Ella Hval (born Ella Signe Quist Kristoffersen) (7 January 1904 – 17 December 1994) was a Norwegian actress. She was principally a stage actress and was also an instructor and teacher at the

Nationaltheatret The National Theatre in Oslo () 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 Christiania Theatre, which was ...

student school.

Personal life

Ella was born in

Kristiania 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, an ...

(now Oslo), Norway. She was a daughter of Kristoffer Kristoffersen and Anne Marie Quist. In her younger days she was active within the labour movement, where she took part in the entertainment by playing amateur theatre. Here she met the poet Rudolf William Nilsen (1901–29), and they got married in 1924. In 1929, Nilsen died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

after only five years of marriage. In 1932 she remarried to physician Einar Hval (1901–1958).

Career

She started acting professionally in 1932, when she appeared at the Oslo revue theater

Chat Noir (French language, French for 'black cat') is a cabaret and revue theatre in Oslo, Norway. It was established in 1912 by Bokken Lasson. The current director is Tom Sterri. Establishment Chat Noir was established as a cabaret in 1912 by singer B ...

. At

Søilen Teater Søilen Teater was a theatre that opened in Oslo in 1930. It was managed by Sophus Dahl until 1932. It was then a supporting stage for Chat Noir until 1934. From 1934 to 1939 the theatre was run by Henry Gleditsch, and from 1939 it was run by Aud ...

in Oslo in 1932 she played the character "Anna" in the play ''Flammen'' () by

Hans Müller-Einigen Hans Müller(-Einigen) (born 25 October 1882 in Brünn, Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Eur ...

(1882-1950). Her breakthrough was with the character "Vibeke" in ''Oppbrudd'' by

Helge Krog Helge Krog (9 February 1889 – 30 July 1962) was a Norwegian journalist, essayist, theatre and literary critic, translator and playwright. Personal life Krog was born in Kristiania, the son of jurist Fredrik Arentz Krog and Ida Cecilie Thores ...

(1898-1962) at

Den Nationale Scene Den Nationale Scene () is the largest theatre in Bergen, Norway. Den Nationale Scene is also one of the oldest permanent theatres in Norway. History Opened under the name '' Det Norske Theater'' in 1850, the theatre has roots dating back to its ...

in Bergen in 1936–1937. Among her roles in Bergen were the characters "Gina" in

Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

's play ''

The Wild Duck ''The Wild Duck'' (original Norwegian title: ''Vildanden'') is an 1884 play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It explores the complexities of truth and illusion through the story of a family torn apart by secrets and the intrusion of a ...

'', and "Rebekka" in ''

Rosmersholm ''Rosmersholm'' () is an 1886 Play (theatre), play written by Norwegian people, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It tells the story of Johannes Rosmer, an aristocratic former clergyman and owner of the Rosmersholm manor who is haunted by his wif ...

''. She worked for this theatre until 1940. From 1945 she worked for

in Oslo, and played leading roles in plays such as

Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th-century French ph ...

's ''

No Exit ''No Exit'' (, ) is a 1944 existentialist French play by Jean-Paul Sartre. The play was first performed at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier in May 1944. The play centers around a depiction of the afterlife in which three deceased characters a ...

'' and Wiers-Jenssen's '' Anne Pedersdotter''. She appeared as guest star in various theatres, including

Radioteatret Radioteatret is a department of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation which produces audio plays for radio broadcasting. It was established in 1927. In January 2021, ''Verdens Gang'' cited a report from NTB, saying that Radioteatret ow isbeing ...

, where she played more than one hundred roles. For her radio appearances she was awarded the prize ''Blå Fugl'' in 1986. She made her film début in 1949 in

Arne Skouen Arne Skouen (18 October 1913 – 24 May 2003) was a Norwegian journalist, author, film director and film producer. Biography Arne Skouen was born in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway. His parents were Peder Nikolai Skouen (1883-1978) and Jenn ...

's ''Gategutter''. Among her other films were ''Ut av mørket'' from 1958 and ''Over grensen'' from 1987. She chaired the

Norwegian Actors' Equity Association The Norwegian Actors' Equity Association () is an association of Norwegian actors. Its main purpose is to improve actors' working conditions and to protect the artistic, judicial and financial interests of actors in Norway. The association was est ...

for two periods, from 1951 to 1961 and from 1965 to 1967, and was given Honorary Membership in 1957. She received the Arts Council Norway Honorary Award (''Norsk kulturråds ærespris'') in 1977. She was decorated 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 ...

in 1974 and 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 ...

(''Kongens fortjenstmedalje'') in gold. She was also Knight of the

Order of the Falcon The Order of the Falcon () is the only order of chivalry in Iceland, founded by Christian X of Denmark, King Christian X of Denmark and Iceland on 3 July 1921. The award is awarded for merit for Iceland and humanity and has five degrees. Nowaday ...

. She wrote a memoir book, ''Jeg har alltid hatt vanskelig for å glemme'' in 1979. She died in Stavanger in 1994 and was buried at

Vestre gravlund Vestre Gravlund is a cemetery in the Frogner borough of Oslo, Norway. It is located next to the Borgen (station), Borgen metro station. At , it is the largest cemetery in Norway. It was inaugurated in September 1902 and also contains a cremator ...

in Oslo.

References

External links

Ella Hval roles at Nationaltheatret
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hval, Ella 1904 births 1994 deaths Actresses from Oslo Norwegian stage actresses Norwegian women memoirists 20th-century Norwegian women writers 20th-century Norwegian writers 20th-century Norwegian actresses Knights of the Order of the Falcon Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal Recipients of the King's Medal of Merit in gold Burials at Vestre gravlund 20th-century Norwegian memoirists