Axel Gabriel Erik Mørch better known as Gabriel Axel (18 April 1918 – 9 February 2014) Ronald Berganbr>Obituary: Gabriel Axel
''The Guardian'', 10 February 2014 was a Danish film director, actor, writer and producer, best known for ''

Babette's Feast ''Babette's Feast'' () is a 1987 Danish drama film directed by Gabriel Axel. The screenplay, written by Axel, was based on the 1958 story by Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen). It was produced by Just Betzer, Bo Christensen and Benni Korzen, with f ...

'' (1987), which he wrote and directed.

Biography

Born in

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality, Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and app ...

, Denmark, on 18 April 1918, Axel spent most of his childhood in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in a wealthy Danish manufacturer's family. In 1935, at age 17 following the family's economic collapse, he moved to Denmark and trained as a cabinet maker. In 1942, Axel was admitted to the acting school at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen. After graduating in 1945, he returned to France, where he spent five years on stage in Paris, including at the Théâtre de l'Athénée under theatre director Louis Jouvet. During the winter of 1948–1949 he produced

Ludvig Holberg Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg (3 December 1684 – 28 January 1754) was a writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright born in Bergen, Norway, during the time of the Denmark–Norway, Dano–Norwegian dual monarchy. He was infl ...

's ''Diderich Menschenskraek'' (''Diderich the Terrible'') at Théâtre de Paris. Axel returned to Denmark in 1950, and broke through as a stage director in the early 1950s. His productions included ''La tête des autres'' (''Other People's Heads'') by

Marcel Aymé Marcel Aymé (; 29 March 1902 – 14 October 1967) was a French novelist and playwright, who also wrote screenplays and works for children. Biography Marcel André Aymé was born in Joigny, in the Burgundy region of France, the youngest ...

, '' Le Cid'' by

Pierre Corneille Pierre Corneille (; ; 6 June 1606 – 1 October 1684) was a French tragedian. He is generally considered one of the three great 17th-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine. As a young man, he earned the valuable patronage ...

, and '' Pour Lucrèce'' by

Jean Giraudoux Hippolyte Jean Giraudoux (; ; 29 October 1882 – 31 January 1944) was a French novelist, essayist, diplomat and playwright. He is considered among the most important French dramatists of the period between World War I and World War II. His wo ...

. Axel started directing for television in 1951, and, from 1951 to 1968, did some 48 television dramas. From 1955, Axel was a director at Nordisk Film. His debut feature, the social-realist drama '' Nothing But Trouble'' (1955), was highly praised, and the breakthrough came with the TV film '' A Woman Not Wanted'' in 1957. He went on to direct a string of lighter comedies and farces before making the epic Nordic saga '' The Red Mantle'' in 1967, which was selected for

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

competition and won a Technical Prize (''Mention spéciale du grand prix technique'') at the 1967 Cannes Film Festival. His other films include the popular comedy '' The Goldcabbage Family'' (1975) and its sequel, and a series of sexually oriented features including the campaigning '' Det kære legetøj'' (1968) which advocated the legalisation of pornography in Denmark. With some 16 feature films to his credits Axel returned to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in 1977, where he directed several large projects for French television, culminating in 1985 with a historical five-episode series, ' (''Heaven's Pillars''). In 1987, Axel returned to Denmark to direct what had been his dream project for over 15 years, and is considered his masterpiece, an adaptation of

Karen Blixen Baroness Karen Christentze von Blixen-Finecke (born Dinesen; 17 April 1885 – 7 September 1962) was a Danish author who wrote in Danish and English. She is also known under her pen names Isak Dinesen, used in English-speaking countries; Ta ...

's ''

''. After screening at the Cannes Film Festival, the film won the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

at the

60th Academy Awards The 60th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on April 11, 1988, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PDT. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented ...

among others. His next films, the youth drama ''

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

'' (1989), the historical drama '' Prince of Jutland'' (1994), after the legend of Prince Amleth, and starring Helen Mirren, Gabriel Byrne, and Christian Bale, and '' Leïla'' (2001), a love story set in Morocco, failed to achieve the same international resonance. Alongside his directing career, Axel acted in a dozen Danish films, mostly in colourful supporting roles in popular comedies in the 1950s and 60s. He played the lead as the elegant charlatan Marcel de Sade in '' The Reluctant Sadist'' (1967). Axel in 1995, was made a Knight of the French National Order of Merit, in 2000 Commander of the

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

, and in 2003 was made Officer of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. In 2003, Axel received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Copenhagen International Film Festival. In 2012 he received the Rungstedlund Award. Axel died in his sleep on 9 February 2014 at the age of 95.

Selected filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Axel, Gabriel 1918 births 2014 deaths 20th-century Danish male actors Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Danish film directors Danish male screenwriters Directors of Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award winners Filmmakers who won the Best Foreign Language Film BAFTA Award Male actors from Aarhus Recipients of the Legion of Honour Writers from Aarhus