Børge Rosenbaum (3 January 1909 â€" 23 December 2000), known
professionally as Victor Borge (/ˈbÉ"Ë rÉ¡É™/ BOR-gÉ™), was a
Danish-American comedian, conductor, and pianist who achieved great
popularity in radio and television in the United States and Europe.
His blend of music and comedy earned him the nicknames "The Clown
Prince of Denmark", "The Unmelancholy Dane", and "The Great
Dane".Victor Borge was born Børge Rosenbaum on 3 January 1909 in
Copenhagen, Denmark, into an Ashkenazi Jewish family. His parents,
Bernhard and Frederikke (née Lichtinger) Rosenbaum, were both
musicians: his father a violist in the Royal Danish Orchestra, and his
mother a pianist. Borge began piano lessons at the age of two, and it
was soon apparent that he was a prodigy. He gave his first piano
recital when he was eight years old, and in 1918 was awarded a full
scholarship at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, studying under Olivo
Krause. Later on, he was taught by Victor Schiøler, Liszt's student
Frederic Lamond, and Busoni's pupil Egon Petri.Borge played his first
major concert in 1926 at the Danish Odd Fellow Palæet (The Odd
Fellow's Lodge building) concert hall. After a few years as a
classical concert pianist, he started his now famous "stand-up" act,
with the signature blend of piano music and jokes. He married the
American Elsie Chilton in 1933; the same year he debuted with his
revue acts. Borge started touring extensively in Europe, where he
began telling anti-Nazi jokes.When the German armed forces occupied
Denmark on 9 April 1940, during World War II, Borge was playing a
concert in Sweden and managed to escape to Finland. He travelled to
America on the United States Army transport American Legion, the last
neutral ship to make it out of Petsamo, Finland, and arrived 28 August
1940, with only $20 (about $365 today), with $3 going to the customs
fee. Disguised as a sailor, Borge returned to Denmark once during the
occupation to visit his dying mother.
professionally as Victor Borge (/ˈbÉ"Ë rÉ¡É™/ BOR-gÉ™), was a
Danish-American comedian, conductor, and pianist who achieved great
popularity in radio and television in the United States and Europe.
His blend of music and comedy earned him the nicknames "The Clown
Prince of Denmark", "The Unmelancholy Dane", and "The Great
Dane".Victor Borge was born Børge Rosenbaum on 3 January 1909 in
Copenhagen, Denmark, into an Ashkenazi Jewish family. His parents,
Bernhard and Frederikke (née Lichtinger) Rosenbaum, were both
musicians: his father a violist in the Royal Danish Orchestra, and his
mother a pianist. Borge began piano lessons at the age of two, and it
was soon apparent that he was a prodigy. He gave his first piano
recital when he was eight years old, and in 1918 was awarded a full
scholarship at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, studying under Olivo
Krause. Later on, he was taught by Victor Schiøler, Liszt's student
Frederic Lamond, and Busoni's pupil Egon Petri.Borge played his first
major concert in 1926 at the Danish Odd Fellow Palæet (The Odd
Fellow's Lodge building) concert hall. After a few years as a
classical concert pianist, he started his now famous "stand-up" act,
with the signature blend of piano music and jokes. He married the
American Elsie Chilton in 1933; the same year he debuted with his
revue acts. Borge started touring extensively in Europe, where he
began telling anti-Nazi jokes.When the German armed forces occupied
Denmark on 9 April 1940, during World War II, Borge was playing a
concert in Sweden and managed to escape to Finland. He travelled to
America on the United States Army transport American Legion, the last
neutral ship to make it out of Petsamo, Finland, and arrived 28 August
1940, with only $20 (about $365 today), with $3 going to the customs
fee. Disguised as a sailor, Borge returned to Denmark once during the
occupation to visit his dying mother.
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