The Silver Lamp ( is, Silfurlampinn) was an award given annually from 1954 to 1973 by the Association of Icelandic Drama Critics (Félag íslenskra leikdómenda), a professional group of writers for the Reykjavík newspapers, for the best performance of the year on the Icelandic stage.

History

Tha award was instituted by the association of drama critics of the Reykjavík newspapers, who numbered half a dozen at the time, upon its foundation in March 1954. The lamp was designed by Leifur Kaldal, a goldsmith, to recall the oil lamps historically used in Icelandic homes. The award was the first acting award and possibly the first cultural award in Iceland."Silfurlampinn: 50 ára minning 1954 - 28. mars 2004"
Leikminjasafn Íslands, 2004 , retrieved 14 August 2017."Hálf öld frá upphafi Silfurlampans"
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Morgunblaðið ''Morgunblaðið'' (, ''The Morning Paper'') is an Icelandic newspaper. ''Morgunblaðið''s website, mbl.is, is the most popular website in Iceland. History ''Morgunblaðið'' was founded by Vilhjálmur Finsen and Ólafur Björnsson, brother of ...

'', 28 March 2004, p. 35 . The recipient was chosen by a vote based on total points for the year's performances, which led to some admired actors never achieving it.Jón Viðar Jónsson
"Silfurlampinn: Fyrstu íslensku menningarverðlaunin - 1954-1973"
Leikminjasafn Íslands, 2004 , retrieved 14 August 2017. Also online a
"Verðlaunaveitingar, glamúr og gleði"
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Fréttablaðið ''Fréttablaðið'' ( en, The Newspaper) is a free Icelandic newspaper. It is distributed five days per week. History and profile ''Fréttablaðið'' was established in 2001. It was originally owned primarily by the media group '' 365''. The pape ...

'', 28 March 2004, pp 32–33 . Three recipients won it twice: Valur Gíslason, and .Sigurður A. Magnússon
"Leikhússpjáll"
''Samvinnan'', 1 August 1969, pp. 52–54, p. 53 . The first woman to win the award was Guðbjörg Þorbjarnardóttir, in 1961.Picture caption
''19. Júni'', 19 June 1961, p. 27 .Picture caption
''Nýtt kvennablað'', 1 December 1961, p. 1 . In 1972, as a single exception, instead of an actor the award went to , a photographer. The 1973 Silver Lamp was to have been awarded to for his performance in supporting roles in productions including '' Cabaret'', but he refused it, reading a prepared statement. The chairman of the association, Þorvarður Helgason, the drama critic for ''

'', announced in response that the award would no longer be given. The 1973 lamp was subsequently sold at auction.

Award recipients

* 1954 - Haraldur Björnsson"'Samvizku minnar vegna segi ég nei takk' sagði Baldvin Halldórsson og þá slokknaði á kolunni"
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Tíminn ''Tíminn'' () was an Icelandic daily newspaper founded in 1917. It had close ties with the Icelandic Progressive Party but after years of financial difficulties, the party severed all ties with the paper in 1993. It merged with the newspaper ''Da ...

'', 3 July 1973, pp. 6–7 . * 1955 - Valur Gíslason * 1956 - * 1957 - * 1958 - Valur Gíslason * 1959 -

Brynjólfur Jóhanesson Brynjólfur is an Icelandic masculine given name. People with that name include: * Brynjólfur Bjarnason (1898–1989), Icelandic communist politician * Brynjólfur Pétursson (1810–1851), Icelandic lawyer and government official * Brynjólfur S ...

* 1960 - no award * 1961 - Guðbjörg Þorbjarnardóttir * 1962 - * 1963 - Gunnar Eyjólfsson * 1964 -

Helgi Skúlason Helgi Skúlason (4 September 1933 – 25 September 1996) was an Icelandic actor and stage director. Early life and education Helgi was born in Keflavík and attended the district school at Laugarvatn; he trained as an actor at the National Theat ...

* 1965 - Gísli Halldórsson * 1966 - Þorsteinn Ö. Stephensen * 1967 - * 1968 - Helga Bachmann * 1969 - Róbert Arnfinnsson * 1970 - * 1971 -

Sigríður Hagalín Sigríður Hagalín (7 December 1926 – 26 December 1992) was an Icelandic actress. She gained global popularity for her portrayal of Stella in the 1991 film Children of Nature. She was nominated for European Film Award for Best Actress and the fi ...

* 1972 - "Steinþór Sigurðsson hlaut silfurlampann"
''Tíminn'', 11 July 1972, p. 5 . * 1973 - (declined)

References

{{Reflist Theatre acting awards 1954 establishments in Iceland