Harald Otto (January 24, 1865 – May 13, 1928) 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 the ...

actor and theater director. Otto was born in

Nes The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, the son of the stationmaster Hans Otto Hansen (1815–?) and Maren Paulsen (1832–?). He moved to the United States in 1886, and in 1890 he performed in the theater in Chicago, where he also married Ignatzia Johanna Osberg (1869–1945). He soon returned to Norway, where he worked in various theater groups from 1891 to 1900. He purchased the Central Theater in 1907 and he operated it until his death, with Torolf Voss serving as the theater's orchestra director. After Harald Otto's death, his son Reidar Otto took over the business. The theater remained in the Otto family until 1959. Otto himself sang the song "Akerselva, du gamle, du grå" (The Old Gray

Aker River Akerselva or Akerselven ( en, Aker River) is a river which flows through Oslo. It starts at Maridalsvannet in Oslomarka, and traverses the boroughs of Nordre Aker, Sagene, Grünerløkka, central Oslo and Grønland, whereby it finally ends at P ...

) by

Vilhelm Dybwad Vilhelm Dybwad (12 February 1863 – 16 March 1950) was a Norwegian barrister and writer. He wrote comedies, revues and songs. In his later years he wrote several memoir books from his life as a lawyer. Personal life Dybwad was born in Chri ...

in 1906, when he staged Dybwad's play ''Verdens undergang'' (The End of the World).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Otto, Harald 1865 births 1928 deaths 19th-century Norwegian male actors 20th-century Norwegian male actors Norwegian theatre directors People from Nes, Akershus Norwegian expatriates in the United States