Gudrun Houlberg (21 February 1889 – 14 January 1940) was a Danish actress who appeared in over 40 films from 1910 to 1934. She is remembered in particular for her roles in ''Klovnen'' (1917) and ''Grevindens ære'' (1919).

Biography

Born on 21 February 1889 in Viborg, Gudrun Houlberg was the daughter of the merchant Anton Nielsen Houlberg (1863–1949) and his wife Sørine Pouline Frederikke Prahl (1867–1955). She attended the school run by 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 ...

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

where she made her stage début in 1906. After spending a period at the Dagmar Theatre (''Dagmarteatret'') from 1914 to 1918, she returned to the Royal Theatre. She made her film début with

Nordisk Film Nordisk Film A/S (lit. "Nordic Film") is a Danish entertainment company established in 1906 in Copenhagen by filmmaker Ole Olsen. It is the fourth-oldest film studio in the world behind the Gaumont Film Company, Pathé, and Titanus ...

in 1910 when she appeared in the silent film ''Et gensyn''. In 1912 she moved to the film department of Skandinavisk-Russisk Handelshus where she appeared in almost 30 films until she was engaged by Nordisk Film in 1916. In 1917, she played the role of a bareback circus rider in A.W. Sandberg's highly successful ''Klovnen'', together with

Valdemar Psilander Valdemar Einar Psilander (9 May 1884 – 6 March 1917) was a Danish silent film actor, who was the highest-paid performer of his period and received critical acclaim as the greatest male lead during the golden era of Danish cinema. Biography Ear ...

who became her partner until he died a few months later. She acted in a long series of silent romances and comedies with Nordisk Film. In 1934, using her married name Gudrun Middelboe, she took the role of Frk. Thomsen in

Emanuel Gregers Emanuel Gregers (28 December 1881 – 22 March 1957) was a Danish actor, screenwriter and film director. Gregers made 36 films during a career which extended over four decades from the Danish golden age of silent film until 1949. Critics often ...

' sound film ''Skaf en sensation'' (Create a Sensation). With her dark hair and fine features, Houlberg was contrasted sharply with the other Danish star of the period, the fair-haired daredevil

Emilie Sannom Emilie Kirstine Valborg Sannom (29 September 1886 – 30 August 1931) was a Danish silent film actress and aerial acrobat. Throwing herself into the castle moat in Nordisk Film's ''Hamlet'' (1911), she became the first stunt woman in Danish cine ...

. In 1917, she married the opera singer Helge Nissen (1871–1926) and in 1932, the engineer Poul Middelboe but the marriage did not last. Gudrun Houlberg died on 14 January 1940 in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, aged 50.

Filmography

The following are listed by Det Danske Filminstitut: *Skaf en Sensation (1934) - Frk. Thomsen *Præsten i Vejlby (1931) - Aalsø-præstens kone *Prinsens Kærlighed (1920) - Melitta, Schönstadts datter *Manden, der sejrede (1920) - Ellinor, Rewes' datter *Blind Passager (1920) - Edith, professorens datter *Det døde Skib (1920) - John, skibsdreng *Kærlighedsleg (1919) - Amy Walker *Lykkens Blændværk (1919) - Eva, godsejerens datter *Grevindens Ære (1919) - Prinsesse Alexis, fyrstedatter *Skandalemageren (1919) - Mercia, Francis' datter *Godsejeren (1919) - Ellinor, James' datter *Den grønne Bille (1918) - Violet, Hornes datter *Kornspekulanten (1918) - Inger, korngrosserens datter *Hans Kæreste (1918) - Esther *Hjertebetvingeren (1918) - Millicent Town *Ægteskabshaderne (1918) - Daisy, Singletons datter *Klovnen (1917) - Daisy, Bunding's daughter *Brændte Vinger (1917) - Agnes West *Expeditricen fra Østergade (1917) - Alice, Erik's wife *I Storm og Stille (1915) - Alice, Clark's daughter *Enhver (1915) - Sylvia, everyone's girlfriend *Lidenskabens Magt (1915) - Helene, Nyblom's daughter *Britta fra Bakken (1915) - Britta, Mother Martha's daughter *Fattig og rig (1915) - Maud, Jones' daughter *Den Stærkeste (1915) - Jolante, the count's daughter *Vera (1915) - Vera, Frantz' wife *Den Fremmede (1914) - Carla, Wang's wife *Arveprinsen (1914) - Mercedes, the duke's daughter *Hans første Kærlighed (1914) - Sibyl *Kvinder (1914) - Mira *Letsind (1914) - Johanne, the widow's daughter *Lykkeligt Ægteskab (1914) - Fru Breit *En Sømandsbrud (1914) - Lillian Bennet *De Dødes Ø (1913) - Flora, dr. Critius' God daughter *Katastrofen i Dokken (1913) - Roland's sister *Den sorte Varieté (1913) - Carmen, varieties dancer *For evigt (1913) - Agathe, Fritz' wife *Hjertedoktoren (1913) - Gertrud von Ahrenskjold, Isas niece *Haanden, der griber (1913) - a bride *Spejderen (1912) - a young woman *Det blaa Blod (1912) - Estate owner's daughter and the count's bride *Dødsridtet (1912) - Kate Holborg, young widow *Konfetti (1912) - Therese Savain *Gift dig - gift dig ikke (1912) - Nelli Elmer *Den hvide Klovn (1912) - circus rider *Slægten (1912) - Karen, Alvilda's daughter from 1st marriage *Elskovsbarnet (1910) - Suzanne, viscount's daughter

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Houlberg, Gudrun 1889 births 1940 deaths 20th-century Danish actresses Danish film actresses People from Viborg Municipality