Astrid Villaume (3 November 1923 – 12 February 1995) was a Danish actress of stage and film best known for her Bodil Award-winning title role in the 1950 film '' Susanne''. Danish film historian Morten Piil described Villaume's appeal as a combination of "warm mother figure, romantic heroine and innocent erotic dream girl."

Early life

Astrid Villaume, the daughter of a pharmacist, was born 3 November 1923 in Aalestrup near Viborg,

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. While in her late teens, Villaume performed as an

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 Danish revues. She attended the drama school at the

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...

Theater from 1939 to 1941, and made her debut on stage there in the play ''Under Krigen'' (English: ''In The War''). She enjoyed success as a stage actress during the next six years, however she applied to return to the drama school at the

Det Kongelige Teater The Royal Danish Theatre (RDT, Danish language, Danish: ') is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded ...

(

Royal Danish Theatre The Royal Danish Theatre (RDT, Danish: ') is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first s ...

) in 1947. After an audition, she was accepted and attended classes another two years. When asked why she would want to attend drama school twice, Villaume said simply, "Because I thought I needed it."

Career

She debuted at the

in the role of Stine Isenkræmmer in ''Barselsstuen'' and from July 1949 Villaume was permanently employed there. Over the years she performed a variety of roles including Mary Tyrone in '' Long Days Journey into Night'', the title role in ''Anna Sophie Hedvig'', Magdalone in ''Mascarade'', and Linda Loman in ''

Death of a Salesman ''Death of a Salesman'' is a 1949 stage play written by the American playwright Arthur Miller. The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances. It is a two-act tragedy set in late 1940s Brooklyn told through a ...

''. Villaume also enjoyed great popularity as a film actress. For her first leading role, as the beautiful baker's daughter in the 1950 film '' Susanne'', Villaume was awarded the Bodil for Best Actress. Villaume went on to perform in 39 films as well as television and radio; one of her films, '' Qivitoq'', was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. She also provided the voices for the Danish language versions of Disney's ''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...

'' and ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...

''.

Personal life

Villaume married the businessman Carl Magnus von Staffeldt on 11 February 1947. Her husband died in 1959 while she was pregnant with their third child. Astrid Villaume died on 12 February 1995 at the age of 71. She was buried in the Frederiksberg Churchyard in Copenhagen.

Filmography

* '' Pas på svinget i Solby'' – 1940 * '' Tyrannens fald'' – 1942 * ' – 1946 * ' – 1946 * '' Susanne'' – 1950 * ' – 1951 * ' – 1951 * '' Vi arme syndere'' – 1952 * '' To minutter for sent'' – 1952 * '' Adam og Eva'' – 1953 * '' Hejrenæs'' – 1953 * '' Arvingen'' – 1954 * ''

Der kom en dag ''Der kom en dag'' () is a 1955 Danish dramatic film directed by Sven Methling, It stars John Wittig, Kjeld Jacobsen and Astrid Villaume as Danish resistance fighters during the last days of the German occupation of Denmark in World War II. ...

'' – 1955 * ''

På tro og love ''På tro og love'' is a 1955 Danish family film directed by Torben Anton Svendsen and starring Poul Reichhardt. Cast * Poul Reichhardt as Hans * Astrid Villaume as Grete * Helge Kjærulff-Schmidt as Georg * Gunnar Lauring as Chefen * H ...

'' – 1955 * ' – 1955 * '' Qivitoq'' – 1956 * '' Flintesønnerne'' – 1956 * ' – 1957 * ' – 1958 * '' Vagabonderne på Bakkegården'' – 1958 * '' Det skete på Møllegården'' – 1960 * '' Flemming og Kvik'' – 1960 * ' – 1961 * '' Der brænder en ild'' – 1962 * '' Det stod i avisen'' – 1962 * ' – 1963 * ' – 1964 * ''

Gift A gift or present is an item given to someone (who is not already the owner) without the expectation of payment or anything in return. Although gift-giving might involve an expectation of reciprocity, a gift is intended to be free. In many cou ...

'' – 1966 * '' Der var engang en krig'' – 1966 * '' Brødrene på Uglegården'' – 1967 * ' – 1969 * ' – 1969 * '' De fem i fedtefadet'' – 1970 * ' – 1975 * ' – 1980 * ' – 1982 * '' Pelle the Conqueror'' – 1987 * '' Lad isbjørnene danse'' – 1990

Awards

* Bodil Award (1951) * Ole Haslunds legat * Poul Reumerts legat * Henkel-prisen (1972) * Tagea Brandts Rejselegat * Olaf Poulsens Mindelegat * Johanne Louise Heibergs Legat

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Villaume, Astrid 1923 births 1995 deaths 20th-century Danish actresses Best Actress Bodil Award winners Danish film actresses Danish stage actresses Danish television actresses Danish voice actresses People from Vesthimmerland Municipality