Otto Jespersen (comedian)
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Hans Otto Jespersen (born 21 July 1954) is a
Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...
comedian, actor and television personality. He starred in the title role of the 2010 film ''
Trollhunter ''Trollhunter'' ( no, Trolljegeren}; UK: ''Troll Hunter''; Canada: ''The Troll Hunter'') is a 2010 Norwegian dark fantasy film, made as a " found footage" mockumentary. Written and directed by André Øvredal and featuring a mixed cast of rel ...
''.


Biography

At the age of 19 Jespersen became a Marxist-Leninist, and was briefly a member of the Communist organization Red Youth. Working in a local radio station, Radio Nova in
Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...
, in 1988 Jespersen and collaborators Stig Holmer and Charlo Halvorsen launched the magazine programme ''Revolvermagasinet'' on Norwegian national radio. This night-time show featured unusual interviews. In 1992, the three again teamed up for ''The Show - storbymoro for enslige i Utkant-Norge'' on national television. ''The Show'' became the Norwegian candidate for the
Rose d'Or The Rose d'Or ('Golden Rose') is an international awards festival in entertainment broadcasting and programming. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) first acquired the Rose d’Or in 1961, when it was created by Swiss Television in the lakes ...
in 1993, but several judges left the theatre before the programme was over. During the
1994 Winter Olympics The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games ( no, De 17. olympiske vinterleker; nn, Dei 17. olympiske vinterleikane) and commonly known as Lillehammer '94, was an international winter multi-sport event held fro ...
, Jespersen was hired as stunt reporter for Norwegian national television. This led to the first of the four ''O.J.'' series, in which Jespersen interviewed celebrities and later created such characters as Tårnfrid, Wirrum, Den ensomme rytter, Baron Blod, Nazi-Per, and Birger as well as Friskusen. He has also made two seasons of ''Trotto Libre'' with
Trond Kirkvaag Trond Georg Kirkvaag (21 June 1946 – 16 November 2007) was a Norwegian comedian, actor, impressionist, screenwriter, author, director and television host. During his 39 years at the Norwegian TV network, NRK, he produced numerous comedy ...
. In 2002 he joined fellow comedians Silje Stang and Thomas Gjertsen to host the weekly comedy show ''Torsdagsklubben'', gaining a reputation for his scathing closing monologue. Stang and Giertsen had formerly run the same show concept under the name ''Mandagsklubben''. In the autumn of 2002, Jespersen's closing monologue targeted the
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
Kjell Magne Bondevik Kjell Magne Bondevik (; born 3 September 1947) is a Norwegian Lutheran minister and politician. As leader of the Christian Democratic Party, he served as the 33rd prime minister of Norway from 1997 to 2000, and from 2001 to 2005, making him, af ...
, ridiculing the man's medication use and his unpopularity. He finished the programme by encouraging "all good forces'" to invite
Christer Pettersson Carl Gustaf Christer Pettersson (23 April 1947 – 29 September 2004) was a Swedish criminal who was a suspect in the 1986 assassination of Olof Palme, the Prime Minister of Sweden. In 1989 he was convicted of the murder in district court but ...
, a suspect in the murder of
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
Olof Palme, to Oslo. Bondevik denounced the monologue in an interview calling it cowardly and distasteful, sparking debate about the monologue in Norway. In the wake of the controversy, Jespersen received a number of death threats. He burned an
American flag The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the ca ...
live on television in protest against the coming
2003 invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...
."Comedian burns Bible as cameras roll"
''Aftenposten'', March 28, 2006
His television show '' Rikets Røst'' premiered in early 2005. Among the show's recurring contributors are and were
Zahid Ali Zahid Ali ( ur, زاہد علی; born 30 June 1976) is a Norwegian stand-up comedian. He is known for his participation in the TV2 show '' Rikets Røst'', which is hosted by Otto Jespersen. After the publicity this show resulted in, he has beco ...
, a Norwegian-
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
i comedian;
Pia Haraldsen Pia Renate Haraldsen (born Pia Renate Strømsnes 1 August 1981) is a Norway, Norwegian TV personality, comedian and author, most known for her interviews on the Norwegian TV show ''Rikets Røst''. She is the daughter of Jasmin Haraldsen, who was ...
; and
Espen Eckbo Espen Andersen Eckbo (born 22 April 1973) is a Norwegian actor, writer and comedian. He was born in Oslo, and grew up in Bestum. He now lives in Ullevål Hageby. Eckbo has no formal training as an actor, but has a background as a law student fo ...
, an
actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
. In spring 2006, while shooting a stunt for the show in the city of
Ålesund Ålesund () sometimes spelled Aalesund in English, is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal County, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre and the centre of the Ålesund Region. The town of Ålesund is the administrativ ...
, Jespersen and Mayor Arve Tonning lit a bonfire in the centre of town and burned some Norwegian books and paper money. To the mayor's consternation, Jespersen then added several pages from the Bible's Old Testament, leading to national press coverage. In 2008, when Jespersen mourned the fleas and lice on
Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...
victims, a ''Jerusalem Post'' opinion article decried Norwegian television channel TV 2's defence of this incident, using it as an example of growing
anti-Semitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...
and anti-
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i sentiments in Norway.Norway a Paradigm for Antisemitism
''Jerusalem Post,'' December 13, 2008


References


External links

*
Picture of burning American flag
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jespersen, Otto 1954 births Norwegian male comedians Norwegian stand-up comedians Norwegian male film actors Norwegian television personalities Living people