Roland Kaiser's Real Name: Ronald Keiler

Quick answer: Roland Kaiser's real name is Ronald Keiler. He was born on May 10, 1952, in West Berlin, Germany. Roland Kaiser is a stage name created for his Schlager career (Library of Congress; AllMusic; German press profiles).

From Keiler to Kaiser

Keiler worked ordinary jobs in Berlin — including selling cars — before a talent-show path and producer interest pushed him toward recording. The stage surname Kaiser (emperor) was chosen as a sharper show-business name than Keiler; Roland replaced Ronald for the same reason. German chart listings and fan materials treat Roland Kaiser as the public identity while profiles routinely note Ronald Keiler as the civil name (rbb; LOC name authority).

Hit career

From the mid-1970s he became one of Germany's most reliable Schlager hitmakers. Signature songs include "Santa Maria," "Schachmatt," "Joana," "Dich zu lieben" and later ballads that kept him on radio into the 21st century. He fills large arenas on anniversary tours and remains a staple of German public-television music specials. Health scares — including a widely reported lung transplant in 2010 — interrupted but did not end his career; he returned to the stage and has spoken publicly about organ donation awareness (AllMusic; major German news coverage).

Personal life

Kaiser has been married more than once and has children; German entertainment press covers his family life with the usual celebrity caveats. He continues to release new Schlager albums and to tour German-speaking Europe under the Kaiser name.

Longevity on the German charts

Kaiser's catalog spans soft-rock ballads, danceable Schlager and romantic duets typical of ZDF and ARD music programming. Anniversary tours sell out large venues because multiple generations know "Santa Maria" and later radio singles. After his 2010 transplant he became a visible advocate for organ donation in German media, tying personal survival to public-health messaging without abandoning the sentimental core of his music.