Victor Borge was a Danish-American conductor, comedian and pianist who rose to fame in the radio and television industry throughout America and Europe throughout his long-standing career as a performer.
He specialised in blending comedy with music in some exceptionally funny performances. His joking ways got him the titles of “The Clown Prince of Denmark” and “The Unmelancholy Dane” as well as “The Great Dane.”
More About Victor Borge
Victor Borge was born in 1909 in Denmark to musically talented parents, Borge was destined to become a great musician and performed from an early age. Both his parents were talented musicians, his father a violinist for the Royal Danish Orchestra and his mother a skilled pianist, they indoctrinated him into the musical arts from a young age.
At the age of just two Borge was tapping the ivories, learning his craft as a musician. At the age of eight, he gave his first piano recital and later in 1918 was awarded a well-earned scholarship to the prestigious Royal Danish Academy of Music where he would go on to study under Olivo Krause.
In 1926, Borge played his first-ever concert at the Danish Odd Fellows Lodge which came as a great success to the young performer. A short time later, the comedy act which defined Borge as an artist came into existence. The act was a combination of him playing the piano and cracking jokes. This may seem like a simple act, but it was the dry humour, witticism and skilful piano playing which brought him fame and fortune.
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After marrying an American he moved to America, struggling at first due to him not speaking a word of English, Borge adapted his performances to suit the tastes of his American audience. As a way of learning English Borge started watching English speaking movies and was soon speaking the local lingo without much difficulty.
Borges performances brought him quickly into the American spotlight, winning him Best New Radio Performer in 1942. Shortly after this he was drafted by the one and old Bing Crosby in the Kraft Music Hall programme as a performer. Later in his career he starred alongside the legendary Frank Sinatra in the film “Higher and Higher.”
Borges signature performances were “Phonetic Punctuation” and “Inflationary Language” in which Borges spends his time playing musical ditties whilst comedically messing around with the language used in the songs.
To learn more about this exceptional artist, read his Wikipedia page.