Glory Leppänen ( Renvall; 28 November 1901 — 26 October 1979) was a Finnish actress, theatre and film director, and writer. She was the first Finnish woman film director.

Personal life

Glory Renvall was born in

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to a wealthy Finnish family. Her mother was the internationally renowned operatic soprano

Aino Ackté Aino Ackté (originally Achte; 24 April 18768 August 1944) was a Finland, Finnish dramatic soprano. She was the first international star of the Finnish opera scene after Alma Fohström, and a groundbreaker for the domestic field. Biography Ack ...

, and her father the lawyer, business executive and ''Senaattori'' (i.e. Minister) Heikki Renvall. There have been persistent rumours that her biological father was the Finnish painter

Albert Edelfelt Albert Gustaf Aristides Edelfelt (21 July 1854 – 18 August 1905) was a Finnish Painting, painter noted for his naturalistic style and Realism (arts), Realist approach to art. He lived in the Grand Duchy of Finland and made Finnish culture visib ...

, with whom her mother may have had an affair in Paris, but Glory Renvall herself has always insisted that her father is Heikki Renvall. In 1924, Glory Renvall married the actor , but he died in 1937 at the relatively young age of 43.

Career

Stage

Glory Leppänen trained at ''Suomen Näyttämöopisto'' ( 'Finnish Stage College'), which later came to be merged into

Helsinki Theatre Academy The Theatre Academy (, ) is one of the three academies of the University of the Arts Helsinki and offers education in theatre and dance. It is Finland's largest education provider in its field and, with the exception of acting, the only one in th ...

, graduating in 1922. She continued her studies in Europe, including at ''Regieseminar Max Reinhardt'' in

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. Leppänen was attached to the

Finnish National Theatre The Finnish National Theatre (), established in 1872, is a theatre located in central Helsinki on the northern side of the Helsinki Central Railway Station Square. The Finnish National Theatre is the oldest Finnish speaking professional thea ...

as an actor from 1922 to 1936. After that, she moved into leadership roles, as Director of the municipal theatre companies of

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(1936—1938),

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(1938—1939),

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(1940—1943),

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(1943—1949) and Helsinki (') (1949—1957). Leppänen also directed productions at the Finnish National Theatre and Opera of Finland (now

Finnish National Opera The Finnish National Opera and Ballet (; ) is a Finnish opera company and ballet company based in Helsinki. It is headquartered in the Opera House on the coast of the Töölönlahti bay in Töölö, which opened in 1993, and is state-owned throu ...

). Her directorial work was heavily influenced by Reinhardt's philosophies.

Film

Leppänen appeared in three films in the 1920s and 1930s. She also directed one feature-length film, '' Onnenpotku'' (1936), starring the relatively inexperienced actress and

Miss Europe Miss Europe is a beauty pageant for women from all over Europe. It was established in February 1927 by , the European distributor of Paramount, as a one-off event where the winner was to star in a film directed by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau. A ...

1934, Ester Toivonen. It was the first Finnish feature-length film directed by a woman, and as of 2020 remains the most successful such film by cinema audience numbers, with over 400,000 tickets sold.

Writing

In the 1960s, Leppänen published several adventure novels. She also wrote a book each on her mother Aino Ackté, and grandmother Emmy Achté, as well as her own memoirs titled ''Elämäni Teatteria'' (1971) ( 'Theatre of My Life').

Honours and awards

In 1951, Leppänen was awarded the ' medal of the

Order of the Lion of Finland Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leppänen, Glory 20th-century Finnish actresses Finnish theatre directors Finnish women theatre directors Finnish film directors Finnish women film directors 20th-century Finnish women writers 1901 births 1979 deaths Pro Finlandia Medals of the Order of the Lion of Finland