Lilo Wanders is the drag persona of German actor Ernst-Johann "Ernie" Reinhardt, born on 22 September 1955 in Celle. Known for this character, Reinhardt built a career as an entertainer in Germany. He became one of the founders of the Schmidt-Theater on the Reeperbahn in Hamburg in 1988, and from 1994 to 2004 he hosted the German television sex and erotic show Wa(h)re Liebe on the broadcaster VOX.
Early life and career
Reinhardt was born in Celle and attended the Gymnasium Walsrode before becoming an entertainer. His work centred on the transvestite role of Lilo Wanders, which made him a recognisable figure in German popular entertainment. Through the Schmidt-Theater, which he helped found in Hamburg's entertainment district, he took part in the city's stage culture for many years.
Television and publications
As Lilo Wanders, Reinhardt hosted Wa(h)re Liebe, a sex and erotic programme whose title is a pun on true love and commodity love. Alongside broadcasting, he wrote several books, including works on sexuality and a German-language sex dictionary co-written with Erika Berger. On 22 December 2022, as part of the Massengeschmack TV advent calendar, he published the sex and erotic magazine Massengeschnackseln.