Osvald Helmuth (14 July 1894 – 18 March 1966) was a Danish stage and film

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

and revue singer.

Life and career

HIs career began in Randers in 1913, and he later appeared in the Nørrebro Teater in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan a ...

.Danske Film
In 1929 he got his big break with the revue song '' Ølhunden glammer'' by Poul Henningsen. In 1936 he appeared in his first film, ''

Cirkusrevyen Cirkusrevyen is the biggest revue in Denmark located in Dyrehavsbakken north of Copenhagen. It was founded in 1935 by restaurateur Carl Pehrsson, actors Osvald Helmuth, Oscar Holst and the musician Herman Gellin The young Aage Stentoft w ...

'', a musical comedy in which he displayed his singing talents, directed by acclaimed directors Lau Lauritzen, Jr. and Alice O'Fredericks. This paved the way for a successful film career in the 1930s and 1940s, successively appearing in leading roles in musical comedies directed by these people such as '' Der var engang en vicevært'' (1937), ''

En fuldendt gentleman ''En fuldendt gentleman'' is a 1937 Danish family film directed by Lau Lauritzen Jr. and Alice O'Fredericks. Cast *Osvald Helmuth as Mortensen * Lau Lauritzen Jr. as Baron Henrik Falkenstjerne * Oda Pasborg as Bodil von Hauch * Karen Jønsson ...

'' (1937) but also thrillers such as ''

Blaavand melder storm ''Blaavand melder storm'' is a 1938 Danish thriller film directed by Lau Lauritzen Jr. and Alice O'Fredericks. Cast * Osvald Helmuth as Fiskeskipper Jens Olesen * Frits Helmuth as Jens Olesen som barn * Betty Söderberg as Anna Olesen * Ellen ...

'' (1938). After the family film '' Familien Olsen'' in 1940, Helmuth ended his duel partnership with Lauritzen Jr. and Fredericks and in 1941 played the leading role in Emanuel Gregers's '' En mand af betydning'' in which he starred alongside

Inger Stender Inger Stender (1912–1989) was a Danish actress of stage, film and television whose sophisticated elegance and classic beauty earned her the description of Denmark's version of Marlene Dietrich. Early life Inger Margueritha Stender was born 7 ...

and Sigrid Horne-Rasmussen . Helmuth did however reconcile with Fredericks in 1947 in the comedy ''

Stjerneskud ''Stjerneskud'' is a 1947 Danish comedy film directed by Jon Iversen and Alice O'Fredericks. The film marked the debut of Dirch Passer. Stjerneskud is the Danish word for Meteor. Cast *Osvald Helmuth * Einar Sissener * Betty Helsengreen ...

'', co-directed with Jon Iversen. In 1960 he performed as a narrator in the short

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

directed by Jørgen Roos, '' A City Called Copenhagen''. The film was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for Best Documentary Short. Of his more serious roles are in Jeppe in '' Jeppe på bjerget'', performed at the Det kongelige Teater in 1954, and Doolittle in '' My Fair Lady'' in 1960. On 21 March 1954 Osvald Helmuth appeared on Broadway in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

with

Victor Borge Børge Rosenbaum (3 January 1909 – 23 December 2000), known professionally as Victor Borge ( ), was a Danish-American comedian, conductor, and pianist who achieved great popularity in radio and television in the North America and Europe. His ...

. Together with

Poul Reumert Poul Reumert (26 March 1883 – 19 April 1968) was a Danish stage and film actor. An incredibly skilled theater actor who made a name for himself in major roles such as Elverhoj, Genboerne and Flegermusen. He debuted after theater school in ...

he also sang a selection of "Gluntarne" duets. Notable songs sung by Helmuth include '' Dit hjerte er i fare Andresen'', '' Herlig en sommernat'', '' 100 mand og en bajer'' and '' Bar' engang imellem''. He was award a Knight of the Dannebrog in 1953 and during his 50-year anniversary in 1963, he was elevated to Knight of the 1st Degree. In 1961 he starred as an authority figure in the film, ''

The Boy Who Loved Horses ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

''. Helmuth's last film appearance was shortly before his death in

Henning Carlsen Henning Carlsen (4 June 1927 – 30 May 2014) was a Danish film director, screenwriter, and producer most noted for his documentaries and his contributions to the style of cinéma vérité. Carlsen's 1966 social-realistic drama ''Hunger'' (''Su ...

