Kristian Andreas Leopold Mantzius (4 November 1819 – 5 June 1879) was a Danish actor.

Early life and education

Kristian Mantzius was born in Viborg, son of Gen. Karl Johan Peter Mantzius (1791-1859) and Mette Marie, née Fogh (1792-1870). Mantzius was brother to Johanne Juliane Marie Henriette Mantzius (1822-1869) and Johan Frederik Mantzius (1834-1890), a school teacher. Mantzius came to

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 ...

with his parents when he was around one year old. His parents were poor and had many children. He was therefore brought up in the home of Juliane Jhøllestrup, his father's maternal aunt, who was wealthy and had become a widow. She lived at

Nytorv Nytorv ( English: New Square or New Market) is a public square in the centre of Copenhagen, Denmark. Together with the adjoining Gammeltorv it forms a common space, today part of the Strøget pedestrian zone. The square is dominated by the impo ...

117. Mantzius graduated from the Metropolitan College in 1837 and went to the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University. ...

, where he began studying

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

, subject which he continued with until 1842. On 27 September of that year, Mantzius debuted as 'Erasmus Montanus' at the

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 ...

. After his third performance he accepted an offer to work for 400

Thaler A thaler or taler ( ; , previously spelled ) is one of the large silver coins minted in the states and territories of the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg monarchy during the Early Modern period. A ''thaler'' size silver coin has a diameter o ...

s a month. But it was not until August 1848 that he was effectively hired as royal actor because of royal interference from

Frederick VII of Denmark Frederick VII (Frederik Carl Christian; 6 October 1808 – 15 November 1863) was King of Denmark from 1848 to 1863. He was the last Danish monarch of the older Royal branch of the House of Oldenburg and the last monarch, king of Denmark to r ...

who had amused himself admirably in both the play and the actor. However, in 1858 he resigned and began working the two following seasons at the Folksteatret instead, where he helped his friend

Jens Christian Hostrup Jens Christian Hostrup (20 May 1818 in Copenhagen – 21 November 1892 in Frederiksberg) was a Danish poet, dramatist and priest. Comforting and encouraging the people, he created poems that filled the hearts of his compatriots. His precise pers ...

stage his student comedy ''Gjenboerne'' before returning to the Royal Theater.

Career

Mantzius never gave up and showed he was dissatisfied with the board of the Royal Theater all the time he was working there. He presumably retained his position only because of his great popularity with the audience. He was dismissed from his post as royal actor on 17 April 1871, without a pension, but returned to the Royal Theater as guest actor once the audience complained. Carl Bloch - The actor Kristian Mantzius in his study

Carl Bloch - The actor Kristian Mantzius in his study

Personal life

Mantzius married Anna Margrethe Petrea Jorgensen (b. Copenhagen on 10 December 1841) on 20 January 1859, with whom he had Karl Mantzius (1860-1921), actor and

theater director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...

. His niece was Juliane Blicher-Hansen (1849-1933), a school superintendent. In the autumn of 1877 he became seriously ill, and after eighteen years of progressive infirmity he died of

breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...

on 5 June 1879. He is buried in the Garnisons Cemetery, in Copenhagen. Mantziusvej in

Hellerup Hellerup () is a very affluent district of Gentofte Municipality in the suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. The most urban part of the district is centred on Strandvejen and is bordered by Østerbro to the south and the Øresund to the east. It compr ...

was named after Kristian Mantzius in 1903.

Selected roles

*Erasmus Montanus in '' Erasmus Montanus'' ( Holberg) (1842) debut *Arv in ''Jean de France'' (Holberg) (1842) *Giulio Romano in ''Correggio'' ( Oehlenschläger) (1843) *Løjtnant v. Buddinge in ''Gjenboerne'' (Hostrup) (1843–44) *Konsul Varbjerg in ''En Spurv i Tranedans'' (Hostrup) *Jeronimus in ''Pernilles korte Frøkenstand'' (Holberg) *Jacob Skomager in ''

Jeppe på Bjerget ''Jeppe on the Hill; Or, The Transformed Peasant'' () is a Danish comedy by the Norwegian playwright Ludvig Holberg, written during the time of the Dano-Norwegian dual monarchy. The play premiered at the Lille Grønnegade Theatre in 1722, and w ...

'' (Holberg) *Jesper Ridefoged in ''Erasmus Montanus'' (Holberg) *Skalholt in ''Besøget i København'' (Hertz) *Pastor Jensen in ''Deklarationen'' (

Christian Richardt Christian Richardt (25 May 1831 in Copenhagen - 18 December 1892) was a Danish writer. He wrote the libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, ...

) *Grønholt in ''Mester og Lærling'' (Hostrup) *Daniel Hejre in '' De unges Forbund'' (

Henrik 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 ...

) *Anker in ''Soldaterløjer'' (Hostrup)

References

;Attribution * ''This article is based on the translation of the corresponding article of the Danish Wikipedia. A list of contributors can be found there at the''

History History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

''section.''

Literature

*Karl Mantzius, ''Min Far og jeg'' (1919)

External links

* Danish Wikisource has original text related to this article: Kristian Mantzius. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mantzius, Kristian 1819 births 1879 deaths Danish male stage actors 19th-century Danish male actors University of Copenhagen alumni People from Viborg Municipality Burials at the Garrison Cemetery, Copenhagen