Paul O’Montis (April 3 1894 – July 17 1940) was a German singer, parodist, and cabaret artist.
He specialized in sophisticated and caricatured couplets, with a focus on comedic and nonsensical songs characterized by wordplay and double meanings.
The cabaret critic Max Herrmann-Neiße wrote: “Paul O'Montis has the technique to perform even the most banal popular chansons in a way that makes them enjoyable for a more discerning audience, as he humorously parodies them from the outset.” [1] He performed on many famous Berlin cabaret stages, such as Café Meran, Boulevard-Theater, Florida, Simpl, Scala, and Wintergarten.
After the Nazis came to power in 1933, he fled to Vienna at the end of that year, performing in Austria, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.
The camp administration’s report claims “suicide,” but other testimonies contradict this, stating that Paul O'Montis was murdered by the block elder.