Per Pavels Aabel (25 April 1902 – 22 December 1999) was a Norwegian actor, artist, dancer, choreographer and instructor.''Per Aabel er død''
(Dagbladet. December 23, 1999)

Biography

Per Aabel was the son of Hauk Aabel, a popular Norwegian comedian and actor in Norwegian and Swedish silent film, and the actress

Svanhild Johannessen Svanhild Johannessen (August 21, 1882 – January 15, 1971) was a Norwegians, Norwegian actress. Svanhild Johannessen was born in Bergen. She was the daughter of the actor Berent Johannessen and the actress Laura Elvig, and the sister of the act ...

. He was the brother of the actor and translator Andreas Aabel. He studied at

Sergei Diaghilev Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev ( ; rus, Серге́й Па́влович Дя́гилев, , sʲɪrˈɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪdʑ ˈdʲæɡʲɪlʲɪf; 19 August 1929), also known as Serge Diaghilev, was a Russian art critic, patron, ballet impresario an ...

Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Russian Revolution, Revolution ...

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, after studying at the ballet teacher Enrico Cecchetti. He also attended the Academy of Fine Arts 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 ...

. He then embarked on training with the theatre director

Max Reinhardt Max Reinhardt (; born Maximilian Goldmann; 9 September 1873 – 30 October 1943) was an Austrian-born Theatre director, theatre and film director, theater manager, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his radically innovative and avant-gard ...

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

before making his stage debut in 1931. Aabel spent a number of years as a principal actor and teacher with major theatre companies in

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

during the 1930s, and was the director of the Carl Johan Theater () between 1933 and 1938. He did not appear in film until the late 1930s. He is more renowned though for his work with the Norwegian theatre. He was employed at the Central Theatre from 1938 to 1940 and the National Theatre from 1940 to 1972. In the public mind, he is probably best remembered as an esteemed raconteur. After his retirement, Per Aabel was a frequent entertainer on television as a storyteller. He appeared frequently at national events and artist anniversaries. His statue, by Norwegian sculptor Nina Emilie Sundbye, was unveiled outside the stage entrance of the National Theatre in 1999. He is buried at Oslo Western Civil Cemetery.

Awards

Aabel was given the Karl Gerhard honorary award in 1970, Årets Peer Gynt in 1972, the St. Hallvard Medal in 1976, and the Amanda Honorary Award in 1988 and 1998. He was decorated as a Commander with Star of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

in 1978. In 1988 Aabel was decorated the Grand Cross of St. Olav (Storkors) - awarded to heads of state as a courtesy and in rare cases to individuals for merit. The Per Aabel Honorary Award (''Per Aabels ærespris'') is awarded annually on Aabel's birthday, April 25. The award was established in 1979 and the first award granted to a talented, Norwegian actor or actress in 1980. The prize includes a statuette of Per Aabel designed by Nina Sundbye. The committee that selects the prize winner is made up of

Wenche Foss Eva Wenche Steenfeldt Stang (5 December 1917 – 28 March 2011), better known as Wenche Foss (), was a leading Norwegian actress of stage, screen and television. Personal life Wenche Foss was born to engineer Christian August Steenfeldt-Foss ( ...

Bjarte Hjelmeland Bjarte Hjelmeland (born 24 February 1970) is a Norwegian actor and theatre director. He was born in Bergen. He made his stage debut in 1991 at Oslo Nye Teater, and also had notable roles at the National Theatre, Rogaland Teater, Torshovteatret ...

and theater director

Eirik Stubø Eirik Aasan Stubø (born 16 June 1965 in Narvik, Norway) is a Norwegian stage producer and theatre director. He has been director of Rogaland Teater and Nationaltheatret in Norway, and Stockholms Stadsteater and the Royal Dramatic Theatre in ...

.''Aabel-prisen''
(Dagbladet Nyheter. May 17, 2001)

Selected works

* '' Variety Is the Spice of Life'' (1939) * '' En herre med bart'' (1944) * '' Et spøkelse forelsker seg'' (1946) * ''Du verden'' (1950) * '' Brudebuketten'' (1953) * ''Den stundesløse Per Aabel'' (1980)

References

Other sources

* Lillo-Stenberg, Ole (ed.) ''Alene på scenen: Per Aabel og tekstene hans'' (2001) (Andresen & Butenschøn) * Hansen, Jan Erik (1993.) ''Kjære Per Aabel'' (Cappelen)

External links

*
Portrait of Per Aabel 1934

Family genealogy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aabel, Per 1902 births 1999 deaths Norwegian male stage actors Norwegian male film actors Norwegian male comedians Spellemannprisen winners Storytellers Norwegian male dancers Norwegian dancers Norwegian choreographers 20th-century Norwegian male actors 20th-century Norwegian comedians