Marguerite Viby
Encyclopedia
Marguerite Viby was a Danish
actress of stage, film and television. Considered one of the great comedy actresses of Danish cinema, Viby received honorary Bodil and Robert
Awards in 2000 for lifetime achievement. She appeared in more than 50 films and television shows during a career that spanned from the silent film era in 1929 until a television series in 1983.
, Denmark
on 25 June 1909, the daughter of a policeman and a secretary. Her father died when she was 16 and her mother a year later. Viby left school at 14, and worked part time to pay for dance lessons. She was schooled as a dancer at Emilie Walboms Ballet School aa well as through private instruction from the Danish Royal Dancer John Andersen. In 1923, when she was 14-years-old, Viby debuted in a summer revue at Tivoli Gardens. She continued to perform in revues and stage musicals throughout her life.
In 1929, Viby began her film career in the silent film Højt på en kvist (High on in the Attic). She followed with four Fy og Bi comedies film in which her casting was mostly based on her physical attraction, however in He, She and Hamlet, the first Danish combined sound film, she danced and sang a romantic duet with leading man Hans W. Petersen.
According to Danish film historian Morten Piil, it was Viby's next role which established her most noted persona—the energetic, witty woman who acts as she necessary to maneuver in a man's world. In the 1932 George Schnéevoigt
film Tretten År (13 Years), Viby was an office girl who plays a thirteen-year-old Lolita to avoid men's advances. Piil wrote that it was only Viby's "fundamental cheerful innocence which saved this erotic farce..."
Viby made her next nine films under the direction of her second husband, Emanuel Gregers
. This included four films after they divorced in 1938, and she had married the actor Knud Wold. Her greatest success during this period was Mille, Marie og Mig (Mille, Marie and Me) in which Viby played a woman with three personalities—the prim, bespectacled student Klaus; the erotic nightclub singer Mille; and the homebody Marie. As Mille, in Marlene Dietrich-style men's clothing, Viby sings the popular Danish hit Jeg har elsket dig så længe jeg kan mindes (I have Loved You as Long as I Can Remember).
In the early 1940s, Viby made two popular comedies with the directing duo of Alice O'Fredericks
and Lau Lauritzen Jr.
-- Frøken Kirkemus (Mrs. Churchmouse) and Frøken Vildkat (Mrs. Wildcat). The style of direction—quick light-hearted banter similar to American screw-ball comedies—was better suited to Viby than the heavier exposition of Gregers direction. She quickly became one of the most popular actresses and performed in a string of romantic comedies including Som du vil ha' mig-! (However You Will Have Me-!)(1943), Jeg elsker en anden (I Love Someone Else) (1946), and Den Store Gavtyv (1956).
In the 1970s and 80's, Viby continued her acting in television, including the continuing role of Olga Mortensen in the comedy series En Stor Familie (One Big Family). In 2000, Viby was presented with lifetime achievement awards at both the Bodil and Robert
awards ceremonies. Viby died the following year on 8 April 2001 at the age of 90.
(1932–1938). In 1938, Viby married businessman Knud Wold with whom she had her only child, the actress Susse Wold
. During the early 1940s, Viby was linked with Prince Bertil of Sweden. In 1953, she married actor Preben Mahrt, and after they divorced, she was married to schoolteacher Erik Henry Tangfelt from 1967 until his sudden death at 48 in 1971.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
actress of stage, film and television. Considered one of the great comedy actresses of Danish cinema, Viby received honorary Bodil and Robert
Robert Award
The Robert statue is a Danish film prize awarded each year by the Film Academy of Denmark. It is the Danish equivalent of the American Oscars. The award, voted only by academy members, is acknowledgement by Danish industry colleagues of a person's or film's outstanding contributions during the...
Awards in 2000 for lifetime achievement. She appeared in more than 50 films and television shows during a career that spanned from the silent film era in 1929 until a television series in 1983.
Career
Marguerite Viby was born Ida Marguerite Steenberg Jensen Viby in CopenhagenCopenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
on 25 June 1909, the daughter of a policeman and a secretary. Her father died when she was 16 and her mother a year later. Viby left school at 14, and worked part time to pay for dance lessons. She was schooled as a dancer at Emilie Walboms Ballet School aa well as through private instruction from the Danish Royal Dancer John Andersen. In 1923, when she was 14-years-old, Viby debuted in a summer revue at Tivoli Gardens. She continued to perform in revues and stage musicals throughout her life.
In 1929, Viby began her film career in the silent film Højt på en kvist (High on in the Attic). She followed with four Fy og Bi comedies film in which her casting was mostly based on her physical attraction, however in He, She and Hamlet, the first Danish combined sound film, she danced and sang a romantic duet with leading man Hans W. Petersen.
According to Danish film historian Morten Piil, it was Viby's next role which established her most noted persona—the energetic, witty woman who acts as she necessary to maneuver in a man's world. In the 1932 George Schnéevoigt
George Schnéevoigt
George Schnéevoigt was a Danish film director, cinematographer, and actor of the 1930s and early 1940s....
film Tretten År (13 Years), Viby was an office girl who plays a thirteen-year-old Lolita to avoid men's advances. Piil wrote that it was only Viby's "fundamental cheerful innocence which saved this erotic farce..."
Viby made her next nine films under the direction of her second husband, Emanuel Gregers
Emanuel Gregers
Emanuel Gregers was a Danish actor, screenwriter and film director. Gregers made 36 films during a career which extended during four decades from the Danish golden age of silent film until 1949. Critics often dismissed his work as dependable yet uninspired, however many of his light-hearted...
