Ada Kramm (née Egede-Nissen, 14 March 1899 – 17 December 1981) was a
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
stage and film actress whose career spanned more than six decades.
[Norsk biografisk leksikon]
(Norwegian). Retrieved 14 July 2011.
Early life and career
Born Ada Egede-Nissen in
Vardø
( fi, Vuoreija, fkv, Vuorea, se, Várggát) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county in the extreme northeastern part of Norway. Vardø is the easternmost town in Norway, more to the east than Saint Petersburg or Istanbul. The administra ...
,
Finnmark
Finnmark (; se, Finnmárku ; fkv, Finmarku; fi, Ruija ; russian: Финнмарк) was a county in the northern part of Norway, and it is scheduled to become a county again in 2024.
On 1 January 2020, Finnmark was merged with the neighbouri ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
, her parents were the Norwegian politician
Adam Egede-Nissen
Adam Hjalmar Egede-Nissen (29 June 1868 – 4 April 1953), was a Norwegian postmaster and politician, began his political career in the Liberal Party and was first elected to the Storting (parliament) in 1900. He later switched to the Labou ...
(1868–1952) and
Georga ("Goggi") Wilhelma Ellertsen (1871–1959). She had ten siblings;
[ six of her siblings, ]Aud Egede-Nissen
Aud Egede-Nissen (30 May 1893 – 15 November 1974) was a Norwegian actress, director and producer. She appeared in many early 20th-century German silent films.
Early life
Born in Bergen, Norway in 1893, Egede-Nissen was a daughter of Norwegi ...
(1893–1974), Gerd Grieg
Gerd Grieg ( Egede-Nissen, 21 April 1895 – 9 August 1988) was a Norwegian stage and film actress.
Biography
She was born in Bergen, Norway. Her parents were Georga Wilhelma Ellertsen (1871–1959) and politician Adam Egede-Nissen (1868–1953 ...
(1895–1988), Oscar Egede-Nissen
Oscar Egede-Nissen (March 7, 1903 – November 1, 1976) was a Norwegian actor. He appeared in dozens of films from his debut in 1936 onward, his last being ''An-Magritt'' in 1969.
Egede-Nissen was an unruly child, and he was sent to the alternat ...
(1903–1976), Stig Egede-Nissen
Stig Egede-Nissen (December 11, 1907 – October 4, 1988) was a Norwegian actor and naval officer.
Biography
Egede-Nissen was born in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway. He was the son of Communist Party of Norway leader Adam Egede-Nissen and Goggi ...
(1907–1988), Lill Egede-Nissen (1909–1962) and Gøril Havrevold
Gøril Havrevold, (née Egede-Nissen, 11 July 1914 – 17 March 1992) was a Norwegian stage and film actress.
Biography
She was born in Stavanger, Norway; the daughter of Adam Egede-Nissen (1868–1953) and Georga Wilhelma Ellertsen (1871� ...
(1914–1992), all became stage and film actors.Nils Johan Ringdal
Nils Johan Ringdal (6 March 1952 – 11 September 2008) was a Norwegian author and historian, known mostly for his works on Norwegian occupation history and Norwegian cultural history, and for his controversial book "''Nationaltheaterets Histo ...
: Nationaltheatrets historie, 1899–1999. 2000 When she was eleven years old, the family moved to Stavanger
Stavanger (, , US usually , ) is a city and municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the administrative center of Rogaland county. T ...
, where she began studying at the Stavanger Faste Scene (Stavanger Fixed Scene) theatre. She made her stage début in 1916 in Selma Lagerlöf
Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf (, , ; 20 November 1858 – 16 March 1940) was a Swedish author. She published her first novel, ''Gösta Berling's Saga'', at the age of 33. She was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, which she was ...
's ''Dunungen''.[
In 1917, Kramm accompanied her two older sisters Aud and Gerd to ]Berlin
Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...
, Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
where the three young women opened a small film production and distribution company called the Egede-Nissen Film CompanyAnton Rønneberg
Anton Johan Rønneberg (9 August 1902 – 7 May 1989) was a Norwegian writer, theatre critic, dramaturg and theatre director.
Rønneberg was a theatre critic for several Oslo newspapers: '' Norges Kommunistblad'' in 1924, '' Middagsavisen'' ...
: ''Teater hjemme og ute''. Artikler i utvalg, 1945 The trio used the studio to promote themselves in film roles directed by George Alexander from 1917 until 1920. Kramm appeared in a number of crime serials as the character Ada van Ehler beginning in 1917. In 1920 she married German violinist Hugo Kramm and began using her married name as a professional moniker and the young newly-weds returned to Norway.[ They later had a daughter together, actress Ilse Kramm (born 1934).
