Sonja Wigert
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Sonja Wigert (11 November 1913 – 12 April 1980) was a Norwegian-Swedish actress. She appeared in 34 films between 1934 and 1960. She was a spy for Swedish intelligence during World War II. Ingrid Bolsø Berdal portrayed her in the film ''The Spy''.


Early life

Wigert was born as Sonja Hansen to Major Sigvald Hansen and his wife Carmen Hansen nee Wigert in
Notodden is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Aust-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Notodden. Other population centres include the villages of Bolkesjø, G ...
, Norway in 1913. She had two younger brothers, Knut and Erik. Wigert grew up in
Skien Skien () is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the Norsjø area and Bø. The administrative ...
, Norway. Wigert took ballet lessons in Skien. She made her stage debut at the age of ten. After completing her studies at the ''Statens håndverks- og kunstindustriskole'' in Oslo, she traveled abroad to study French in Paris and in Switzerland.


Career

Following her travels, Wigert intended to study business and work in an office; however, when she won a small film role (after winning a competition in which an acquaintance had enrolled her), Wigert became a stage and film actress. After her acting debut, she adopted her mother's maiden name as her stage name. Wigert became a successful film actress in Norway, with films such as '' Fant'' (1937). She moved to Sweden in 1939 with her Swedish husband, was successful in films there, also, and became one of the best known Scandinavian actresses of the time period. During this time she starred in films such as '' Her Little Majesty'' (1939), '' The Case of Ingegerd Bremssen'' (1942), '' Ombyte av tåg'' (1943), '' Count Only the Happy Moments'' (1944) and '' My People Are Not Yours'' (1944).


Life as a spy

The Nazis defeated the Norwegian military in two months in 1940 and took control of the country. Sonja Wigert joined the
Norwegian resistance movement The Norwegian resistance (Norwegian language, Norwegian: ''Motstandsbevegelsen'') to the German occupation of Norway, occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms: *As ...
in 1941. The Swedish military feared that the Nazis could also take control of Sweden. Because of her beauty and acting skills, Wigert was approached about becoming a spy for Sweden with the promise to help her get her father released from Nazi prison. In 1942, Wigert became a spy for the Swedish military; her codename was “Bill.” The Swedish military sent Wigert to Norway to find information on German officers stationed there – including
Josef Terboven Josef Antonius Heinrich Terboven (23 May 1898 – 8 May 1945) was a German Nazi Party official and politician who was the long-serving ''Gauleiter'' of Gau Essen and the '' Reichskommissar'' for Norway during the German occupation. Terboven wa ...
, the ''Reichskommissar'' of occupied Norway. Wigert convinced Terboven that she could spy on Sweden for him. The information Wigert provided to the Nazis was approved ahead of time by the Swedish military. Wigert put herself in great danger when spying on the Nazis. If her activities had been discovered, both she and her family could have been subjected to Nazi torture. Nazi Germany never invaded Sweden.


Post-war life

Wigert's father was released from Nazi prison, in due course. From 1942 until 1944, Wigert also worked for the American
Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the first intelligence agency of the United States, formed during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines ...
. The Nazis eventually figured out that Wigert was only giving them information approved by the resistance. In response they started a smear campaign about Wigert by telling the public that she was a Nazi collaborator. No amount of effort by Wigert or her friends could convince the public that she was not a traitor. Wigert continued her acting career after WWII, but never regained her pre-war popularity. In 2005, twenty-five years after Wigert's death, the Swedish Intelligence Agency opened its war archives to the public and Wigert was posthumously vindicated in the public's eyes.


Personal life

Sonja Wigert was married for the first time in 1939–1941 to the Swedish journalist and film scriptwriter Torsten Flodén and a second time from 1945 to the Danish Air Force captain Niels von Holstein-Rathlou (1910–1949), who died when his
Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allies of World War II, Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced conti ...
fighter crashed in
Øresund Øresund or Öresund (, ; ; ), commonly known in English as the Sound, is a strait which forms the Denmark–Sweden border, Danish–Swedish border, separating Zealand (Denmark) from Scania (Sweden). The strait has a length of ; its width var ...
in 1949. During the 1960s Wigert retired from her career and eventually moved to Spain.


Death

Sonja Wigert died at age 66, on 12 April 1980, at her home and is buried in L'Alfàs del Pi, north of Benidorm in Spain.


Selected filmography

* '' Song of Rondane'' (1934) * '' Fant'' (1937) * '' Life Begins Today'' (1939) * '' Her Little Majesty'' (1939) * '' Frestelse'' (1940) * '' Her Melody'' (1940) * '' Lucky Young Lady'' (1941) * '' The Case of Ingegerd Bremssen'' (1942) * '' Ombyte av tåg'' (1943) * '' Count Only the Happy Moments'' (1944) * '' My People Are Not Yours'' (1944) * '' Blood and Fire'' (1945) * ''
Onsdagsväninnan ''Onsdagsväninnan'' is a 1946 Swedish film directed by Sture Lagerwall and Alice O'Fredericks. The film was based on the play ''Peter den store'' by Paul Sarauw, which premiered in 1930 at Det Ny Theater. In 1943 the play was filmed in a Da ...
'' (1946) * '' Letter from the Dead'' (1946) * '' One Swallow Does Not Make a Summer'' (En fluga gör ingen sommar) (1947) * '' Vi flyr på Rio'' (1949) * '' Alt dette og Island med'' (1951) * '' Kvinnan bakom allt'' (1951) * ''
Hidden in the Fog ''Hidden in the Fog'' (Swedish: ''I dimma dold'') is a 1953 Swedish mystery crime film directed by Lars-Eric Kjellgren and starring Eva Henning, Sonja Wigert and Hjördis Petterson. It was shot at the Råsunda Studios in Stockholm and on lo ...
'' (1953) * '' The Dance Hall'' (1955)


References


External links

* * 1913 births 1980 deaths Norwegian film actresses Norwegian spies 20th-century Norwegian actresses World War II spies for Sweden {{Norway-actor-stub