Gaston Berghmans

Gaston Berghmans, quite possibly Belgium's greatest comedian of all time, was born in 1926 in Merksem, a community which is part of the city of Antwerp. He had a very normal and healthy childhood and attended middle school to become a craftsman, just like his father before him. Right before the Second World War, Gaston had been starring in some local plays in his off-time, and decided to become a professional comedian during the War, quitting his job as a handyman on ships in the port of Antwerp. In this period in his life, he met up with some guardian angels that would procure his future in the entertainment industry. Later, he met up with Leo Martin, also born in Antwerp, but raised in Brussels. Together they formed the legendary comedy duo 'Gaston & Leo', that toured around theaters all over the country and made TV appearances with hilarious sketches. They also made some features movies including _"Zware jongens" (1984)_, _"De Paniekzaaiers" (1986)_ and _"Gaston en Leo in Hong Kong" (1988)_. Their last big thing together was a Sunday evening sketch show called _"Gaston & Leo Show" (1989)_, which aired from 1989 until 1993, when Leo died of cancer. When asked about this period later in his life, Gaston said that he felt like he had died along with his friend. After losing Leo, Gaston starred in his own television show (_"Gaston Berghmans Show" (1994)_) for a few years, but he realized that things would never be the same again. After retiring from sketch comedy television in 2000, he only made a limited number of on-screen appearances, mostly in shows that tributed him. In 2008, he ended his acting career in the way he wanted to, with a large dramatic movie part in _"Christmas in Paris" (2008)_. That picture however flopped, making people demand him to get into another final project. Gaston kept refusing this, saying his health did not longer allow him to do so. After years of physical ups and downs, he eventually passed away on May 21, 2016 in a rest-home in Schoten, surrounded by his family.