[2] An imposing figure on stage, usually bearded and dressed in Cossack clothing, his presence was enhanced by his height, being over 2 metres tall.

Rebroff was born on 31 July 1931 in Berlin[3] (prematurely, he asserted, at seven months, on a train platform)[4] as Hans Rolf Rippert to German parents.

He performed over 6,000 concerts in his career, including a two-year seven-day-a-week stint at the Théâtre Marigny in Paris, singing and acting, among other greats, the role of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof.

[This quote needs a citation] He was named an honorary citizen of the Greek Sporades island of Skopelos, his domicile.

Rebroff sang and was able to converse to a lesser or greater extent in several languages in addition to his native German; Russian, French, Italian, English, and Greek.