Ove Sprogøe

Acting · 1.2 popularity

Age

106

Movies

170

Born: December 21, 1919 – September 14, 2004
From: Odense, Danmark

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.

Works

170 films

The Olsen Gang Sees Red

19767.4

Magic in Town

19686.3

Murder in the Dark

19866.1

The Girl and the Playboy

19656.8

Jasper's Ghost

19925.0

The Revolt of the Thralls

19797.5

3 years after

19486.5

Children of the Warriors

19795.6

Et dukkehjem

197410.0

War of the Birds

19907.0

The Girl and the Press Photographer

19636.7

Charley's Aunt

19596.9

Tintin and the Temple of the Sun

19696.7

Bandefører Balling

19787.0

You Are Not Alone

19787.5

I kongens klæ'r

19546.6

Tre små piger

19666.2

Be Dear to Me

19577.2

Amour

19705.0

Lise kommer til byen

19477.7

Journey to the Seventh Planet

19624.9

Søskende

19668.0

Lykkens musikanter

19625.6

The Olsen Gang on the Track

19757.3

The Olsen Gang

19687.0

Peters landlov

19635.5

The Olsen Gang Long Gone

19816.6

Don Olsen kommer til byen

19646.8

Rekrut 67 Petersen

19526.2

Kristinus Bergman

19487.3

Friends at Arms: On a Bear Run

19685.3

Det store løb

19526.0

The Olsen Gang in a Fix

19696.6

Carmen & Babyface

19955.2

The Moelleby affair

19768.7

Martha

19676.9

In the Middle of the Night

19846.7

The Olsen Gang's Last Trick

19985.9

Det er ikke appelsiner - det er heste

19677.3

The Olsen Gang Outta Sight

19777.1

The Olsen Gang Never Surrenders

19796.8

Limpan

19837.0

The Queen's Guardsman

19635.8

Den kloge mand

19567.4

Sorte Shara

19616.7

The Hour of Parting

19737.3

Dust on the Brain

19616.5

The Olsen Gang in Jutland

19716.9

Crumb at a Gallop

19927.4

Baronessen fra benzintanken

19607.3

The Poet and the Little Mother

19596.6

Den ubetænksomme elsker

19825.1

The Olsen Gang Jumps the Fence

19817.0

Final Act

19875.5

The Olsen Gang's Big Score

19726.8

Strike First Freddy

19656.0

The Olsen Gang Goes to War

19786.9

The Olsen Gang Runs Amok

19736.8

Kærlighed ved første desperate blik

19948.0

The Only Way

19706.3

Famous Five Get in Trouble

19705.9

The Tove Andersen Criminal Case

19538.0

Your Money or Your Life

19824.8

Hip Hip Hurrah!

19874.7

Vi som går køkkenvejen

195310.0

The Last Exploits of the Olsen Gang

19747.2

Der var engang

19666.6

Barbara

19976.0

Næste Gang er det dig

19488.5

Summer in Tyrol

19646.5

Det var en lørdag aften

19687.0

I Adams verden

19737.0

Nyhavns glade gutter

19675.5

Five and the Spies

19696.4

The Goldcabbage Family

19755.7

The Veterinarian's Adopted Children

19686.6

Father of Four

19536.7

Kick Me in the Traditions!

19796.5

Kurt & Valde

19835.0

Our Home Is Our Castle

19716.8

A Day Without Lies

19635.1

Charlot og Charlotte

19964.6

Sømænd og svigermødre

19626.5

Bussen

19636.1

Revolution My A..

19706.4

Lenin, You Rascal, You

19725.4

Danmark er lukket

19807.0

Frøken Nitouche

19636.3

Superfos Glasuld – et isoleret tilfælde

19766.0

That Brief Summer

19766.4

Drømmen om det hvide slot

19626.4

Relax Freddy

19666.4

Along Came a Soldier

19694.7

April

19637.3

Watch Your Back, Professor!

19775.0

Crazy Paradise

19624.2

Onkel Bill fra New York

19595.4

What a Pity About Daddy

19685.9

Hvad vil De ha'?

19565.1

Kampen mod uretten

19496.3

Oskar

19626.4

Johnny Larsen

19795.6

Det stod i avisen

19626.8

Forelsket i København

19606.7

The Major's Guard

19646.4

Nu går den på Dagmar

19729.0

The Girl and the Viscount

19666.4

Still Dust on the Brain

19626.6

Når engle elsker

19856.3

Dust for all the Money

19636.5

Flagermusen

19666.7

Det var paa Rundetaarn

19555.9

Naalen

19515.7

Kys til højre og venstre

19696.0

It's Nifty in the Navy

19656.5

Mor bag rattet

19655.8

The Reluctant Sadist

19675.1

Tough Guys of the Prairie

19704.9

The Musketeers

19616.2

Revolutionen i vandkanten

19714.0

The Red Horses

19507.6

Hans Store Aften

19467.7

Wife on vacation

19677.1

På tro og love

19556.7

The Olsen Gang: Forever!

20188.0

The Missing Clerk

19717.3

Poeten og Lillemor i forårshumør

19616.6

Passer Babysitting Girls

19655.9

Færgekroen

19566.4

Dorte

19516.5

Når enden er go'

19644.7

Styrmand Karlsen

19586.6

Mirror, Mirror

19788.5

Vi har det jo dejligt

19636.0

Smedestræde 4

19507.7

Det er så yndigt at følges ad

19548.5

Een pige og 39 sømænd

19656.3

Stepping Out

19818.3

Hjemme hos William

19717.0

Penge som græs

19488.3

Ved Kongelunden...

19536.7

Kispus

19566.2

En dag i radioen

195010.0

Historien om Olsen Banden

2015

Love Thy Neighbour

19674.6

The Loose Tile

19666.0

Berlingske Tidende 1749-1949

19496.5

Discretion Wanted

19468.3

The Viking Watch of the Danish Seaman

19486.0

Hatten er sat

19475.5

Vores fjerde far

19516.3

Hjerter er trumf

19766.7

Jeg er sgu min egen

19678.5

Den gamle mølle paa Mols

19538.0

Elvis Hansen, en samfundshjælper

19884.0

Tag til marked i Fjordby

19575.7

Fun in the Streets

19696.9

Give God a Chance on Sunday

19707.7

Der var engang en gade

19576.7

En ven i bolignøden

19656.9

Toppen og bolden

19698.0

The Greeneyed Elephant

19605.7

I de lyse nætter

19486.3

All this - and Iceland too

19518.0

The Poet and Lillemor and Lotte

19605.8

Farvel Thomas

1968

Days in My Father's House

19687.0

The Thralls' Children

19808.5

The Egborg Girl

19696.8

Dansk bladtegning: danske bladtegnere - En dokumentation

19846.0