Borge, Victor

orig. Borge Rosenbaum

born Jan. 3, 1909, Copenhagen, Den.

died Dec. 23, 2000, Greenwich, Conn., U.S.

Danish-born U.S. comedian and pianist.

He studied at the Copenhagen Music Conservatory and later in Vienna and Berlin. Initially performing as a concert musician, he soon developed a style that combined comedy with classical music, and he toured throughout Europe. In 1940 he immigrated to the U.S., where he achieved fame appearing in various venues, including radio, films, concert halls, Broadway, and television. Though he performed as soloist and guest conductor with many of the world's leading orchestras, his significant pianistic talent was often overshadowed by his highly popular humour.

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▪ 2001

Børge Rosenbaum 

      Danish-born American pianist and comedian (b. Jan. 3, 1909, Copenhagen, Den.—d. Dec. 23, 2000, Greenwich, Conn.), was known worldwide for his irrepressible humour, which combined deadpan delivery, clever wordplay, satire, irreverence, and physical comedy and which, when coupled with his extraordinary musicianship, sustained him through a more than 70-year performing career. His trademark bits—including his “phonetic punctuation,” in which he read a story but used a sound for each punctuation mark, and his “inflated language,” in which each number or homonym of a number became the next-higher number (wonderful became twoderful, etc.)—never lost their power to entertain. Borge's mother began teaching him piano when he was three, and it was soon apparent that he was a prodigy. While in his teens, he studied on scholarship at the Copenhagen Music Conservatory, and he later studied in Vienna and Berlin. On the way to becoming a concert pianist, however, Borge discovered his flair for comedy and his ability to respect the music while skewering the pomposity often present in the world of musicians. He also made Adolf Hitler a target of his satire, despite the danger that he, being Jewish, faced. Luckily, Borge was performing in Stockholm when the Nazis invaded Denmark in 1940, and he soon was able to flee to the U.S. He began performing on radio in 1941 and by 1945 had his own show; his Carnegie Hall debut came that same year. Appearances in nightclubs, on other concert stages, and on television followed, as did his one-man show, Comedy in Music, which ran for 849 performances in 1953–56 and set a Broadway record for a solo show. Borge continued performing throughout the rest of his life. In addition, in 1963 he helped create the Thanks to Scandinavia Foundation, which funded scholarships for Scandinavian students in gratitude for the aid many Scandinavians gave to Jews during the Holocaust. He wrote, with Robert Sherman, the books My Favorite Intermissions (1971) and Victor Borge's My Favorite Comedies in Music (1980). Borge was knighted by five European countries and in 1999 was a recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor.

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▪ American comedian and musician

original name  Børge Rosenbaum 

born January 3, 1909, Copenhagen, Denmark

died December 23, 2000, Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S.

      Danish-born American pianist and comedian who was known worldwide for his irrepressible humour, which combined deadpan delivery, clever wordplay, satire, irreverence, and physical comedy as well as music.

      Borge's mother began teaching him to play the piano when he was three, and it was soon apparent that he was a prodigy. While in his teens, he received a scholarship to the Copenhagen Music Conservatory, and he later studied in Vienna and Berlin. On the way to becoming a concert pianist, however, Borge discovered his flair for comedy and his ability to respect the music while skewering the pomposity often present in the world of musicians. Borge, who was Jewish, often satirized Adolf Hitler, and he was performing in Stockholm when Germany invaded Denmark in 1940. Later that year he immigrated to the United States. He began performing on radio in 1941 and by 1945 had his own show; his Carnegie Hall debut came that same year. Appearances in nightclubs, on other concert stages, and on television followed, as did his one-man show, Comedy in Music, which ran for 849 performances in 1953–56 and set a Broadway record for a solo show. Borge's trademark bits included his “phonetic punctuation,” in which he read a story but used a sound for each punctuation mark, and his “inflated language,” in which each number or homonym of a number became the next-higher number (wonderful became twoderful).

      In 1963 Borge helped create the Thanks to Scandinavia Foundation, which funded scholarships for Scandinavian students in gratitude for the aid many Scandinavians gave to Jews during the Holocaust. He wrote, with Robert Sherman, My Favorite Intermissions (1971) and Victor Borge's My Favorite Comedies in Music (1980). During a career that spanned more than 70 years, Borge received numerous awards, including a Kennedy Center Honor in 1999.

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