Viggo Elith William Pio (3 July 1887 – 10 February 1983) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

actor of stage, screen, radio and television. He is most noted for starring roles in films such as

Carl Theodor Dreyer Carl Theodor Dreyer (; 3 February 1889 – 20 March 1968), commonly known as Carl Th. Dreyer, was a Danish film director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his movies are noted for their emotional aus ...

's ''

Leaves from Satan's Book ''Leaves from Satan's Book'', also known as ''Leaves Out of the Book of Satan'' ( da, Blade af Satans bog), is a 1920 Danish fantasy film directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer and starring Helge Nissen as Satan. This was only the third film directed b ...

'',

Johan Jacobsen Johan Jacobsen (born 14 March 1912 in Aarhus – died 7 July 1972 in Copenhagen) was a Danish film director. His parents were theatre manager Jacob Jørgen Jacobsen (1865-1955) and actress Christel Holch (1886-1968). From the 1940s Jacobsen dir ...

's ''

Jenny and the Soldier ''Jenny and the Soldier'' ( da, Soldaten og Jenny) is a 1947 Danish dramatic film written and directed by Johan Jacobsen. The black-and-white film is based on the 1940 stage play ''Brudstykker af et mønster'' () written by Danish playwright Carl ...

'' and Benjamin Christensen's '' Häxan''.

Theatre

Elith Pio made his theatre debut in 1907 as a member of the Peter Fjelstrup's theater company. He worked in various theaters in Denmark until 1931, when he was employed by the Royal Danish Theatre. He remained a member of the Royal Theatre until his retirement in 1974. Some of his most famous roles were Aristophanes in Johan Ludvig Heiberg's ''A Soul after the Dead'', Dr. Relling and Old Ekdal in

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 playw ...

's ''

The Wild Duck ''The Wild Duck'' (original Norwegian title: ''Vildanden'') is an 1884 play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It is considered the first modern masterpiece in the genre of tragicomedy. ''The Wild Duck'' and ''Rosmersholm'' are "often t ...

'' (''Vildanden'') and a chamberlain to in Ibsen's ''

The League of Youth ''The League of Youth'' ( no, De unges Forbund) is a play by Henrik Ibsen finished in early May 1869.Watts, Peter (1965). ''A Doll's House and Other Plays'', Penguin Classics. See "Introduction". It was Ibsen's first play in colloquial prose and ...

'' (''De unges forbund''). In Denmark Pio was also well known for his numerous roles on local

radio theatre Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...

, where his characteristic voice was an invaluable asset.

Film

Pio debuted on screen in the 1908 production of ''A Folk Tale'' (''Et Folkesagn''). Thereafter, he performed in approximately 40

silent films A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, whe ...

. In 1931, well known from his work at the Royal Theatre, Pio starred in his first sound feature, ''

Hotel Paradis ''Hotel Paradis'' is a 1931 Danish drama directed by George Schnéevoigt. The film, based on a novel by Einar Rousthøj, stars Eyvind Johan-Svendsen and Inger Stender. The film was also known as ''Hotel Paradisets hemlighed'' (''The Secret of ...

'', in the role of Fridolin. From then on he took part in over forty films. In 1947, Pio appeared as the state's attorney in the film ''

'' (''Soldaten og Jenny'') which received the first

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 ...

. Pio's last film, ''The Man Who Thought Life'' (''Manden der tænkte ting'') starring John Price, was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

in 1969. As part of a small group of participants in an emerging

Danish cinema Denmark has been producing films since 1897 and since the 1980s has maintained a steady stream of product due largely to funding by the state-supported Danish Film Institute. Historically, Danish films have been noted for their realism, religiou ...

, Pio was a favorite of many directors, working more than once with Benjamin Christensen, Viggo Larsen,

Mogens Skot-Hansen Mogens is a Danish masculine given name (specifically Danish shake-up of Magnus), and may refer to: *Mogens Ballin, Danish artist, one of a group of painters who gathered in the Breton village of Pont-Aven *Mogens Berg (born 1944), Danish former f ...

