Victor Borge

Børge Rosenbaum was born in Denmark on January 3, 1909, and trained as a classical pianist before discovering he could get bigger laughs than applause. He fled Europe as the war closed in and rebuilt his career in America, where radio and television loved a man who could play Liszt and then trip over the bench. His act — equal parts virtuoso chops and sight gags, delivered in an accent that never quite left — made him "The Clown Prince of Denmark" on two continents. He kept performing into old age, the routines polished to a gloss, and died on December 23, 2000.