Dirch Hartvig Passer was born on May 18, 1926, in Østerbro, Copenhagen, to Ragnhild Fich and Capt. Vilhelm Passer, a seaman. Despite his parents' aspirations for him to follow in his father's footsteps, Passer struggled in school, often serving as the class clown, which negatively impacted his grades. Mathematics, in particular, proved to be a persistent challenge for him throughout his life.
After leaving school, Passer desired to pursue an acting career, but his father insisted that he attend maritime school instead. In 1944, he enrolled in this program, only to discover that life at sea was not well-suited for him, as he suffered from persistent seasickness.
Following his failure as a seaman, Passer held various small jobs before making his stage debut in 1946 with "Six Comrades" in "Riddersalen." Later that year, he was accepted into theatre school: De Frederiksbergske Teatres elevskole. Upon completing his education in 1948, he secured numerous small roles in various plays throughout Denmark's theatres.
Passer made his film debut in 1947 as an extra in the Danish movie "Lykke paa rejsen" (1947) and collaborated with Ove Sprogøe in the 1950s on numerous films. His breakthrough came in 1953 with the film "Ved Kongelunden..." (1953),which showcased his comedic talents to the entire nation. He went on to star in many well-received Danish films, including "The Baroness from the Gas Station" (1960),"Mig og min lillebror" (1967),"Sommer i Tyrol" (1964),the Mafia-movies, and "Charles tante" (1959).
From 1967 to 1974, Passer worked at the renowned "Cirkusrevyen på Bakken," where he was responsible for their greatest success. Many of the sketches he created during this period have become iconic and are still widely recognized today. He continued to work on films until his final project in 1978, "Fængslende feriedage" (1978).
In 1978, Passer began acting in the "Tivolirevy," a role he maintained until his death on stage due to a heart attack on September 3, 1980. Despite his success, Passer always longed to play more serious roles in films and plays, but this opportunity never presented itself. Dirch Passer remains, without a doubt, the greatest Danish comedian of all time.
