Ove Sprogøe

Also Known As: Ove Wendelboe Sprogøe Petersen, Уве Спрогэ

Biography: Ove Wendelboe Sprogøe Petersen (21 December 1919 – 14 September 2004) was a Danish actor. Born in Odense, his parents were Arthur and Inger Sprogøe. He married Eva Rasmussen in 1945, with whom he had three children. One of these is actor Henning Sprogøe. He made his debut in the film Hans Store Aften (His Big Night). His characteristic prominent chin that had been feared an obstacle of his career did not prevent him from being one of the most versatile and used Danish actors. His strength laid in the almost diabolic, michievous and brash but he effortlessly played meek and shy types as well as elegantiers. Among his many roles on stage in classic plays might be mentioned Mephisto in Faust, the title figure of Strindberg’s The Father and some Molière and Bertolt Brecht characters. An extremely popular actor in Denmark, he played many diverse roles, including several recurring television parts. He appeared in 157 films, making him one of the hardest-working actors in the history of Danish film. In his early years he often was the part of a duo working together with his friend and colleague Dirch Passer. He is probably best known for playing one of the lead roles in the Olsen Gang movies, along with Morten Grunwald and Poul Bundgaard, playing the gang leader Egon Olsen, known for his short temper, striped suit, and cigar. By this role he earned an international fame though mostly in Eastern Europe, in the GDR he together with his colleagues became almost a cult figure. Among his TV roles must be mentioned his elegant and humorous ex-burglar Larsen in the series Huset på Christianshavn (“The House at Christianshavn” - the first Danish sitcom) and his role as the wise and courageous doctor Louis Hansen in the epic, historical drama-series Matador, both also shown outside Denmark. He was an able singer especially in shows or revues and his interpretation of Tim Spencer’s Cigarettes, whiskey and wild wild women (in Danish re-creation: Fandens Oldemor – “The Devil’s Great-Grandmother”) almost became his signature tune. He was an actor who combined great public sympathy with the ability to remain a private person with a modest lifestyle. After his death it was revealed that he had been a passionate art enthusiast and had amassed a valuable collection of modern paintings. Shortly after his death in 2004, Nordisk Film (the company that made the Olsen Gang movies) established a scholarship for actors in his name. The state-owned road to Vridsløselille Statsfængsel (the prison where his Egon Olsen character was a frequent "guest"), was renamed by the city of Albertslund to Egon Olsens Vej (Egon Olsen Road). On 24 October 2005, his native city of Odense named a square Ove Sprogøes Plads (Ove Sprogøe Square) in his honour. And the bar 'Cafe Halvvejen', named a shot in his honor. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ove Sprogøe, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Department: Acting

Place of Birth: Odense, Danmark

Birthday: December 21, 1919

Deathday: September 14, 2004

Adult: No

Gender: Male

Popularity:

1.30%

Known For:

Charley's Aunt
The Olsen Gang
The Olsen Gang in Jutland
The Olsen Gang on the Track
The Olsen Gang Sees Red
Days in My Father's House
Martha
The Olsen Gang in a Fix
The Olsen Gang's Last Trick
The Last Exploits of the Olsen Gang
The Olsen Gang Goes to War
The Olsen Gang Outta Sight
The Olsen Gang Never Surrenders
Relax Freddy
Strike First Freddy
Summer in Tyrol
The Goldcabbage Family
Lise kommer til byen
Rekrut 67 Petersen
The Veterinarian's Adopted Children
Frøken Nitouche
The Girl and the Playboy
The Musketeers
Dronningens vagtmester
Passer Babysitting Girls
Dust on the Brain
Dust for all the Money
Journey to the Seventh Planet
Poeten og Lillemor i forårshumør
The Olsen Gang's Big Score
The Olsen Gang Runs Amok
The Olsen Gang Long Gone
The Olsen Gang Jumps the Fence
War of the Birds
Baronessen fra benzintanken
You Are Not Alone
Don Olsen kommer til byen
Nyhavns glade gutter
Sømænd og svigermødre
Tough Guys of the Prairie
The Egborg Girl
Magic in Town
Een pige og 39 sømænd
Styrmand Karlsen
Our Home Is Our Castle
Bussen
Famous Five Get in Trouble
Five and the Spies
What a Pity About Daddy
Dorte
Love Thy Neighbour
Along Came a Soldier
The Greeneyed Elephant
På tro og love
Still Dust on the Brain
Det var paa Rundetaarn
The Missing Clerk
Tre små piger
A Day Without Lies
I kongens klæ'r
Forelsket i København
April
Wife on vacation
Når enden er go'
The Girl and the Viscount
Fun in the Streets
Ved Kongelunden...
Jasper's Ghost
Sorte Shara
Lykkens musikanter
Tag til marked i Fjordby
Jeg er sgu min egen
Onkel Bill fra New York
Revolution My A..
Kispus
Hip Hip Hurrah!
Det stod i avisen
Vi har det jo dejligt
Carmen & Babyface
Der var engang en gade
Det var en lørdag aften
Your Money or Your Life
Elvis Hansen, en samfundshjælper
Crazy Paradise
The Revolt of the Thralls
The Thralls' Children
Charlot og Charlotte
Oskar
Når engle elsker
The Red Horses
Hatten er sat
Farvel Thomas
Hjemme hos William
Flagermusen
The Hour of Parting
Naalen
The Moelleby affair
Det er ikke appelsiner - det er heste
Det store løb
Discretion Wanted
Drømmen om det hvide slot
Father of Four
It's Nifty in the Navy
Færgekroen
En ven i bolignøden
Hvad vil De ha'?
Den ubetænksomme elsker
I de lyse nætter
Be Dear to Me
Den gamle mølle paa Mols
Lenin, You Rascal, You
Majorens oppasser
In the Middle of the Night
Peters landlov
The Poet and the Little Mother
Mor bag rattet
Murder in the Dark
Friends at Arms: On a Bear Run
Barbara
Vores fjerde far
Den kloge mand
Mirror, Mirror
Johnny Larsen
Der var engang
Hjerter er trumf
Crumb at a Gallop
Smedestræde 4
The Poet and Lillemor and Lotte
The Loose Tile
The Girl and the Press Photographer
Amour
Et dukkehjem
I Adams verden
The Reluctant Sadist
Kampen mod uretten
Watch Your Back, Professor!
Penge som græs
Kriminalsagen Tove Andersen
Kurt & Valde
Kys til højre og venstre
Nu går den på Dagmar
Vi som går køkkenvejen
Stepping Out
Giv gud en chance om søndagen
Historien om Olsen Banden
Bandefører Balling
3 years after
Kristinus Bergman
That Brief Summer
Søskende
Danmark er lukket
The Viking Watch of the Danish Seaman
Hans Store Aften
Kærlighed ved første desperate blik
Limpan
The Olsen Gang: Forever!
Berlingske Tidende 1749-1949
Dansk bladtegning: danske bladtegnere - En dokumentation
Final Act
All this - and Iceland too
Children of the Warriors
Det er så yndigt at følges ad
Kick Me in the Traditions!
Superfos Glasuld – et isoleret tilfælde
Revolutionen i vandkanten
Næste Gang er det dig
En dag i radioen
Toppen og bolden