Svend Asmussen was born on February 28, 1916 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was an actor and composer, known for Flame & Citron (2008), Kispus (1956) and Spöke på semester (1951). He was married to Ellen Bick Meier and Annegrete Thomassen. He died on February 7, 2017 in Dronningmølle, Denmark.
He was a swing violin player and showman who spent eight decades accompanying some of the world's leading jazz musicians, including Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton and Fats Waller. He also played flute and vibraphone.
He made an appearance at the 1967 Monterey Jazz Festival, which included a celebrated violin summit with him, Ray Nance and Jean-Luc Ponty.
He played publicly until 2010 when he had a blood clot, his career having spanned eight decades.
In the late 1950s, Asmussen formed the trio Swe-Danes with singer Alice Babs and guitarist Ulrik Neumann. The group became quite successful in Scandinavia for their music hall style entertainment and also toured the United States.