Houston has no shortage of familiar names and faces starring in TV commercials. There’s Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, Jim “The Texas Hammer” Adler, Hilton “That’s a fact, Jack” Koch, and about a dozen car dealers. But, maybe the most familiar face is probably a name you don’t recognize.
He’s Tim Williams … graduate of Robert E. Lee High School (now Wisdom High School), near Richmond and Hillcroft, class of 1985.
You might know him as the scruffy, casually dressed, some call sexy, “Trivago Guy.” For most of the 2010s, his commercials for the online hotel finder seemingly aired every 10 minutes in Houston and around the clock everywhere else in the U.S. and Canada. Then, he was gone, and that sparked a ton of "What happened to the Trivago Guy?" Google searches.
The Houston native has been called 'sloppy sexy.'
Tim Williams The Trivago Guy/Facebook
Now, he’s back. Trivago has begun airing Williams’ old spots on TV again. What American viewers might not know is, Trivago is based in Dusseldorf, Germany, and Williams is an ex-pat actor who has lived and worked in Berlin for the past 22 years.
Since he’s back on TV, let’s see what our Houston acting buddy across the Atlantic has been up to.
CultureMap: The Trivago Guy is back! How did that happen?
Tim Williams: Yes, they’re airing again. It’s kind of simple, I guess. Trivago reached out to me a few weeks ago and wanted to test a few old commercials that have already aired. I said yes, of course.
CM: When did you star in those commercials?
TW: My run with Trivago started in 2012 with a voiceover and then they asked me to jump in and be the guy. The commercials that are currently airing were filmed around 2017, I believe.
CM: You became a very famous person with incredible media attention. Did you enjoy being an absentee celebrity?
TW: Because the commercials aired in the U.S. and Canada, and I was living in Germany, I didn’t really see a lot of that celebrity. But when I do get home to Houston, I definitely notice it. I’m sure things have died down a bit, but hopefully they kick in again soon.
With celebrity comes a lot of smiles to and from people you don’t necessarily know and maybe a better table at a restaurant and a few other perks. Do I enjoy it? Mostly yes.
Though he's the North American spokesman, Williams actually calls Berlin home. Tim Williams/Facebook
CM: Were people surprised - or did they even know - that you weren't living in America at that time?
TW: I’ve been over here in Berlin for 22 years now. That’s crazy for me to believe. But I guess through the years there’s been enough interviews and articles that tell my story. So many already knew I was over here and of course my family and friends sure do..
CM: Where did your commercials air? Are you the only Trivago Guy?
TW: My commercials for Trivago aired in North America. So I have a few fans up in Saskatchewan. Good people.
As for the number of spokespeople, they have a Trivago Person in Italy, Spain, India, England, wherever they run commercials. There are quite a few of us.
CM: While those commercials made you famous, at least in America, you've always been in the entertainment field. What are some of your more notable credits?
TW: As you know, I lived in New York and Los Angeles before making a move over to Germany. I would start with some earlier jobs, for example, My So Called Life, The Cosby Show, The Sopranos, Law and Order, Valkyrie.
And I’ve done many films and TV series here in Germany. I didn’t speak any German before landing here. I worked for two weeks on a scene in German with an actor friend of mine. It was for a show called Samt und Seide. I got the part and had no clue that I was the new lead for the next two seasons.
I received one script in English and one in German. I had a text coach and that’s how I really started learning the German language, which is as difficult as it sounds. But you can see most of my work on IMDB. And, I have a Hallmark Christmas special coming later in the year. It’s a quick scene but I’m happy to be a part of it.
I’ve also worked in Julian Rosefeldt’s Euphoria, with Cate Blanchett playing the tiger.
CM: What do you have going on these days?
TW: I’m still in Berlin, but I want to be closer with my parents in their advanced years.They get along pretty well, but I want to spend time with them. I always have a hard time leaving when I’m in Houston.
As far as work, I’m involved in a comedy series called Tripping where I play the Vawego Guy that we’re hoping to sell to one of the streaming sites. We have all the episodes written for a full season, ready to go. Also working on a film that we hope to shoot in and around Abilene.
CM: Do you think you’ll ever come home to Houston for good?
TW: I really miss home and want to get back to my roots a bit and be closer to family and friends. That’s what keeps me grounded the most. But, I do have my 14-year-old boy over here who needs me and that’s a whole other issue. He wants to come live in Houston and play baseball, so I’m not too worried there.
Whether I come back to Houston and remain there, that remains to be seen.
CM: People were intrigued by your laid-back, casual appearance in the Trivago commercials. Is that the real you, or a character you developed for the spots?
TW: That's a funny one. I just guess living over here and sometimes between jobs you take a little time off from shaving. I also had gotten a part in a series called Guten Zeiten Schlechte Zieten, where I played a big rock star from the U.S. and I had some hair on the face when Trivago started.
I couldn’t shave completely because I had to film the following week on the show. That’s why I have a shadow in the Trivago commercials. It worked somehow and it stuck.
CM: When you're in Germany, what do you miss most about Houston?
TW: My family, friends, my Tex-Mex food, and heavy thunderstorms.
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Contact Ken Hoffman at ken@culturemap.com.
