Arne Arnardo (19 October 1912 – 4 May 1995), born Arne Otto Lorang Andersen, was a Norwegian

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...

performer and -owner, generally referred to as the "circus king" of Norway. He escaped with the circus at an early age, took the stage name "Arnardo", and developed proficiency in several different acts. In 1949, he opened his own circus, under the name of Cirkus Arnardo. He became very popular and traveled all around the world finding new ways enhance his magician skills and get the audience attention.

Biography

Arnardo was born in

Sarpsborg Sarpsborg ( or ), historically Borg, is a List of cities in Norway, city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Østfold Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sarpsborg. Sarpsbor ...

, the son of lumberjack Einar Andersen and his wife Elna. He was interested in the entertainment industry from an early age, and escaped with Cirkus Empress as a teenager. Here he worked as a

contortion Contortion (sometimes contortionism) is a performance art in which performers called contortionists showcase their skills of extreme physical flexibility. Contortion acts often accompany acrobatics, Circus (performing art), circus acts, street ...

ist,

illusionist Magic, which encompasses the subgenres of close-up magic, parlor magic, and stage magic, among others, is a performing art in which audiences are entertained by tricks, effects, or illusions of seemingly impossible feats, using natural me ...

and

acrobat Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acro d ...

. In 1927, he took the stage name "Arnardo", under which he was invariably known since. He also performed as an

equilibrist Tightrope walking, also called funambulism, is the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. It has a long tradition in various countries and is commonly associated with the circus. Other skills similar to tightrope walking include slack rope ...

trapeze A trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes, metal straps, or chains, from a ceiling support. It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances. Trapeze acts may be static, spinning (rigged from a single point), swinging or ...

artist,

hypnotist Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychological ...

and

ventriloquist Ventriloquism or ventriloquy is an act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) speaks in such a way that it seems like their voice is coming from a different location, usually through a puppet known as a "dummy". The act of ventrilo ...

. In 1939 he became director of Cirkus Berny, before he was finally able to open his own circus in 1949 – under the name Cirkus Arnardo. In 1962, Arne Arnardo had already published his memoirs, ''Sirkusliv'' ("Circus Life"), written with Bjørn Bjørnsen. Arnardo was a circus man through and through, and he continued to travel with his circus even after his health had begun to falter in the late eighties. Arnardo worked hard and provided for his family while working different positions decides just performing and being the star of the show.Although Arnardo later ended up in a wheel chair because of his health conditions, he still thrived and continued to perform as nothing would stop him from following his grandfather’s footsteps into becoming a magician. After the death of his first wife, Gerd, in 1970, he married Eva Sørensen, née Steen
Circus Life
a keen sense for

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...

, Arnardo built the brand of his circus to become the best-known in Norway. He died in his caravan during a show in

Tøyen Tøyen is a residential area in the central parts of Oslo, Norway, part of the borough of Gamle Oslo. Location There are two different stations which carry the name Tøyen. Tøyen Railway Station is located on the Gjøvik Line, while Tøyen (st ...

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 ...

, in 1995. Increasingly then, his son Arnild (a wirewalker) took care of the management of Cirkus Arnardo, with his daughter Helen (a talented equestrienne) and her son, Are—who followed in his grandfather’s footsteps and became a magician.

Works and honours

Arnardo played in the movie '' Cirkus Fandango'' in 1954, and authored the autobiography ''Sirkusliv'' (''Circus Life'') in 1962. In 1973 he received the

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, and he was made Knight, First Class, of the

Royal Norwegian 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 ...

1988. He was married twice; to Gerd Gløgaard and Eva Sørensen, née Steene. After Arne Arnardo's death, his son

Arild Arild () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality situated in Höganäs Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 522 inhabitants in 2010. It is located in the bay of Skälderviken in north-western Scania, approximately 30 km north of Helsingborg ...

took over the role as director of Cirkus Arnardo.

Biography

Works and honours

References

Further reading