Ove Wendelboe Sprogøe Petersen (21 December 1919 – 14 September 2004) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

actor.

Life

Born in

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (behind Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2022, the city proper had a population of 180,863 while Odense Municipality had a population of 20 ...

, his parents were Arthur and Inger Sprogøe Petersen. He married Eva Rasmussen in 1945, with whom he had three children. One of these is actor .

Career

He made his film debut in ''Hans Store Aften'' (''His Big Night''). His characteristically prominent chin that had been feared to be an obstacle of his career did not prevent him from being one of the most versatile and widely used Danish actors. His strength laid in the almost diabolic, mischievous 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 Mephisto or Mephistopheles is one of the chief demons of German literary tradition. Mephisto or Mephistopheles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Méphisto'', a 1931 French film * Mephisto (1981 film), ''Mephisto'' (1981 film), a German- ...

in ''

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads ...

'', the title figure of

Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...

's '' The Father'' and some

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

and

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...

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 younger years he was often part of a duo with his friend and colleague

Dirch Passer Dirch Hartvig Passer (18 May 1926 – 3 September 1980) was a celebrated Danish actor. He was greatly renowned for his improvisational skills and, with a filmography comprising 90 movies, one of Denmark's most prolific actors. His life is depic ...

. He is probably best known for playing one of the lead roles in the ''

Olsen-banden The ''Olsen Gang'' ( da, Olsen-banden, no, Olsenbanden, german: Die Olsenbande) is a Danish comedy film series created by Danish director Erik Balling and special effects expert Henning Bahs about the eponymous fictional criminal gang. The gang's ...

'' movies, along with

Morten Grunwald Walter Morten Grunwald (9 December 1934 – 14 November 2018) was a Danish actor, stage director and theatre manager. Early life and education He was born in Odense, Denmark, attended Odense Theatrical School in 1958, and graduated from the Roya ...

and

Poul Bundgaard Poul Arne Bundgaard (27 October 1922 – 3 June 1998) was a Danish actor and singer. He is probably best known for his role as the henpecked Kjeld in the ''Olsen-banden'' films. He also appeared in the 1966 spy film '' Strike First Freddy'' as t ...

, playing the gang leader Egon Olsen, known for his short temper, striped suit, and cigar. By this role he earned international fame though mostly in

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...

, in the GDR and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

he together with his colleagues became almost a

cult figure A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. A ...

. 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 A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

) and his role as the wise and courageous doctor Louis Hansen in the epic, historical drama-series ''

Matador A bullfighter (or matador) is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter and describe all the performers in the activit ...

'', 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 the Danish voice of the Sultan in the dub of Disney's

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of ...

, having previously voiced

Jiminy Cricket Jiminy Cricket is the Disney version of the "Talking Cricket" (Italian: ''Il Grillo Parlante''), a fictional character created by Italian writer Carlo Collodi for his 1883 children's book ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'', which Walt Disney adapt ...

, both in the Danish dub of Disney's

Pinocchio Pinocchio ( , ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the children's novel ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' (1883) by Italian writer Carlo Collodi of Florence, Tuscany. Pinocchio was carved by a woodcarver named Geppetto in a Tuscan vil ...

and in the nationally annually broadcast television special

A Disney Christmas Gift "A Disney Christmas Gift" is an animated Christmas television special produced by Walt Disney Productions. It was originally broadcast on CBS on December 4, 1982 as part of the ''Walt Disney'' anthology series. Synopsis The special is a Christmas- ...

. 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 Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

. Shortly after his death in 2004,

Nordisk Film Nordisk Film A/S (lit. "Nordic Film") is a Danish entertainment company established in 1906 in Copenhagen by filmmaker Ole Olsen. It is the fourth-oldest film studio in the world behind the Gaumont Film Company, Pathé, and Titanus ...

