In Bochum, he first became known to a wider audience in Germany around 1996 as a regular cast member of the comedy show Die Wochenshow (engl.

His trademarks included quirky, off-beat characters such as fruity sex talk show host Brisko Schneider and Ottmar Zittlau, an unemployed, sweatsuit-wearing dimwit.

He has also worked as a voice-over actor for numerous animated films, such as Madagascar.

He has received various highly prestigious awards like Goldene Kamera, Deutscher Fernsehpreis (engl.

Pastewka lives with his girlfriend Heidrun Buchmaier, manager of Martin Schneider, in Berlin-Charlottenburg.