Paal Roschberg

Paal Roschberg
Born	Paal Roscher Roschberg (1909-02-27)27 February 1909 Kristiania, Norway
Died	21 March 1955(1955-03-21) (aged 46) New York, U.S.
Other names	Paul Roschberg
Occupations	Actor Dancer Writer
Years active	1927–1955
Spouse	Lilian Turner ​ ​ (m. 1941; div. 1945)​
Relatives	Leif Roschberg (brother)

Paal Roscher Roschberg (February 27, 1909 – March 21, 1955), also known by the stage name Paal Rocky, was a Norwegian dancer, film actor, and writer.^[1] He rose to international superstardom during the Jazz Age as one half of the Rocky Twins.^[1] Celebrated for his androgynous beauty and synchronized choreography, he became a symbol of the era's boundary-pushing glamour in Paris, London, and Pre-Code Hollywood.^[2][3]

Early life and artistic roots

Paal was born in Oslo (then Kristiania), Norway, into a socially prominent family.^[1] His father, Adolf Roscher Roschberg, was a colonel in the Norwegian army, which contrasted sharply with the twins' flamboyant future.^[1] Paal and his identical twin, Leif, were inseparable from childhood, co-authoring a book of fairy tales at age 11.^[1] They received a rigorous artistic education, studying ballet and jazz dance under the legendary Per Aabel and Love Krohn.^[1] To polish their act for the international stage, they traveled to London and Paris, where they developed the sophisticated, "continental" style that would soon make them famous.^[1]

Career

The Outrageous Rocky Twins (1927–1937)

At just 18 years old, Paal and Leif were "discovered" and booked at the Casino de Paris for the 1927 revue Les Ailes de Paris.^[4] Their most controversial and popular routine involved dressing in elaborate drag to parody the Dolly Sisters.^[5] Their impersonation was so convincing and "disturbingly beautiful" that they became the talk of the Parisian nightlife.^[6]

They became the Jazz Age Icons.^[7] They were nicknamed "The Black Orchids of the North".^[8] Throughout the late 1920s and early 1930s, they headlined at the Folies Bergère, the Lido, and toured Vienna, Berlin, and Scandinavia.^[9] In 1932, 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] During this time, they were staples of the Hollywood social circuit, frequently staying at Hearst Castle and socializing with Charlie Chaplin, Tallulah Bankhead, and William Haines.^[12]

Solo Career and German Cinema (1938–1940)

By 1937, the twins decided to pursue separate paths.^[13] Paal moved to Berlin, where his "Nordic" looks and dance training allowed him to transition into the German film industry.^[14]

In 1938, he starred in the major musical revue film The Stars Shine.^[15] Billed as Paul Roschberg, he performed as a lead dancer ("Der Tänzer") alongside the exotic star La Jana.^[16] He briefly returned to the U.S. in 1940, attempting to secure work at RKO Pictures, but as the political climate shifted and the Jazz Age aesthetic faded, the demand for his specific style of performance declined.^[17]

Military Service

With the outbreak of World War II, Paal abandoned his stage career to serve his country and the Allied cause.^[17] His service was notable for its length and variety He joined Royal Norwegian Air Force and he served for three years, initially training in Canada at "Little Norway".^[17] In 1944, he transferred to the American forces, serving for an additional year.^[17]

He served with the occupational troops in Frankfurt, Germany, for six months following the war's end.^[17] For his multi-year commitment, he was awarded several service medals by both the Norwegian and U.S. governments.^[17]

Writer

In his later years, he became a writer in Oslo, penning a screenplay titled The Twins and various articles about his life in the spotlight.^[17]

Personal life

Paal's personal life was a reflection of the "Bright Young Things" culture—fast-paced, glamorous, and defiant of 1930s social norms.^[18] Paal lived an "outrageous" and open life that defied the strict social codes of the 1930s.^[18] Paal was a central figure in the clandestine gay social circles of Paris and Hollywood.^[18] He was rumored to have had high-profile affairs with both men and women, including a widely discussed relationship with the wealthy Chilean socialite Arturo López Willshaw.^[18]