(the company that made the Olsen Gang movies) established a scholarship for actors in his name. The state-owned road to

The State Prison in Vridsløselille ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

(the prison where his Egon Olsen character was a frequent "guest"), was renamed by the municipality of

Albertslund Albertslund is a Copenhagen suburb in Albertslund Municipality, Denmark. It is located west of central Copenhagen, with a population of around 30,000. Albertslund is a planned community or new town mainly built in the 1960s and 1970s. The subu ...

to ''Egon Olsens Vej'' (Egon Olsen Road). On 24 October 2005, his native city of

named a square ''Ove Sprogøes Plads'' (Ove Sprogøe Square) in his honour.

Filmography (selected)

Film

* '' The Swedenhielm Family'' (1947) * ''

We Who Go the Kitchen Route ''We Who Go the Kitchen Route'' da, Vi som går køkkenvejen) is a 1953 Danish comedy film directed by Erik Balling and starring Birgitte Reimer, Ib Schønberg and Ellen Margrethe Stein.Hjort & Bondebjerg Cast * Birgitte Reimer as Helga * Ib S ...

'' (1953) * ''

The Crime of Tove Andersen ''The Crime of Tove Andersen'' (Danish: ''Kriminalsagen Tove Andersen'') is a 1953 Danish crime film directed by Sven Methling and starring Preben Lerdorff Rye, Ib Schønberg and Else Jarlbak.Hammer p.98 Cast * Preben Lerdorff Rye as Krim ...

'' (1953) * ''

Journey to the Seventh Planet ''Journey to the Seventh Planet'' is a 1962 Danish-American science fiction film. It was directed by Sid Pink, written by Pink and Ib Melchior, and shot in Denmark with a budget of only US$75,000. Uranus, the seventh planet in the solar system, ...

'' (1962) * '' Strike First Freddy'' (1965) * ''

Relax Freddie ''Relax Freddie'' ( da, Slap af, Frede!) is a 1966 Danish comedy film directed by Erik Balling and starring Morten Grunwald. It is a sequel to '' Strike first Freddy''. Cast * Morten Grunwald as Frede Hansen * Ove Sprogøe as Agent Smith * Eri ...

'' (1966) * '' The Olsen Gang'' (1968) * ''

The Olsen Gang in a Fix ''The Olsen Gang in a Fix'' ( da, Olsen-banden på spanden) is a 1969 Danish comedy film directed by Erik Balling and starring Ove Sprogøe. The film was the second in the ''Olsen-banden''-series. Plot After yet another unsuccessful robbery Ego ...

'' (1969) * ''

The Olsen Gang in Jutland ''The Olsen Gang in Jutland'' ( da, Olsen-banden i Jylland) is a 1971 Danish comedy film directed by Erik Balling and starring Ove Sprogøe. The film was the third installment in the Olsen Gang-series. Plot The film starts like most of the Olsen ...

'' (1971) * ''

The Last Exploits of the Olsen Gang ''The Last Exploits of the Olsen Gang'' ( da, Olsen-bandens sidste bedrifter) is a 1974 Danish comedy film directed by Erik Balling and starring Ove Sprogøe, Morten Grunwald, Poul Bundgaard and Kirsten Walther. This was the sixth film in the Ol ...

'' (1974) * ''

The Olsen Gang Sees Red ''The Olsen Gang Sees Red'' ( da, Olsen-banden ser rødt) is a 1976 Danish comedy film directed by Erik Balling and starring Ove Sprogøe, Morten Grunwald and Poul Bundgaard. The film was the eighth in the Olsen Gang-series, and was selected as ...

'' (1976) * ''

The Olsen Gang's Last Trick ''The Olsen Gang's Last Trick'' ( da, Olsen-bandens sidste stik) is a 1998 Danish comedy film directed by Tom Hedegaard and Morten Arnfred, and starring Ove Sprogøe. The film was the 14th and last in the Olsen Gang-series. Cast * Ove Sprogøe as ...

'' (1998)

Television

* ''

'' (1978–1982) * '' Huset på Christianshavn''

External links

*
Filmography
at a Danish website
Original cinema trailers with Ove Sprogøe

Biography
at the website of the German Olsen-Gang fanclub {{DEFAULTSORT:Sprogoe, Ove 1919 births 2004 deaths Danish male film actors Danish male stage actors Danish male voice actors Best Actor Bodil Award winners People from Odense Bodil Honorary Award recipients