His characteristically prominent chin that had been feared to be an obstacle of his career did not prevent him from being one of the most versatile and widely used Danish actors.

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.

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 actor who combined great public sympathy with the ability to remain a private person with a modest lifestyle.

Shortly after his death in 2004, Nordisk Film (the company that made the Olsen Gang movies) established a scholarship for actors in his name.