Leif Roschberg
Leif Roschberg | |
|---|---|
| Born | Leif Roscher Roschberg 27 February 1909 |
| Died | 10 May 1967 (aged 58) |
| Other names | Leif Rosenberg |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1927–1967 |
| Spouse(s) |
Maria Vogt
(m. 1939; div. 1941)Jenny Voigt
(m. 1944; div. 1950) |
| Relatives | Paal Roschberg (brother) |
Leif Roscher Roschberg (5 January 1909 – 10 May 1967), known professionally as one half of the Rocky Twins, was a Norwegian dancer, actor, and painter.[1] He rose to international superstardom during the Jazz Age as a symbol of androgynous glamour and high-fashion drag.[2] Alongside his identical twin brother, Paal, he headlined major revues in Paris, London, and Pre-Code Hollywood.[3][4]
Early life and education
Leif was born in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway, into a socially prominent family. His father, Adolf Roscher Roschberg, was a colonel in the Norwegian army.[1] Despite the strict military background of his household, Leif and his twin brother, Paal, were encouraged in the arts, co-authoring a book of fairy tales at age 11.[1]
The twins received a rigorous artistic education, studying ballet and jazz dance under the legendary Per Aabel and Love Krohn.[1] To polish their act, they traveled to London and Paris, developing a sophisticated "continental" style that blended athletic dance with high-fashion aesthetics.[1]
Career
The Rocky Twins (1927–1937)
At age 18, the brothers were discovered and booked for the 1927 revue Les Ailes de Paris at the Casino de Paris.[5] Their most popular routine involved dressing in elaborate, identical drag to parody the Dolly Sisters.[6] Their impersonation was noted for being "disturbingly beautiful" rather than comedic, making them pioneers of refined androgyny.[7]
During the late 1920s and early 1930s, they became icons of the "Pansy Craze," headlining at the Folies Bergère and the Lido.[8] Their striking looks earned them the nickname "The Black Orchids of the North".[9]
Hollywood and film
In 1932, the twins moved to Hollywood, where director Edmund Goulding cast them in the MGM film Blondie of the Follies.[10] Their pirate-themed dance sequence with Marion Davies remains their most famous filmed performance.[11] While in Los Angeles, they became staples of the social circuit, frequently staying at Hearst Castle and socializing with Charlie Chaplin, William Haines, and Tallulah Bankhead.[12]
Painting and later career
After the duo split in 1937, Leif turned toward the fine arts.[13] Following World War II, he settled in New York City, where he reinvented himself as a painter.[14] He held two successful solo exhibitions in New York in 1952, with his work reflecting the same elegance that characterized his stage career.[14]
Personal life
Leif lived a defiant life that challenged the social norms of the 1930s.[14] He was a central figure in the clandestine gay social circles of Paris and Hollywood and was rumored to have had high-profile affairs with both men and women.[14]
He was married twice first to Maria Vogt in Vienna in 1939 and later to Jenny Voigt in Canada in 1944.[14] Both marriages ended in divorce.[14] After years abroad in Sicily, Cuba, and the United States, he eventually returned to Oslo, where he worked as a tour guide in his later years.[14]
Death
Leif died on 10 May 1967, in Oslo at the age of 58 and he is buried alongside his brother Paal in Oslo.[15]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | L'Argent (The Money) | Leif | Directed by Marcel L'Herbier. A high-budget French silent film that helped establish them as major stars. |
| 1930 | La Grenouille (The Frog) | Twins | A 20-minute French sound documentary/short; reportedly featured a satirical sequence about their "famous legs". |
| 1932 | Blondie of the Follies | The Rocky Twins | [16] |
Stage and Cabaret
| Year | Title | Venue(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | Les Ailes de Paris (Casino de Paris) | Paris, France | Professional debut; first performance of the Dolly Sisters drag parody. |