's '' Hunger'', based upon the novel '' Hunger'' by Norwegian Nobel Prize-winning author

Knut Hamsun Knut Hamsun (4 August 1859 – 19 February 1952) was a Norwegian writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. Hamsun's work spans more than 70 years and shows variation with regard to consciousness, subject, perspective ...

.Monty, I
''Sult'' (''Hunger'')
International Dictionary of Film and Filmmakers, 2000 The film was nominated for the Palme D'Or and won the

Bodil Award for Best Danish Film The Bodil Award for Best Danish Film ( da, Bodilprisen for bedste danske film) is one of the categories for the Bodil Awards presented annually by the Danish Film Critics Association. It was created in 1948 and is one of the oldest film prizes in E ...

in 1967 and other awards for the cast after his death.

Death

He died on 18 March 1966 at the age of 71 following a nearly 60-year-long career. He was buried at

Ordrup Cemetery Ordrup Cemetery (Danish: Ordrup Kirkegård) is a cemetery in Ordrup in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the principal cemetery for the districts of Skovshoved, Ordrup, and Charlottenlund in the parishes of Ordrup and Skovshoved ...

. Osvald Helmuth was the father of actor Frits Helmuth.

Selected filmography

*'' Operabranden'' - 1912 *'' Det evige Had'' - 1915 *'' I Storm og Stille'' - 1915 *'' Hævnens Nat'' - 1916 *'' Hendes Mands Forlovede'' - 1919 *'' De Nygifte'' - 1920 *'' Silkesstrumpan'' - 1921 *'' Tyvepak'' - 1921 *'' Ungkarleliv'' - 1921 *'' Cirkusrevyen - Hen te' kommoden'' - 1936 *'' Der var engang en vicevært'' - 1937 *''

'' - 1937 *'' Cocktail'' - 1937 *'' Den mandlige husassistent'' - 1938 *''

'' - 1938 *'' Familien Olsen'' - 1940 *'' En mand af betydning'' - 1941 *'' Ebberød Bank'' - 1943 *'' Op med humøret'' - 1943 *''

'' - 1947 *'' Berlingske Tidende (film)'' - 1949 *''

Som sendt fra himlen ''Som sendt fra himlen'' ( en, As sent from Heaven) is a 1951 Danish comedy film directed by Johan Jacobsen. Cast * Mogens Wieth as Allan / Alfred Kragh *Birgitte Reimer as Laura Heiberg *Kjeld Petersen as Torsten Vinge *Erik Mørk as Herbert ...

'' - 1951 *'' Vores fjerde far'' - 1951 *'' Den kloge mand (1956)'' - 1956 *'' Pigen i søgelyset'' - 1959 *'' En by ved navn København'' - 1960 *'' Den hvide hingst'' - 1961 *''

Harry og kammertjeneren ''Harry and the Butler'' ( da, Harry og kammertjeneren) is a 1961 Danish film directed by Bent Christensen. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It was also entered into the 1962 Cannes Film Festival. Cast *O ...

'' - 1961 *'' Jensen længe leve'' - 1965 *'' Hunger'' - 1966

References

Literature

* John Lindskog, ''Faders vilje - Osvald, Søster og Frits Helmut - dramaet bag scenen'', Aschehoug, 2006. . * Sven Borre, ''Bogen om Osvald'', Stig Vendelkjærs Forlag, 1967. * Osvald Helmuth, ''Lev stærkt - dø gammel'', Stig Vendelkær, 1963. (Erindringer)

External links

*
Osvald Helmuth at Danskefilm.dk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Helmuth, Osvald Danish male stage actors Danish male film actors Danish male silent film actors 20th-century Danish male actors 20th-century Danish male singers Male actors from Copenhagen 1894 births 1966 deaths Place of death missing