Oda Laurenze Helmine Nielsen née Larsen (1851–1936) was a highly acclaimed Danish actress who performed both in private theatres in

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 ...

and 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 ser ...

. Inspired by French actresses, she played the roles of attractive young women, for example in the title roles of

Frøken Nitouche ''Frøken Nitouche'' is a 1963 Danish comedy film directed by Annelise Reenberg and starring Lone Hertz and Dirch Passer. It is based on the operetta ''Mam'zelle Nitouche''. Cast * Lone Hertz as Frk. Nitouche / Charlotte Borg * Dirch Passer a ...

and

Victorien Sardou Victorien Sardou ( , ; 5 September 18318 November 1908) was a French dramatist. He is best remembered today for his development, along with Eugène Scribe, of the well-made play. He also wrote several plays that were made into popular 19th-centur ...

's ''Dora''. She later took on roles where she sang, imitating the French singer

Yvette Guilbert Yvette Guilbert (; born Emma Laure Esther Guilbert, 20 January 1865 – 3 February 1944) was a French cabaret singer and actress of the ''Belle Époque''. Biography Born in Paris into a poor family as Emma Laure Esther Guilbert, Guilbert be ...

. This increased her popularity not only in

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

but also in the United States where she performed for Danish audiences. One of her favourite roles in later life was Grevinde Danner (Countess Danner) in Sven Leopold's ''Hos Grevinden''.

Biography

Born on 7 August 1851 in

Liepāja Liepāja (; liv, Līepõ; see #Names and toponymy, other names) is a state city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea. It is the largest-city in the Kurzeme Planning Region, Kurzeme Region and the third-largest city in the country after R ...

, Latvia, Oda Laurenze Helmine Larsen was the daughter of the ship owner Jens Larsen (1820–85) and Caresia Møller (1822–74). In 1871, she married the telegraphy executive Jens Petersen (1843–80) and in 1884, the actor Martinius Nielsen (1859-1928). Nielsen's début was in May 1870 at the Casino Theatre,

, when she acted anomynously in Erik Bogh's Vaudeville play ''Et enfoldigt Pigebarn''. Despite her lack of any previous stage experience, she proved a great success, thanks to her natural grace and her good singing voice. After a few more roles at the Casino, in 1871 she married an executive from the Store Nordiske Telegrafselskab whom she accompanied to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

where he was stationed until his death in 1880. Now familiar with the theatrical repertoire in Paris, she returned to the Casino in 1881, playing the title role in Victorien Sardou's ''Dora'', arousing comparisons with the French actress

Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 or 23 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including '' La Dame Aux Camel ...

. Such was her success that she was also invited to act at the

but she actually preferred appearing at the Casino and later at the Dagmar Theatre. Here, in 1884, she was enormously successful in the operetta

, appearing 500 times. That year she married the actor Martin Nielsen, joining him in performances of plays by

Adam Oehlenschläger Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger (14 November 177920 January 1850) was a Danish poet and playwright. He introduced romanticism into Danish literature. He wrote the lyrics to the song ''Der er et yndigt land'', which is one of the national anthems ...

Ludvig Holberg Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg (3 December 1684 – 28 January 1754) was a writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright born in Bergen, Norway, during the time of the Dano-Norwegian dual monarchy. He was influenced by Humanism, ...

and

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

at the Royal Theatre over the next six years. Her husband then took over the management of the Casino Theatre and merged it with the Dagmar, benefiting from the support of his wife. Her popularity continued to increase, especially when she imitated the French singer

in works such as Sardou's ''Madame Sans-Gêne''. In 1906, she went to the United States on a singing tour, performing for Danish audiences. In later life, one of her most successful roles was Grevinde Danner in Svend Leopold's ''Hos Grevinden'' which she continued to perform in the provinces until she was almost 80. In 1910, she was awarded the Ingenio et arti and in 1920 the Danish Medal of Merit. Oda Nielsen died in

Skodsborg Skodsborg is a small town/suburb approx. 20 km. north of Copenhagen, Denmark. The town has a population of 1,269 (1 January 2022)

on 11 September 1936 and is buried in Copenhagen's

Vestre Cemetery Vestre Cemetery ( da, Vestre Kirkegård, meaning "Western Cemetery") is located in a large park setting in the Kongens Enghave district of Copenhagen, Denmark. With its 54 hectares it is the largest cemetery in Denmark. The cemetery is landscape ...

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nielsen, Oda 19th-century Danish women singers 1851 births 1936 deaths Actresses from Copenhagen Actors from Liepāja Recipients of the Medal of Merit (Denmark) Recipients of Ingenio et Arti 19th-century Danish actresses Danish stage actresses 20th-century Danish actresses