Victor Borge

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Lore & Background

Victor Borge was born into an Ashkenazi Jewish family in Copenhagen, Denmark, on January 3, 1909. Both parents were musicians: his father a violist in the Royal Danish Orchestra, and his mother a pianist. Borge began piano lessons at age two, gave his first recital at eight, and earned a full scholarship to the Royal Danish Academy of Music in 1918. He studied under Olivo Krause, Victor Schiøler, Frederic Lamond, and Egon Petri. After his first major concert in 1926 at the Odd Fellows Mansion concert hall, he shifted from classical concert pianist to a stand-up act blending piano music and jokes. He married American Elsie Chilton in 1933, the same year he debuted revue acts. During the German occupation of Denmark on April 9, 1940, Borge was performing in neutral Sweden; he traveled to Finland and then to America on the United States Army transport American Legion, the last neutral ship out of Petsamo, Finland, arriving August 28, 1940, with only $20, $3 of which went to the customs fee. He disguised himself as a sailor to return to Denmark once during the occupation to visit his dying mother.

Reader's Guide

Victor Borge's significance lies in his pioneering fusion of classical piano performance with comedy, creating a genre that appealed to broad audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. After arriving in the United States unable to speak English, he quickly adapted by learning from movies and rose to fame on radio, winning Best New Radio Performer of the Year in 1942. His one-man show 'Comedy in Music' at the John Golden Theatre in New York City opened on October 2, 1953, and ran for 849 performances until January 21, 1956, a Guinness World Record. Borge's routines, such as 'Phonetic Punctuation'—where he read a passage and added exaggerated sound effects for punctuation marks—and 'Inflationary Language'—where he added one to every number or homophone—became iconic. He performed with major orchestras including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and London Philharmonic, and appeared on television programs like 'The Muppet Show' (performing a version of Liszt's Second Hungarian Rhapsody with Rowlf the Dog) and 'Sesame Street.' He also established the Thanks to Scandinavia Fund to honor those who helped Jews escape persecution during the war. Borge continued touring into his 90s, performing up to 60 times per year.

Did You Know?

• Borge gave his first piano recital at age eight and earned a full scholarship to the Royal Danish Academy of Music in 1918.
• He arrived in America on August 28, 1940, with only $20, $3 of which went to the customs fee.
• His one-man show 'Comedy in Music' ran for 849 performances, a Guinness World Record at the time.
• Borge disguised himself as a sailor to return to occupied Denmark once to visit his dying mother.
• He raised and popularized Rock Cornish game hens as a business venture starting in the 1950s.