Thomas Overskou

Thomas Overskou (11 October 1798 in Copenhagen – 7 November 1873 in Copenhagen) was a Danish actor, playwright and theater historian and a titular professor in 1852. His plays are preserved in the Dramatic Collection of the Royal Danish Library.^[1]

Unlike his slightly younger contemporary Hans Christian Andersen, Thomas Overskou was born in what was then the societal bottom, and he had to fight a hard battle to come forth in the Danish artistic scene. He was commissioned by the theatre once he had a keen understanding of the requirements for dramatic production. He was not only successful in achieving the position of stage actor in minor roles, and later theater director, but a number of his original stage plays was performed at the Royal Danish Theatre. Capriciosa, as well as East Street and Western Street were some of his well-known solid successes in the Casino Theater in Copenhagen.^[2]

Overskou's permanent profit happened as theater historian. His first five-act comedy The Danish stage in its history (1854–64) is a fundamental tool. Also his autobiography entitled Of my life and my time (1868), re-released with notes by Robert Neiiendam (1915–16), is worth reading.^[1] Here he tells, among other things, about Copenhagen bombardment of 1807 which he witnessed at first hand, in addition to the story of how he made a career in the theater. He died in Copenhagen. After his death, a road in the Åløkke Quarter, in central Odense, has been named after him.

• "Preussens og det tydske forbunds faerd imod Danmark" (attributed to Thomas Overskou; published in 1848 by H.J. Binh, printed by the Royal printer B. Luno in Copenhagen)
• "Preussen und der deutsche Bund gegen Dänemark" (attributed to Thomas Overskou; published in 1848 by C.G. Lorck in Leipzig)
• "Den Ondes Besegrare: Folk-Komedi Med Sang I Fem Akter" (published in 1906 by Kessinger Publishing Company)

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