Born in Pirmasens in 1886, he studied acting at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin. Throughout his life, he oscillated between theatre and literary work and was a contributor to the feature pages of well-known magazines. In May 1915, he emigrated to Switzerland with his wife Emmy Hennings. Both performed as a pair of artists in variétés. In 1916, Dada was mentioned for the first time in the programme of the Cabaret Voltaire. In the same year, he recited his famous sound poems. Since moving to Ticino, he maintained a close friendship with Herrmann Hesse. He died of stomach cancer in 1927.