Aase Synnøve Bye (4 June 1904 – 10 July 1991) was a Norwegian actress, known from stage, film and television. in her honor, the Aase Byes pris is awarded in support of deserving artists.

Personal life

She was born in

Kristiania Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) 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 ...

(now Oslo), Norway as a daughter of the merchant Anders Bye (1874–1918) and Astrid Hansen (1879–1920). She was married three times. The first marriage, to the physician Carl Christian Christensen (1882–1949), only lasted from August 1927 to 1929. In 1929 she married the shipbroker Jan Kurt Dedichen (1897–1935). Dedichen was a son of the chemist

Georg Dedichen Georg Maria Dedichen (8 July 1870 – 3 December 1942) was a Norwegian chemist. Biography He was born in Modum as a son of physician Hans Gabriel Sundt Dedichen (1836–99) and his wife Caroline Henriette Fredrikke Thaulow (1836–1917). He was a ...

and grandson of Edvard Brandes, but died in September 1935. In 1948 she married the economist, author, and editor-in-chief Trygve Jacob Broch Hoff (1895–1982).

Career

Bye made her stage debut at the Nationaltheatret in Oslo during 1923, and was hailed as a talent by

Bjørn Bjørnson Bjørn Bjørnson (15 November 1859 – 14 May 1942) was a Norwegian stage actor and theatre director. Biography He was born in Christiania, the son of author Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson and his wife Karoline Bjørnson. In 1876, he was admitted ...

. Except for short interruptions because of illness or other engagements, she remained faithful to the Nationaltheatret for over 50 years retiring from the state in 1974. Her first role was Solveig in Ibsen's ''

Peer Gynt ''Peer Gynt'' (, ) is a five- act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen published in 1876. Written in Norwegian, it is one of the most widely performed Norwegian plays. Ibsen believed ''Per Gynt'', the Norwegian fairy tale on wh ...

''. The following year she portrayed Sonja in the premier of ''

Reisen til Julestjernen ''Reisen til Julestjernen'' (Journey to the Christmas Star) is a Norwegian play by Sverre Brandt from 1924. It was performed for the first time on Saint Stephen's Day (December 26), 1924. The play holds the record for the most performances at the ...

'' by playwright

Sverre Brandt Sverre Brandt (3 March 1880 – 16 July 1962) was a Norwegian theatre worker and playwright, born in Trondheim. He is remembered for his children's play '' Reisen til Julestjernen'' from 1924, which has been staged numerous times at theatres in ...

(1880–1962). She also appeared in silent films, sound films and on television. 18933 Aase Bye og Jørn Ording

In 1949, she was awarded the

Norwegian Theatre Critics Award The Norwegian Theatre Critics Award (''Den norske Teaterkritikerprisen'' or ''Kritikerprisen'') is awarded by the Norwegian Critics' Association (''Norsk Kritikerlag'') and has been awarded every year since 1939 (except 1940–45). Norwegian Critics ...

(''Teaterkritikerprisen'') for her interpretation of Blanche Dubois in the Norwegian production of the

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...

play ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of person ...

''. The play had been translated by Peter Magnus (1915-2001) and performed at Nationaltheatre under the direction of

Gerda Ring Gerda Ring (11 May 1891 – 12 January 1999) was a Norwegian stage actress and stage producer. She was the daughter of writer Barbra Ring, and married actor and theatre director Halfdan Christensen in 1922. They were parents of the actors B ...

(1891–1999) and

Ella Hval 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 student school. Personal lif ...

(1904–1994).

Awards and legacy

Bye was decorated as a Commander of the

Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

in 1974, and also held the

HM 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 ...

in gold as well as foreign orders of knighthood.

Aase Byes pris

Aase Bye's testament established an endowment; ''Aase Byes Legat til Støtte for Fortjente Kunstnere''. The Aase Byes pris has been awarded annually since 1993 in support of deserving artists. Recipients have included: * Stein Grieg Halvorsen (1993) * Liv Dommersnes (1995) *

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(1995) *

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(2003) *

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(2004) *

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Sverre Anker Ousdal Sverre Anker Ousdal (born 18 July 1944) is a Norwegian actor born in Flekkefjord, Norway. Biography Ousdal made his debut in 1965 at Den Nationale Scene in Bergen. He worked at the Oslo Nye Teater between 1967 and 1970, and is since 1970 part ...

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Kjetil Bang-Hansen Kjetil Bang-Hansen (born 16 May 1940) is a Norwegian actor, dancer, stage producer and theatre director. Early and personal life Bang-Hansen was born in Oslo as the son of writer Odd Bang-Hansen and physician Elise Aas. He married dancer and chore ...

(2012) *

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(2012) *

Hildegunn Eggen Hildegunn Eggen (born 27 July 1953) is a Norwegian actress. She was educated at the Norwegian National Academy of Theatre, and has been assigned with the theatres Nationaltheatret and Trøndelag Teater. She received the Norwegian Theatre Criti ...

(2014) *

(2016)

References

Other sources

*Ruth Krefting (1963) ''Skuespillerinnen Aase Bye'' (Oslo, Gyldendal) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bye, Aase 1904 births 1991 deaths Actresses from Oslo Norwegian stage actresses Norwegian film actresses Norwegian silent film actresses Norwegian television actresses 20th-century Norwegian actresses Recipients of the King's Medal of Merit in gold Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal Norwegian philanthropists 20th-century philanthropists