Inga Margrethe Houge (3 May 1856 – 11 February 1926) was a Norwegian stage actress and chief controller of the National Theatre.

Early and personal life

Inga Margrethe Houge was born on 3 May 1856 in

Vik, Sogn Vik is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is located on the southern shore of the Sognefjorden in the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center of ...

, and was the tenth child of priest and provost Christian Severin Flinthoug Houge and Susanna Maria Theresia Bruun. She was named after her sister, Inga Margrethe Houge who died in 1855 at the age of 16 while performing a play in

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

. On 7 August 1883, Houge married fellow actor Nicolai Halvorsen in Christiania. The couple only had one child together,

Tordis Halvorsen Tordis "Lillemor" Halvorsen (4 January 1884/1885 – 19 July 1955) was a Norwegian actress. Early and personal life Tordis Halvorsen was born on 4 January 1884 in Bergen to actors Nicolai Halvorsen and Inga Houge. Her first marriage was to en ...

, who was also an actress.

Career

After her father's death in the early 1870s, Houge moved to Christiania, where she drew attention with her talent for skating. On 4 February 1883, Houge made her stage debut at the

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 the minor role of Agnes in ''En Fristerinde''. Critics noted that her role was too small for an overall opinion, but they praised her line delivery and stage presence. After her marriage, she took on fewer roles but continued to perform in minor roles with her husband at the

Christiania Theatre Christiania Theatre, or ''Kristiania Theatre'', was Norway's finest stage for spoken drama from 4 October 1836 (opening date) to 1 September 1899. It was located at Bankplassen by the Akershus Fortress, in central Christiania. It was the fir ...

, after they moved there during the 1890s. In later life, Houge worked as chief controller at the National Theatre in Christiania since its opening.

Death

Houge died after a short illness on 11 February 1926 at a parish nursing home in Oslo, at the age of 69. Her funeral took place four days later on 15 February, and was attended by many representatives of the National Theatre. Singer Olav Sverénus also performed at the funeral.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Houge, Inga 1856 births 1926 deaths 19th-century Norwegian actresses 20th-century Norwegian actresses Norwegian stage actresses People from Vik, Sogn