Johannes Poulsen (17 November 1881 – 14 October 1938) was a Danish actor and director. He debuted with the Dagmar Theatre in 1901. In 1909 he joined the Royal Theatre as an actor, and from 1917 was also a stage director. Memorable roles included

Peer Gynt ''Peer Gynt'' (, ) is a five-Act (drama), act play in verse written in 1867 by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen. It is one of Ibsen's best known and most widely performed plays. ''Peer Gynt'' chronicles the journey of its title character fr ...

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Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

and the fool in ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

''. Poulsen debuted on film in 1910 with Regia Art Films, and later starred in four films for

Nordisk Film Nordisk Film A/S () is a Danish entertainment company involved in film production and distribution and a subsidiary of Egmont Group. The multimedia entertainment company is also involved in television production, cinemas, computer games and ...

. He wrote the book ''Gennem de fagre riger'' (English: ''Through the Fair Realms'') which was published in 1916. In 1919 Poulsen staged

Adam Oehlenschläger Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger (; 14 November 177920 January 1850) was a Danish poet and playwright. He introduced romanticism into Danish literature. He wrote the lyrics to the song ''Der er et yndigt land'', which is one of the national anthe ...

's drama ''Aladdin'' with music to be composed by

Carl Nielsen Carl August Nielsen (; 9 June 1865 – 3 October 1931) was a Danish composer, conductor, and violinist, widely recognized as his country's most prominent composer. Brought up by poor yet musically talented parents on the island of Funen, he d ...

. After accepting the contract, Nielsen found that Poulsen was making the orchestra play under the huge staircase in the center of the scenery and using the orchestra pit in the set. When Poulsen cut out large parts of the music during final rehearsals and changed the sequence of dances, Nielsen demanded that his name be removed from the poster and the program. Poulsen remained with the Royal Theatre until 1927. From 1928 to 1930 he gave guest appearances in several European capitals, before returning the Royal Theatre where he became its director. While in this capacity, he was invited by the California Festival Association in 1936 to stage an outdoor production of the

medieval pageant A medieval pageant is a form of procession traditionally associated with both secular and religious rituals, often with a narrative structure. Pageantry was an important aspect of medieval European seasonal festivals, in particular around the c ...

, ''

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,'' at the

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. Legendary film producer

Irving Thalberg Irving Grant Thalberg (May 30, 1899 – September 14, 1936) was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. He was called "The Boy Wonder" for his youth and ability to select scripts, choose actors, gather productio ...

arranged for the play's backing through the support of Dr. A.H.

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of the Bank of America, with the proviso that a large portion of the production's profits would benefit

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from Hitler's Germany. Thalberg hosted a lavish dinner for Dr. Poulsen the week before its premiere, attended by MGM chairman,

Louis B. Mayer Louis Burt Mayer (; born Lazar Meir; July 12, 1884Mayer maintained that he was born in Minsk on July 4, 1885. According to Scott Eyman, the reasons may have been: * Mayer's father gave different dates for his birthplace at different times, so ...

, among other Hollywood elite, and the production itself - an expensively-mounted spectacular of the 15th century morality play - opened to a star-studded premiere with 12,000 people in the audience.Irving Thalberg, (2010) by Mark A. Vieira, P. 359, 363-4 (This was Thalberg's last professional work before his death at age 36 later that month. ) During this same visit,

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presented Dr. Poulsen with his own director's chair, which he had personally autographed, to donate to the Royal Theater Museum in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

. Poulsen remained with the Royal Theater until his death two years later, performing for the last time as

Christian IV Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days is the longest in Scandinavian history. A member of the H ...

in ''

Elves' Hill ''Elves' Hill'' () is a comedy by Johan Ludvig Heiberg, with overture and incidental music by Friedrich Kuhlau (Op. 100), which is considered the first Danish national play. History ''Elves' Hill'' was commissioned by Frederik VI for the we ...

'' on 31 May 1938. Shortly before his death he played with

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

in the movie ''

Champagnegaloppen ''Champagnegaloppen'' is a 1938 Danish musical film directed by George Schnéevoigt. The film based on a musical by Hans Christian Lumbye and play by Paul Holck-Hofmann and stars Svend Methling and Valdemar Møller. It is named after the light c ...

''.

Filmography

* 1910 – ''Elskovsbarnet'' * 1910 – ''Djævlesonaten'' * 1910 – ''Et Gensyn'' * 1910 – ''Elskovsleg'' * 1911 – ''Balletdanserinden * 1911 – ''Dyrekøbt Glimmer'' * 1912 – ''Indbruddet hos Skuespillerinden'' * 1938 – ''Champagnegaloppen''

References

External links

*
Biography at the Danish Film Institute (Danish)
Danish male film actors Danish male silent film actors 20th-century Danish male actors Danish male stage actors 1881 births 1938 deaths Poulsen family {{Denmark-actor-stub