Henrik Malberg (1873–1958) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

of theater and Danish cinema who played his most noted role at the age of 80—the stoic authoritative farm owner in the Carl Theodor Dreyer classic film ''

Ordet ''Ordet'' (, meaning " The Word" and originally released as ''The Word'' in English), is a 1955 Danish drama film, directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer. It is based on a play by Kaj Munk, a Danish Lutheran priest, first performed in 1932. The film w ...

''.

Career

Henrik Martin Marinus Malberg was born in Aarhus

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on 4 December 1873. Originally trained as a mechanic, Malberg made his stage debut at the Århus Teater in 1896. Malberg worked with a touring company for several years but between 1902 and 1905 he was based with the Aarhus Theater. While playing the role of Arv in ''Masquerade'', Malberg was noticed by the Danish actor Olaf Poulsen who brought him to Copenhagen. For the next five years, Malberg was the principal actor at the Dagmar Theater in Copenhagen. In 1910, he became director for a Danish touring company, then once again returned to the Dagmar (1912–1914) and afterwards, the Alexander Theater (1914–1917). In his later years, Malberg was employed at 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 ...

in Copenhagen. Malberg made his screen debut in the 1910 silent film, ''

The Picture of Dorian Gray ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is a philosophical novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical '' Lippincott's Monthly Magazine''.''The Picture of Dorian G ...

''. He appeared in several more films during the silent era for the major Danish directors of the period:

George Schnéevoigt George Schnéevoigt (born Fritz Ernst Georg Fischer; 23 December 1893 – 6 February 1961) was a Danish film director, cinematographer, and actor of the 1910s to early 1940s. Schnéevoigt was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 23 December 1893 t ...

, Emanuel Gregers, Holger-Madsen and Lau Lauritzen, Sr. He also performed in three Fy & Bi comedies. Then in 1930, Malberg performed the lead role in the first purely Danish sound film as the priest in the crime mystery ''

Præsten i Vejlby ''The Rector of Veilbye'' ( da, Præsten i Vejlbye), is a crime mystery written in 1829 by the Danish author Steen Steensen Blicher. The novella is based upon a true murder case from 1626 in the village of Vejlby near Grenå, Denmark, which Bli ...

''. A man of large stature and booming voice, Malberg was primarily a stage performer, and his film performances are described as imposing and theatrical.Piil, Morten, ''Henrik Malberg'', Danske Filmshuespillere, Gyldendal, (2001), pg. 294-295 It was not until he was 80 years old that Malberg played his most memorable role—as the farm owner Morten Borgen in the classic Carl Th. Dreyer film ''

'' (''The Word''). Malberg credited Dreyer with teaching him the art of film acting. Afterward Malberg travelled around Denmark to teach and to perform for school children. At the age of 84, he toured 55 Copenhagen area schools and a dozen in Jutland, giving a two-hour performance at each. Malberg died two months before his 85th birthday after falling from a ladder. During his long career, Malberg appeared in 21 films. Malberg also cowrote two stage plays: '' Bolettes Brudefærd'' (with

Orla Bock Orla may refer to: Places * Orla, Missouri, USA * Orla, Texas, USA *Orla, Jharkhand Orla is a census town in the Mandu CD block in the Ramgarh subdivision of the Ramgarh district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. Geography Location Orla i ...

) and '' Gamle Postgaard'' (with Axel Frische). Malberg performed in the 1938 movie version of '' Bolettes Brudefærd'' with his brother

Peter Malberg Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter {{expand list, date=August 2020 Peter is a common name. As a given name, it is generally derived from Peter the Apostle, born Simon, whom Jesus renamed "Peter" after he declared that Jesu ...

and Bodil Ipsen. Malberg was an honorary member of the Danish Actor's Union for which he sat on the board for 36 years.

Personal life

Malberg was the son of Peter Broch Malberg and Catrine Marie Schebye. His brother, Peter Malberg, was also an actor. Malberg married Anna Augusta Hansenmeyer on 11 May 1906. Malberg died on 28 September 1958. The address in Aarhus where Malberg was born houses a dinner theater.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Malberg, Henrik 1873 births 1958 deaths Danish male film actors Danish male silent film actors 20th-century Danish male actors Danish male stage actors People from Aarhus