In 1941, Paal married Lilian Turner in San Francisco.^[19] The marriage was short-lived and ended in divorce shortly after the war, a pattern mirrored by his brother Leif's two failed marriages.^[19] In his final years, Paal turned to writing.^[17] He worked as a screenwriter in Oslo and completed a memoir titled The Twins, focusing on his early life before the fame.^[17] Paal was fluent in many languages such as Norwegian, English, French, and German.^[19]

Death and mystery

Paal Roschberg died on March 21, 1955, in New York City at the age of 46.^[20] The circumstances of his death have long been a subject of speculation. While officially listed as a natural and accidental death, family accounts suggest a darker ending.^[20] According to his niece, Paal had recently become engaged to a woman and went to visit a former male lover in New York to "say goodbye" and break off the relationship.^[20] He was found dead shortly thereafter, leading to persistent, though unproven, claims that he was murdered in a crime of passion.^[20]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1929	L'Argent (The Money)	Paul	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
1938	The Stars Shine	Dancer	German film[21]

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

Today, Paal Roschberg is remembered as a pioneer of queer performance.^[20] He and his brother Leif are celebrated as early gay icons who used androgyny and drag to challenge gender roles decades before the modern Pride movement.^[20] His life is the subject of Gary Chapman's biography, The Rocky Twins: Norway's Outrageous Jazz Age Beauties, which chronicles their impact on 20th-century entertainment and queer history.^[22]

Bibliography

• Chapman, Gary (2018). The Rocky Twins: Norway's Outrageous Jazz Age Beauties. Edditt Publishing. ISBN 1909230286.

References

1. "The Rocky Roschbergs: Militærsønnene fra Frogner som ble internasjonale dragstjerner". The Norwegian Newspaper. November 29, 2025.
2. Twinkind: The Singular Significance of Twins. Princeton University Press. 2024. p. 174.
3. Drag Queens: From the Bandiera Sisters to Drag Race. Graphofeel. 2022. p. 54.
4. Dancing Times. UC Southern Regional Library Facility. 1933. p. 39.
5. Lorenz Hart: A Poet on Broadway. Oxford University Press. 1995. p. 192.
6. Remembering Josephine Baker. Bobbs-Merrill. 1976. p. 58.
7. The Encyclopedia of Popular Music: Brown, Marion - Dilated Peoples. University of Michigan. 2006. p. 837.
8. The Rocky Twins: Norway's Outrageous Jazz Age Beauties. Edditt Publishing. 2018. p. 92.
9. Billboard Music Week - Volume 41. Billboard Publications. 1929. p. 37.
10. 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.
11. Musical Groups in the Movies, 1929-1970. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. 2009. p. 155.
12. Kay Thompson: From Funny Face to Eloise. Simon & Schuster. 2011. p. 33.
13. The New York Times Film Reviews - Volume 5. University of Michigan. 1970. p. 3475.
14. Variety Film Reviews - Volume 6. University of Michigan. 1938. p. 22.
15. Deutsche Tonfilme: Gesamtregister. Klaus-Archiv. 1988. p. 345.
16. Die Tobis 1928-1945: eine kommentierte Filmografie. University of Michigan. 2003. p. 159.
17. The Rocky Twins: Norway's Outrageous Jazz Age Beauties. Edditt Publishing. 2018. p. 113.
18. The Rocky Twins: Norway's Outrageous Jazz Age Beauties. Edditt Publishing. 2018. p. 151.
19. The Rocky Twins: Norway's Outrageous Jazz Age Beauties. Edditt Publishing. 2018. p. 222.
20. The Rocky Twins: Norway's Outrageous Jazz Age Beauties. Edditt Publishing. 2018. p. 201.
21. Deutsche Tonfilme: Jahrgang 1938. Klaus-Archiv. 1988. p. 50.
22. The Rocky Twins: Norway's Outrageous Jazz Age Beauties. Edditt Publishing. 2018. p. 1.

External links

• Paal Roschberg at IMDb