Arne Bang-Hansen (September 8, 1911 – February 23, 1990) was a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

actor that performed at the National Theater in

Oslo 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 ...

for many years.

Acting career

Arne Bang-Hansen played a total of 155 roles at the National Theater, where he worked from 1932 to 1982. For many, he is better known as the voice actor for Chief of Police Bastian in the audiobook version of

Thorbjørn Egner Thorbjørn Egner (12 December 1912 – 24 December 1990) was a Norwegian playwright, songwriter and illustrator known principally for his books, plays and musicals for children. He is principally associated with his narratives for children includ ...

's '' When the Robbers Came to Cardamom Town''. Many also know him from the role of Professor Slatters in the TV series '' Brødrene Dal og spektralsteinene'' (The Dal Brothers and the Spectral Stones). At the National Theater, Bang-Hansen already made a name for himself as a student in

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...

's ''

To Damascus ''To Damascus'' ( sv, Till Damaskus), also known as ''The Road to Damascus'', is a trilogy of plays by the Swedish playwright August Strindberg. The first two parts were published in 1898, with the third following in 1904. It has been described as ...

''. In addition to the National Theater, he was at times employed at venues such as the National Theater in

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...

(1934–1938), Carl Johan Theater (1941–1945), Central Theater (1945–1948), and

Trøndelag Theater Trøndelag (; sma, Trööndelage) is a county in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County ( no, Trondhjems Amt); in 1804 the county was split into Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag by the King of Denmark ...

(1948–1949). After that he worked again at the National Theater from 1948 until his death. His moody comedy art came to fruition in Holberg comedies such as ''Henrich og Pernille'' and as Styver in Henrik Ibsen's '' Love's Comedy''. He proved to be an astute humanist in the role of Gibbs in T. S. Eliot's ''

The Cocktail Party ''The Cocktail Party'' is a play by T. S. Eliot. The play was the most popular of Eliot's seven plays in his lifetime, although his 1935 play, '' Murder in the Cathedral'', is better remembered today. It focuses on a troubled married couple who, ...

'', Leonid in Anton Chekhov's ''

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' (russian: Вишнёвый сад, translit=Vishnyovyi sad) is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by '' Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate editio ...

'', and Kroll in Ibsen's ''

Rosmersholm ''Rosmersholm'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen in Danish—the common written language of Denmark and Norway at the time—and originally published in 1886 in Copenhagen by the Danish publisher Gyldendal. ''Rosmersholm'' ...

''. One must also mention his role as the lecturing monkey in

Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It ...

's monologue "

A Report to an Academy "A Report to an Academy" (German: "Ein Bericht für eine Akademie") is a short story by Franz Kafka, written and published in 1917. In the story, an ape named Red Peter, who has learned to behave like a human, presents to an academy the story of ho ...

." In his farewell role, he played the concierge in '' Macbeth'' by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

. Bang-Hansen also appeared in several films; among them he played the lead roles in ''

Hu Dagmar ''Hu Dagmar'' (Wow, Dagmar) is a Norwegian drama comedy film from 1939 directed by Rasmus Breistein. It is based on Ove Ansteinsson's play ''Hu Dagmar''. Breistein and Ansteinsson also wrote the film's script together. The film stars Randi Heide ...

'' (1939) and ''

Alle tiders kupp ''Alle tiders kupp'' is a 1964 Norwegian comedy film directed by Øyvind Vennerød, starring Rolf Just Nilsen, Arne Bang-Hansen, Henki Kolstad and Inger Marie Andersen. Three men rob an outlet of the government owned alcoholic beverage retailer ...

'' (1964). He had supporting roles in films such as '' Kasserer Jensen'' (1954), '' Støv på hjernen'' (1959), and '' Sønner av Norge'' (1961). On television, he is remembered for his role as Professor Slatters in the series ''Brødrene Dal og spektralsteinene'' in 1982, and as the groom's father in the episode "Hjem, kjære hjem" (Home, Dear Home) from 1981 in the Norwegian comedy series ''

Fleksnes Fataliteter ''Fleksnes Fataliteter'', better known by its shortened title ''Fleksnes'', was a Norwegian- Swedish-Danish television comedy series produced between 1972 and 2002, created by Swedish writer Bo Hermansson and based on Galton and Simpson's scripts ...

