Victor Borge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Victor Borge
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Borge in 1990
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| Born |
Børge Rosenbaum
3 January 1909 Copenhagen, Denmark
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| Died | 23 December 2000 (aged 91) Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S.
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| Other names | The Clown Prince of Denmark The Unmelancholy Dane The Great Dane |
| Citizenship | Danish American (naturalized 1948) |
| Occupation | |
| Years active | 1917–2000 |
| Spouse(s) | Elsie Chilton (m. 1933; div. 19??) Sarabel Sanna Scraper
(m. 1953; died 2000) |
| Children | 5 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Classical |
| Instruments | Piano |
Victor Borge was a famous Danish-American comedian, conductor, and pianist. His real name was Børge Rosenbaum. He was born on January 3, 1909, and passed away on December 23, 2000. Victor Borge became very popular on radio and television in both North America and Europe. He was known for mixing music with comedy. Because of his unique style, people gave him fun nicknames like "The Clown Prince of Denmark" and "The Great Dane."
Contents
Victor Borge's Life Story
Early Years and Musical Talent
Victor Borge, born Børge Rosenbaum, came into the world on January 3, 1909, in Copenhagen, Denmark. His family was Ashkenazi Jewish. Both of his parents were musicians. His father played the viola in the Royal Danish Orchestra, and his mother was a pianist.
Victor started learning piano when he was only two years old. It quickly became clear he was a child genius. He played his first piano concert at eight. In 1918, he won a full scholarship to the Royal Danish Academy of Music. He studied with famous teachers like Olivo Krause and Frederic Lamond.
From Classical Music to Comedy
In 1926, Borge played his first big concert in Denmark. After playing classical music for a few years, he started his famous stand-up comedy act. This act combined piano music with jokes. In 1933, he married Elsie Chilton. That same year, he began performing his comedy shows. He toured a lot in Europe and started telling jokes against the Nazis.
When Germany took over Denmark in April 1940, during World War II, Borge was performing in Sweden. He decided to go to Finland. He then traveled to America on a ship called the SS American Legion. He arrived on August 28, 1940, with only $20. He even secretly returned to Denmark once to visit his sick mother.
Becoming Famous in America
When Borge arrived in America, he did not speak English. But he quickly learned by watching movies. He changed his name to Victor Borge. In 1941, he joined Rudy Vallee's radio show. Soon after, Bing Crosby hired him for his Kraft Music Hall program.
Borge quickly became very famous. He won "Best New Radio Performer of the Year" in 1942. He also appeared in movies with stars like Frank Sinatra. While hosting The Victor Borge Show on NBC in 1946, he created many of his well-known comedy bits.
He would often announce he was about to play a song but then get "distracted." He might talk about how useful Chopin's "Minute Waltz" was as an egg timer. He also loved to start a classical piece, like Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata," and then suddenly switch to a pop song like "Happy Birthday to You."
Victor Borge's Comedy Style
Victor Borge had many funny routines. One was "Phonetic Punctuation." He would read from a book and make funny sounds for each punctuation mark. For example, a period might be a loud "POOF!"
Another famous routine was "Inflationary Language." In this, he added one to every number or sound-alike number in his words. So, "once upon a time" became "twice upon a time." "Wonderful" became "twoderful," and "forehead" became "fivehead."
Borge also used funny actions in his shows. He might play a strange tune from sheet music, looking confused. Then he would turn the music upside down and play the correct tune, smiling at the audience. Sometimes, he would play so energetically that he would fall off his piano bench. He would then take out a car seat belt from under the bench and buckle himself in "for safety."
When conducting an orchestra, he might stop the music. He would tell a violinist who played a wrong note to leave the stage. Then, he would have the other violinists move over to fill the empty spot while still playing. A gunshot sound would then come from off stage.
He loved talking with the audience. He might ask someone in the front row, "Do you like good music?" If they said yes, he would hand them a piece of sheet music and say, "Here is some." After the laughter, he would say, "That'll be $1.95." If the person could read music, he would ask for a higher price!
Later Career and Achievements
Borge appeared on Toast of the Town many times in 1948. That same year, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. On October 2, 1953, he started his show Comedy in Music in New York City. This show became the longest-running one-man show in theater history, with 849 performances. This amazing achievement put him in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Victor Borge continued to tour and perform with famous orchestras. These included the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. He felt very honored when he was invited to conduct the Royal Danish Orchestra in Copenhagen in 1992.
He also appeared on children's TV shows like The Electric Company and Sesame Street. He was even a guest star on The Muppet Show. Victor Borge kept performing until his last days, even doing 60 shows a year when he was 90 years old.
Other Interests and Contributions
Victor Borge was also a "poultry farmer" for a while. He raised and helped make Rock Cornish game hens popular.
He helped create several important organizations. One was the Thanks to Scandinavia Fund. This fund honored those who helped Jewish people escape German persecution during World War II.
Borge also wrote three books. Two were with Robert Sherman: My Favorite Intermissions and My Favorite Comedies in Music. He also wrote his autobiography, Smilet er den korteste afstand (which means "The Smile is the Shortest Distance").
In 1979, Borge helped start the American Pianists Association. This group now holds two major piano competitions.
Victor Borge's Family Life
Victor Borge married his first wife, Elsie Chilton, in 1933. After their divorce, he married Sarabel Sanna Scraper in 1953. They were married until Sarabel passed away in September 2000.
Victor Borge had five children. Ronald Borge and Janet Crowle were adopted with Elsie Chilton. Sanna Feinstein, Victor Bernhard Jr., and Frederikke Borge were his children with Sarabel. Sometimes, his children even performed with him!
Victor Borge's Passing
Victor Borge passed away peacefully in his sleep on December 23, 2000, in Greenwich, Connecticut. He was 91 years old and had been entertaining for 75 years. He died just one day after returning from a concert in Denmark. His daughter, Frederikke Borge, said he had been missing his wife terribly, who had passed away only three months earlier.
Victor Borge wanted his connection to both the United States and Denmark to be remembered. So, part of his ashes were buried in Putnam Cemetery in Greenwich. A small copy of the famous Danish statue The Little Mermaid sits on a rock at his grave. The other part of his ashes was buried in the Western Jewish Cemetery in Copenhagen.
Awards and Special Honors
Victor Borge received many awards and honors throughout his career.
- In 1997, he received an honorary degree from Trinity College Connecticut.
- In 1998, the Royal Danish Orchestra made him an honorary member. At that time, he was one of only ten people in the orchestra's long history to receive this honor.
- In 1999, Victor Borge received the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors.
- He was also given special badges from the highest orders of five Nordic countries:
- The Order of the Dannebrog (Denmark)
- The Order of Vasa (Sweden)
- The Knight First Class of the Order of St. Olav (Norway)
- The Order of the White Rose of Finland
- The Order of the Falcon (Iceland)
Victor Borge's Legacy
Victor Borge is still remembered and honored today.
- In 2000, the Victor Borge Hall in Scandinavia House in New York City was named after him.
- In 2002, a square in Copenhagen was named Victor Borges Plads ("Victor Borge Square"). In 2009, a statue of Borge was placed there to celebrate 100 years since his birth.
- Even an Asteroid (5634) Victorborge is named in his honor!
- From January to May 2009, The American-Scandinavian Foundation held a special event called Victor Borge: A Centennial Celebration.
Film and Television Tributes
- On March 14, 2009, a TV special about his life, 100 Years of Music and Laughter, was shown on PBS.
- In 2017, it was announced that a TV series and a movie about Victor Borge's life were planned to be filmed in Denmark.
Images for kids
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Borge in 1990
See also
In Spanish: Victor Borge para niños