| 1928 | La Volupté de Paris (Concert Mayol) | Paris, France | Starred alongside Gina Palerme. Their Dolly Sisters impersonation became a "legendary" fixture here. |
| 1928–29 | Sie Werden Lachen (Stadt Theatre) | Vienna, Austria | Appeared in the Emil Schwarz revue. |
| 1929 | Kit Kat Club | London, UK | Part of a London tour escorted by Mistinguett. |
| 1929 | Royal Orfeum | Budapest, HU | Shared a bill with Josephine Baker. |
| 1929 | Andre Charlot's Cabaret Revue | London, UK | Performed at the Grosvenor House Hotel; featured the hit number "Guess Which is Which". |
| 1930 | Paris Miss (Casino de Paris) | Paris, France | Partners to Mistinguett; featured a "hide and seek" act involving quick-change gender transformations. |
| 1930 | Les Champs Elysées | Paris, France | Starred in a standalone cabaret show. |
| 1931 | European Tour | Various | Toured with Mistinguett across Europe. |
| 1931 | Scandinavian Tour | Stockholm, Sweden | Performed with Mona Lee; tour cut short after one twin was injured on stage. |
| 1933–34 | Ziegfeld Follies | New York, USA | Initially booked but were barred from performing due to Actors Equity rules. |
| 1934–36 | Various Cabaret Venues | New York, USA | Performed at numerous New York nightspots during the Pansy Craze. |
Legacy
Leif Roschberg is remembered as a pioneer of queer performance.[17] During the height of their fame, Leif and Paal were frequently cited by contemporary fashion journals and socialites as being among the "best-dressed men in the world".[17] Alongside his brother Paal, he is celebrated as an early gay icon who utilized androgyny and high-fashion drag to challenge traditional gender roles decades before the emergence of the modern Pride movement.[17] Their ability to move seamlessly between masculine and feminine presentations.[17]
Leif and his brother Paal also knwon as The Rocky Twins legacy was largely revived for a modern audience with the 2018 publication of the biography The Rocky Twins: Norway's Outrageous Jazz Age Beauties by Gary Chapman.[17] Today, Leif is recognized not merely as an entertainer, but as a symbol of Jazz Age defiance, artistic reinvention, and a precursor to the modern aesthetic of gender-bending in fashion and film.[17]
Bibliography
- Chapman, Gary (2018). The Rocky Twins: Norway's Outrageous Jazz Age Beauties. Edditt Publishing. ISBN 1909230286.
References
- ^ a b c d e "The Rocky Roschbergs: Militærsønnene fra Frogner som ble internasjonale dragstjerner". The Norwegian Newspaper. November 29, 2025.
- ^ Drag Queens: From the Bandiera Sisters to Drag Race. Graphofeel. 2022. p. 54.
- ^ Twinkind: The Singular Significance of Twins. Princeton University Press. 2014. p. 174.
- ^ Forbidden Hollywood: The Pre-Code Era (1930-1934): When Sin Ruled the Movies. Running Press. 2019. p. 273.
- ^ Dancing Times. UC Southern Regional Library Facility. 1933. p. 39.
- ^ Lorenz Hart: A Poet on Broadway. Oxford University Press. 1995. p. 192.
- ^ Remembering Josephine Baker. Bobbs-Merrill. 1976. p. 58.
- ^ Billboard Music Week - Volume 41. Billboard Publications. 1929. p. 37.
- ^ The Rocky Twins: Norway's Outrageous Jazz Age Beauties. Edditt Publishing. 2018. p. 92.
- ^ The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films, 1931-1940, Vloume 1-3. University of California Press. 1993. p. 604.
- ^ Musical Groups in the Movies, 1929-1970. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. 2009. p. 155.
- ^ Kay Thompson: From Funny Face to Eloise. Simon & Schuster. 2011. p. 33.
- ^ The New York Times Film Reviews - Volume 5. University of Michigan. 1970. p. 3475.
- ^ a b c d e f g The Rocky Twins: Norway's Outrageous Jazz Age Beauties. Edditt Publishing. 2018. p. 189.
- ^ The Rocky Twins: Norway's Outrageous Jazz Age Beauties. Edditt Publishing. 2018. p. 222.
- ^ Charles Walters: The Director Who Made Hollywood Dance. University Press of Kentucky. 2014. p. 1779.
- ^ a b c d e f The Rocky Twins: Norway's Outrageous Jazz Age Beauties. Edditt Publishing. 2018. p. 17.