Inspiration for Tintin dies at 98

Monday, 6 December 2010

Palle Huld, who was reportedly the inspiration for comic character Tintin, has died at 98

Danish actor Palle Huld, who reportedly inspired a Belgian cartoonist to create the comic book reporter Tintin, has died at the age of 98.

Huld died on November 26 in a retirement home in Copenhagen. The cause of death was not given.

Huld was a stage actor with Denmark's Royal Theatre, and he appeared in 40 Danish films between 1933 and 2000.

However, his fame came before his acting career began.

In 1928, he won a competition organised by a Danish newspaper that wanted to send a teenager would-be-reporter around the globe.

For 44 days, the 15-year-old travelled to North America, Japan, Siberia and Germany, and was greeted by 20,000 people upon his return to Copenhagen.

Herge, the pen name of Belgian author Georges Remi, heard of Huld's journey which reportedly inspired him to create Tintin, the globe-trotting reporter