Gerda Balder was Jewish who, together with her mother and her son from her first marriage, survived the Theresienstadt concentration camp.

[2] Balder was a founding member of the Krautrock band Birth Control in 1968.

In 1985, he switched to the ensemble of the Düsseldorf cabaret Kom(m)ödchen, where he collaborated with Lore Lorentz and Harald Schmidt.

Secondarily, he performed as a pop singer and had a notable success with his single "Erna kommt" (1985).

His popularity is mainly based on the shows Alles nichts oder?!