Ove Sprogøe
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.
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Filmography (186 Appearances)
The Olsen Gang: Forever!
Historien om Olsen Banden
The Olsen Gang's Last Trick
Barbara
Charlot og Charlotte
Charlot og Charlotte
Carmen & Babyface
Kærlighed ved første desperate blik
Crumb at a Gallop
Jasper's Ghost
Dr. Dip
War of the Birds
Station 13
Elvis Hansen, en samfundshjælper
Far på færde
Hip Hip Hurrah!
Sådan er det bare
Final Act
Murder in the Dark
Når engle elsker
Nissebanden
Anthonsen
Ikke lutter lagkage
In the Middle of the Night
Dansk bladtegning: danske bladtegnere - En dokumentation
Kurt & Valde
Limpan
Den ubetænksomme elsker
Henover midten
Your Money or Your Life
The Olsen Gang Long Gone
The Olsen Gang Jumps the Fence
Krigsdøtre
Stepping Out
Danmark er lukket
The Thralls' Children
Vores år
The Olsen Gang Never Surrenders
Jul i Gammelby
The Revolt of the Thralls
Johnny Larsen
Kick Me in the Traditions!
Children of the Warriors
Matador
The Olsen Gang Goes to War
Mirror, Mirror
You Are Not Alone
Bandefører Balling
The Olsen Gang Outta Sight
Watch Your Back, Professor!
The Moelleby affair
The Olsen Gang Sees Red
Hjerter er trumf
That Brief Summer
Superfos Glasuld – et isoleret tilfælde
Aladdin or the Wonderful Lamp
The Olsen Gang on the Track
The Goldcabbage Family
The Last Exploits of the Olsen Gang
Et dukkehjem
The Hour of Parting
I Adams verden
The Olsen Gang Runs Amok
Noget om nisser
Nu går den på Dagmar
The Olsen Gang's Big Score
Lenin, You Rascal, You
The Missing Clerk
The Olsen Gang in Jutland
Hjemme hos William
Revolutionen i vandkanten
Our Home Is Our Castle
Famous Five Get in Trouble
Revolution My A..
Tough Guys of the Prairie
Amour
The House at Christianshavn
Give God a Chance on Sunday
The Only Way
Tintin and the Temple of the Sun
Toppen og bolden
Five and the Spies
The Olsen Gang in a Fix
The Egborg Girl
Fun in the Streets
Along Came a Soldier
Kys til højre og venstre
The Veterinarian's Adopted Children
Days in My Father's House
Magic in Town
The Olsen Gang
Friends at Arms: On a Bear Run
What a Pity About Daddy
Det var en lørdag aften
Farvel Thomas
Nyhavns glade gutter
Martha
Love Thy Neighbour
Wife on vacation
Jeg er sgu min egen
Det er ikke appelsiner - det er heste
The Reluctant Sadist
The Loose Tile
The Girl and the Viscount
Der var engang
Søskende
Tre små piger
Flagermusen
Relax Freddy
Strike First Freddy
Een pige og 39 sømænd
Mor bag rattet
The Girl and the Playboy
It's Nifty in the Navy
Passer Babysitting Girls
En ven i bolignøden
Don Olsen kommer til byen
Summer in Tyrol
Når enden er go'
The Major's Guard
Dust for all the Money
Bussen
A Day Without Lies
Frøken Nitouche
April
Peters landlov
The Queen's Guardsman
Vi har det jo dejligt
The Girl and the Press Photographer
Drømmen om det hvide slot
Oskar
Still Dust on the Brain
Det stod i avisen
Sømænd og svigermødre
Crazy Paradise
Journey to the Seventh Planet
Lykkens musikanter
The Musketeers
Dust on the Brain
Sorte Shara
Poeten og Lillemor i forårshumør
Forelsket i København
Baronessen fra benzintanken
The Greeneyed Elephant
The Poet and Lillemor and Lotte
Charley's Aunt
Onkel Bill fra New York
The Poet and the Little Mother
Styrmand Karlsen
Tag til marked i Fjordby
Der var engang en gade
Be Dear to Me
Den kloge mand
Færgekroen
Kispus
Hvad vil De ha'?
Det var paa Rundetaarn
På tro og love
Det er så yndigt at følges ad
I kongens klæ'r
Father of Four
Ved Kongelunden...
Den gamle mølle paa Mols
Vi som går køkkenvejen
The Tove Andersen Criminal Case
Det store løb
Rekrut 67 Petersen
Dorte
Vores fjerde far
All this - and Iceland too
Naalen
Smedestræde 4
En dag i radioen
The Red Horses
Kampen mod uretten
Berlingske Tidende 1749-1949
Næste Gang er det dig
3 years after
Kristinus Bergman
The Viking Watch of the Danish Seaman
I de lyse nætter
Penge som græs
Hatten er sat
Lise kommer til byen
Discretion Wanted
Hans Store Aften