Behind The Great Victor Borge.

There is more to Victor Borge than his talent.

Victor Borge is unique.

Pianist. Composer. Conductor. Songwriter. Entertainer. Actor. Comedian.

Born in Copenhagen, Denmark on 3 January, 1909, he became an American citizen during World War II.

His nicknames:
The Great Dane.
The Clown Prince Of Denmark.

Here are some of his striking pre-occupations:

He personally dismantles his piano part by part to have them re-assembled part by part in his attic.

Reason?

He couldn't practice his music with his family in the living room.

His voice advertises Heineken beer in the 1970s.

His classic line: "Heineken does this because it refreshes the parts that other beers cannot reach".

He raised Rock Cornish hens in a very large farm.

There is acknowledgement that he developed the Rock Cornish  game hen industry in America almost single-handedly.

His Comedy In Music one-man show on Broadway had 849 performances, the longest solo run in Broadway history.

He was the recipent of the 22nd Annual Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime contribution to arts and culture by Bill Clinton in Washington, DC, December 1999.

Memorable quotes:

Laughter is  the shortest distance between two people.

A woman complimenting me on my act one night told me she hadn't laughed so much since her husband died.

And I wish to remind you that the smile is the shortest distance between people. And the more we smile, the less we fight. Because to my knowledge, no one ever fought smilingly... and won. So not goodbye. Never goodbye. Just ...so long.

Once more the man:

Victor Borge Plays Clair De Lune

Victor Borge conducts Dance Of The Comedian