Borge, Victor

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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Universalium. 2010.

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  • BORGE, VICTOR — (originally Borge Rosenbaum; 1909–2000), Danish U.S. satirical comedian. Born in Copenhagen, Borge was the youngest of five sons of the musicians Frederikke and Bernhard Rosenbaum. His father played first violin with the Royal Danish Philharmonic …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Borge, Victor — orig. Borge Rosenbaum (3 ene. 1909, Copenhague, Dinamarca–23 dic. 2000, Greenwich, Conn., EE.UU.). Comediante y pianista estadounidense de origen danés. Estudió en el Conservatorio de música de Copenhague, y después en Viena y Berlín. Sus… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Víctor Borge — Victor Borge (nombre artístico de Børge Rosenbaum) (3 de enero de 1909 23 de diciembre de 2000) fue un pianista y comediante danés, que vivió en los Estados Unidos hasta su muerte. Hijo de Bernhard y Frederikke Rosenbaum (el padre era violinista… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Víctor — (del lat. «victor», vencedor) m. e interj. Vítor. * * * víctor. (Del lat. victor, vencedor). interj. vítor. U. t. c. s. * * * Víctor, san ► Nombre de varios papas y antipapas. ► Víctor I, san (m. 199) Pontífice romano en 189 199. Combatió el… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Victor Borge — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Borge. Victor Borge Surnom Le prince clown du Danemark Nom de naissance Børge Rosenbaum Naissance 3 janvier 1909 Cope …   Wikipédia en Français

  • victor — /vik teuhr/, n. 1. a person who has overcome or defeated an adversary; conqueror. 2. a winner in any struggle or contest. 3. a word used in communications to represent the letter V. [1300 50; ME < L, equiv. to vic , var. s. of vincere to conquer… …   Universalium

  • Victor — /vik teuhr/, n. 1. an ancient Roman epithet variously applied to Jupiter, Mars, and Hercules. 2. Mil. the NATO name for a class of nuclear powered Soviet attack submarines. 3. a male given name. * * * (as used in expressions) Berger Victor Louis… …   Universalium

  • Victor Borge — Victor Borge, 1990 Victor Borge, eigentlich Børge Rosenbaum (* 3. Januar 1909 in Kopenhagen; † 23. Dezember 2000 in Greenwich, Connecticut), war ein dänisch amerikanischer Pianist und Komödiant …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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