From 1921 until 1924 Kramm appeared at the ]Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...
and Den Nationale Scene. After her husband joined the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
The Oslo Philharmonic (Oslo-Filharmonien) is a Norwegian symphony orchestra based in Oslo, Norway. The orchestra traces its roots to the Philharmonic Society founded in 1847 and the Christiania Musical Association co-founded by Edvard Grieg in 187 ...
in 1924 they moved to Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) 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 ...
and she worked at Det Nye Teater
Det Nye Teater was a theatre that opened in Oslo in 1929, and ended as an independent theatre in 1959, when it merged with Folketeatret to form Oslo Nye Teater. The theatre's original purpose was to support contemporary Norwegian drama.
History ...
(The New Theatre) from 1925 until 1928, the Centralteatret
Centralteatret ( en, Central Theater) is a theatre on Akersgata in the city centre of Oslo, Norway.
Centralteatret was established by the husband and wife acting team of Johan Fahlstrøm and Alma Fahlstrøm in 1897. The theatre was especially ...
(Central Theatre) from 1928 to 1934 and later at the Nationaltheatret
The National Theatre in Oslo ( no, Nationaltheatret) is one of Norway's largest and most prominent venues for performance of dramatic arts.
History
The theatre had its first performance on 1 September 1899 but can trace its origins to Christiani ...
(National Theatre). She also returned to film, and appeared in roles in the 1928 Norwegian-German coproduction of ''Schneeschuhbanditen'' opposite her sister Aud Egede-Nissen and Austrian actor Paul Richter
Paul Richter (1 April 1895 – 30 December 1961) was an Austrian film actor. He owed his great popularity in German films of the silent era largely to the directors Joe May and Fritz Lang.
Biography
Richter made his film debut right before W ...
and 1930's ''Eskimo'' opposite Mona Mårtenson
Monica Ingeborg Elisabeth "Mona" Mårtenson (4 May 1902 – 8 July 1956) was a Swedish film actress. She appeared in 28 films between 1923 and 1949. She was born and died in Stockholm, Sweden.
Early career
Mona grew up in Helsingborg and ...
and again with Paul Richter.[
]
Later career and death
Kramm spent the next several decades on Norwegian stages in productions by Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential pla ...
, August Strindberg
Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty ...
, Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...
and Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are ''All My Sons'' (1947), ''Death of a Salesman'' (19 ...
. At age 72 she appeared in the role of Aunt Julie in ''Hedda Gabler
''Hedda Gabler'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage. The play has been ca ...
'' on a tour of Japan. After over six decades on stage, she went into semi-retirement and occasionally made appearances on Norwegian television. Her last role before her death was in the 1979 Anja Breien
Anja Breien (born 12 July 1940) is a Norwegian film director and screenwriter. One of the leading figures of the Norwegian film industry, and one of the first women to rise to prominence as a writer-director in Norway, Breien's body of work in f ...
-directed, Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...
nominated dramatic film '' Arven'' (''Heritage'') with Espen Skjønberg
Espen Henrik Skjønberg (7 April 1924 – 26 August 2022) was a Norwegian actor of stage, screen, and television.
Career
Skjønberg made his first movie appearances as a child in the 1932 film '' En glad gutt'' and in the 1937 Norwegian classic ...
, Anita Björk
Anita Björk (25 April 1923 – 24 October 2012) was a Swedish actress.
She was born in Tällberg, Dalarna and attended the Royal Dramatic Training Academy from 1942 to 1945. She was a leading lady of Swedish theatre for many years and w ...
and Jan Hårstad.[
She died on 17 December 1981 in Oslo at age eighty-two and was buried in the ]Vestre gravlund
Vestre Gravlund is a cemetery in the Frogner borough of Oslo, Norway. It is located next to the Borgen metro station. At , it is the largest cemetery in Norway. It was inaugurated in September 1902 and also contains a crematorium (''Vestre kre ...
cemetery.Ada Kram: Geni
Retrieved 14 July 2011.
Awards
*Teaterkritikerprisen (Norwegian Theatre Critics Award The Norwegian Theatre Critics Award (''Den norske Teaterkritikerprisen'' or ''Kritikerprisen'') is awarded by the Norwegian Critics' Association (''Norsk Kritikerlag'') and has been awarded every year since 1939 (except 1940–45). Norwegian Critics ...
), 1947–1948 for her role as Amanda Wingfield in ''The Glass Menagerie
''The Glass Menagerie'' is a memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. The play has strong autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on its author, his histrionic mother, ...
'' by Tennessee Williams
*King's Medal of Merit
The King's Medal of Merit (Norwegian: ''Kongens fortjenstmedalje'') is a Norwegian award. It was instituted in 1908 to reward meritorious achievements in the fields of art, science, business, and public service. It is divided in two classes: gold ...
in Gold
*Order of St. Olav
The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; 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 ...
, Knight, First Class, 1977
Filmography
References
External links
*
*
Ada Egede-Nissen
at Women Film Pioneers Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kramm, Ada
1899 births
1981 deaths
People from Vardø
Norwegian stage actresses
Norwegian film actresses
Norwegian silent film actresses
20th-century Norwegian actresses
Recipients of the King's Medal of Merit in gold
Burials at Vestre gravlund
Women film pioneers