli's Apollo Varieté in Düsseldorf.
Further programs followed in 2001: Varieté, Varieté – for the open-air variety evening at the Bundesgartenschau (BUGA) horticulture show in Potsdam and Swingle Bells, with which Merrill again performed in the winter garden.
Merrill started his journalistic career with BFBS radio in 1989. Merrill switched in 1994 to German television channel Deutsche Welle where he has worked as a presenter and journalist ever since. [1] From 1995 to 2002, Merrill worked for Deutsche Welle television as an English-speaking presenter on the weekly program Regarding – the Story of the Week, the English edition of Subject – Topic of the Week.
Merrill has been working for Deutsche Welle television since 2002 as a producer, presenter and news anchor, including for Euromaxx – Life and Culture in Europe (television magazine, English-language edition), which he accompanied for eight years.
From 2012, he presented the weekly show Insight Germany.
Now retired, he only performs occasionally.
Merrill is married to wife Karola and they have two children. [1] [2]