''. Arne Bang-Hansen received the Order of St. Olav for his achievements as an actor.

Personal relationships

Arne Bang-Hansen was openly gay, and he described his life in his autobiography ''Fra mitt skjeve hjørne'' (From My Queer Corner) in 1985.

Filmography

* 1934: '' Sangen om Rondane'' as Greta's brother Arne * 1939: ''

'' as Sjur * 1953: ''

Brudebuketten ''Brudebuketten'' ( en, The Bridal Bouquet}) is a 1953 Norway, Norwegian comedy film directed by Bjørn Breigutu, starring Randi Kolstad, Lalla Carlsen and Per Aabel. Cast * Randi Kolstad as Siv Blom * Lalla Carlsen as Berthe * Per Aabel as H ...

'' as Stockholmsfarer * 1953: ''

Skøytekongen ''Skøytekongen'' (The Skating King) is a black-and-white Norwegian drama film from 1953 directed by Nils R. Müller. The script was written by Sigbjørn Hølmebakk based on a concept by Bjørn Storberget. The film stars Lasse Kolstad and Sids ...

'' * 1954: '' Kasserer Jensen'' as the ferryman * 1955: '' Den standhaftige tinnsoldat'' as the narrator * 1959: '' Støv på hjernen'' * 1960: '' Millionær for en aften'' as the commercial director of the Phoenix Theater * 1961: '' Sønner av Norge'' as Baltzersen, a tax official * 1962: '' Sønner av Norge kjøper bil'' as Baltzersen, a tax official * 1964: ''

'' as Teodor Halvorsen, a writer * 1969: ''

An-Magritt ''An-Magritt'' is a 1969 Norwegian drama film directed by Arne Skouen Arne Skouen (18 October 1913 – 24 May 2003) was a Norwegian journalist, author, film director and film producer. Biography Arne Skouen was born in Kristiania (now O ...

'' as Filip Degn * 1969: ''

Himmel og helvete ''Himmel og helvete'' (Heaven and Hell) is a Norwegian propaganda film from 1969 directed by Øyvind Vennerød with a screenplay by Vennerød and Victor Borg. The film was poorly received by the critics, but it nonetheless became one of the highes ...

'' as chief physician Trosdahl * 1970: '' Skal vi leke gjemsel?'' as the station master * 1975: '' Skraphandlerne'' as Uncle Arne * 1978: ''

Autumn Sonata ''Autumn Sonata'' ( sv, Höstsonaten, link=no) is a 1978 drama film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, and starring Ingrid Bergman (in her final film role), Liv Ullmann and Lena Nyman. Its plot follows a celebrated classical pianist and he ...

'' as Uncle Otto * 1979: ''

Lucie Lucie is the French and Czech form of the female name Lucia. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Lucie Ahl, British tennis player * Lucie Arnaz, American actress * Lucie Aubrac, member of the French Resistance * Lucie Balthaz ...

'' as Pastor Brandt * 1982: '' Leve sitt liv'' as Hilmar * 1985: '' Smugglarkungen'' as Slemdal

Television

* 1973: ''Benoni og Rosa'' ( NRK Television Theater) * 1978: ''Twigs'' (miniseries) (NRK Television Theater) * 1979: ''Ridder Runde og hans kamp mot drager og baroner'' as Sir Enebær, Skippo, and Skjære * 1980: ''Herfra til Haglemoen'' as Colonel Flammerød * 1981: "Fleksnes Hjem, kjære hjem" as the groom's father * 1982: ''Brødrene Dal og spektralsteinene'' as Professor Slatters

References

External links

*
Arne Bang-Hansen
at Sceneweb
Arne Bang-Hansen
at Filmfront {{DEFAULTSORT:Bang-Hansen, Arne 1911 births 1990 deaths 20th-century Norwegian male actors Male actors from Oslo