Kronzucker was born in Munich, the son of an opera singer mother and a father who worked in the tourism industry. He grew up in
Cologne and
Tegernsee,
Bavaria. He attended the
Wittelsbacher-Gymnasium in Munich, graduating in 1954; during his time there, he founded and was the
editor-in-chief of the school newspaper. He then studied philosophy and cultural history in Munich,
Barcelona and
Vienna, completing his
PhD at the
University of Vienna. Kronzucker worked for many years as a journalist and television presenter in Germany, and is perhaps best known for presenting news magazine
heute-journal, which he presented from 1978 until 1980, and again between 1986 and 1988. From 2001 to 2007, Kronzucker worked as professor at
University of Television and Film Munich. Kronzucker lives in
Berlin,
Munich and Tegernsee. In 1980, his two daughters, Sabine and Susanne, along with a nephew, were kidnapped while on holiday in
Barberino Val d'Elsa,
Tuscany. They were held captive for more than two months, being released after their families paid a ransom of 4.3 million
Deutschmarks to the kidnappers. Susanne later went on to become a well-known journalist in her own right, for many years presenting news programme
RTL aktuell, as deputy to anchor
Peter Kloeppel. == Awards ==