, Emanuel Gregers, Ole Palsbo,

Gabriel Axel Axel Gabriel Erik Mørch better known as Gabriel Axel (18 April 1918 – 9 February 2014)Ronald Berganbr>Obituary: Gabriel Axel ''The Guardian'', 10 February 2014 was a Danish film director, actor, writer and producer, best known for ''Babe ...

Knud Leif Thomsen Knud Leif Thomsen (2 September 1924 – 14 October 2003) was a Danish film director and screenwriter. He directed 14 films between 1960 and 1975. His film ''Duellen'' was entered into the 12th Berlin International Film Festival. Two years la ...

Lau Lauritzen Jr. Lau Lauritzen Jr. (26 June 1910 – 12 May 1977), was a Danish actor, screenwriter, and film director. As a director, he was a 4-time recipient of the Bodil Award for Best Danish Film. Lauritzen co-founded the Danish film studio ASA Film ...

& Alice O'Fredericks,

Svend Methling Svend Methling (1 October 1891 – 4 June 1977) was a Danish actor and film director. He was a director for Dansk Skolescene 1924-1929, for Folkescenen 1925 and for Komediehuset 1929-1930. He also worked as a director at the Det Ny Teate ...

, and the legendary

. He worked four times with director

—most notably on ''

''—and four times with director

George Schnéevoigt George Schnéevoigt (born Fritz Ernst Georg Fischer; 23 December 1893 – 6 February 1961) was a Danish film director, cinematographer, and actor of the 1910s to early 1940s. Schnéevoigt was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 23 December 1893 t ...

, who had worked as the cinematographer for both of Elith's films with Dreyer. Elith also acted in eight films authored by Danish screenwriter

Fleming Lynge Fleming Lynge (20 September 1896 – 3 November 1970) was a Danish screenwriter. He wrote for more than 70 films between 1929 and 1959. He was born and died in Denmark. Selected filmography * Vi arme syndere (1952) * Besættelse (1944) * M ...

, who wrote the 1952 film ''Meet me on Cassiopeia.''

Select filmography

* '' Blind Justice'' (1916) * '' Häxan'' - 1922 * ''

'' - 1931 * ''Kirke og orgel'' - 1932 * ''Tango'' - 1933 * ''Kongen bød'' - 1938 * ''Et skud før midnat'' - 1942 * ''Forellen'' - 1942 * ''Tordenskjold går i land'' - 1942 * ''Vi kunne ha' det så rart'' - 1942 * ''Alt for karrieren'' - 1943 * ''Drama på slottet'' - 1943 * ''Kriminalassistent Bloch'' - 1943 * ''Når man kun er ung'' - 1943 * ''Som du vil ha' mig'' - 1943 * ''Otte akkorder'' - 1944 * ''Biskoppen'' - 1944 * '' Affæren Birte'' - 1945 * ''Mens sagføreren sover'' - 1945 * ''Ta', hvad du vil ha - 1947 * ''

Soldaten og Jenny ''Jenny and the Soldier'' ( da, Soldaten og Jenny) is a 1947 Danish dramatic film written and directed by Johan Jacobsen. The black-and-white film is based on the 1940 stage play ''Brudstykker af et mønster'' () written by Danish playwright Ca ...

'' - 1947 * ''For frihed og ret'' - 1949 * ''Den opvakte jomfru'' - 1950 * ''Familien Schmidt'' - 1951 * '' Sønnen'' - 1953 * ''Eventyrrejsen'' - 1960 * ''Ullabella'' - 1961 * ''Løgn og løvebrøl'' - 1961 * ''

Duellen ''Duellen'' (''The Duel'') is a 1962 Danish drama film directed by Knud Leif Thomsen. It was entered into the 12th Berlin International Film Festival. Cast * Frits Helmuth - Mikael * Malene Schwartz - Tina * John Price - Claes * Axel Strøbye - ...

'' - 1962 * ''Tine'' - 1964 * ''Dyden går amok'' - 1966 * ''

Manden der tænkte ting ''The Man Who Thought Life'' ( da, Manden der tænkte ting) is a 1969 Danish science fiction thriller film directed by Jens Ravn and based upon the 1938 novel by Valdemar Holst.Danish male film actors Danish male stage actors Danish male silent film actors 20th-century Danish male actors Male actors from Copenhagen 1887 births 1983 deaths