. This included four films after they divorced in 1938, and she had married the actor Knud Wold. Her greatest success during this period was Mille, Marie og Mig (Mille, Marie and Me) in which Viby played a woman with three personalities—the prim, bespectacled student Klaus; the erotic nightclub singer Mille; and the homebody Marie. As Mille, in Marlene Dietrich-style men's clothing, Viby sings the popular Danish hit Jeg har elsket dig så længe jeg kan mindes (I have Loved You as Long as I Can Remember).
In the early 1940s, Viby made two popular comedies with the directing duo of Alice O'Fredericks
Alice O'Fredericks
Alice O'Fredericks was a Danish actress, screen writer, and film director. She is best known for directing the series of Far til Fire comedies and the series of family dramas based on Morten Korch novels. Having written 38 produced screenplays and directed 72 feature films, O'Fredericks was one...
and Lau Lauritzen Jr.
Lau Lauritzen Jr.
Lau Lauritzen, Jr., , was a Danish actor, screenwriter, and film director. As a director, he was a 4-time recipient of the Bodil Award for Best Danish Film. Lauritzen co-founded the Danish film studio ASA Film and served as the studio's artistic director and administrative director .-Career:Lau...
-- Frøken Kirkemus (Mrs. Churchmouse) and Frøken Vildkat (Mrs. Wildcat). The style of direction—quick light-hearted banter similar to American screw-ball comedies—was better suited to Viby than the heavier exposition of Gregers direction. She quickly became one of the most popular actresses and performed in a string of romantic comedies including Som du vil ha' mig-! (However You Will Have Me-!)(1943), Jeg elsker en anden (I Love Someone Else) (1946), and Den Store Gavtyv (1956).
In the 1970s and 80's, Viby continued her acting in television, including the continuing role of Olga Mortensen in the comedy series En Stor Familie (One Big Family). In 2000, Viby was presented with lifetime achievement awards at both the Bodil and Robert
Robert Award
The Robert statue is a Danish film prize awarded each year by the Film Academy of Denmark. It is the Danish equivalent of the American Oscars. The award, voted only by academy members, is acknowledgement by Danish industry colleagues of a person's or film's outstanding contributions during the...
awards ceremonies. Viby died the following year on 8 April 2001 at the age of 90.
Personal life
While her professional acting life was steady, her personal life was more volatile. Viby married five times. Her first marriage was to actor and dancer Poul Christian Guldager (1926–1931), then to Danish film director Emanuel GregersEmanuel Gregers
Emanuel Gregers was a Danish actor, screenwriter and film director. Gregers made 36 films during a career which extended during four decades from the Danish golden age of silent film until 1949. Critics often dismissed his work as dependable yet uninspired, however many of his light-hearted...
(1932–1938). In 1938, Viby married businessman Knud Wold with whom she had her only child, the actress Susse Wold
Susse Wold
Susse Wold is a stage and screen actress whose career has spanned five decades. Born Lise Wold in Denmark, she is the daughter of actress Marguerite Viby. She quickly became a leading lady at the Det Kongelige Teater . In addition to her many TV, film and stage roles, Wold has toured the world...
. During the early 1940s, Viby was linked with Prince Bertil of Sweden. In 1953, she married actor Preben Mahrt, and after they divorced, she was married to schoolteacher Erik Henry Tangfelt from 1967 until his sudden death at 48 in 1971.
Filmography
- Højt paa en kvistHøjt paa en kvistHøjt paa en kvist is a 1929 Danish silent family film directed by Lau Lauritzen Sr. and written by his son Lau Lauritzen Jr..-Cast:*Carl Schenstrøm ... Fyrtårnet*Harald Madsen ... Bivognen*Victor Wulff*Gerda Kofoed*Marguerite Viby*Nina Kalckar...
- (1929) - Pas paa pigerne (1930)
- Hr. Tell og søn (1930)
- Ve' den, der lyver (1930) ... aka Woe to Him who Lies
- Krudt med knald (1931)
- Skal vi væde en million - (1932)
- Han, hun og HamletHan, hun og HamletHan, hun og Hamlet is a 1932 Danish comedy film directed by Lau Lauritzen Sr.-Cast:* Marguerite Viby - Eva* Hans W. Petersen - Evas kæreste* Olga Svendsen - Institutsbestyrerinde* Christian Arhoff - Teaterdirektøren* Erna Schrøder - Skuespillerinde...
- (1932) ... aka He, She and Hamlet - Skal vi vædde en million?Skal vi vædde en million?Skal vi vædde en million? is a 1932 Danish romantic drama film directed by George Schnéevoigt and written by frequent collaborators Fleming Lynge and Paul Sarauw...
- 1932 ... aka Do You want to bet a Million? - Tretten år - 1932
- Fem raske piger - 1933
- Så til søs - 1933
- Skaf en sensation - 1934
- Min kone er husar - 1935
- CocktailCocktailA cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink that contains two or more ingredients—at least one of the ingredients must be a spirit.Cocktails were originally a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. The word has come to mean almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol...
- 1937 - Mille, Marie og mig - 1937
- Komtessen på Stenholt - 1939
- En pige med pep - 1940
- Sørensen og Rasmussen - 1940
- Frøken KirkemusFrøken KirkemusFrøken Kirkemus is a 1941 Danish family film directed by Lau Lauritzen, Jr. and Alice O'Fredericks.-Cast:* Marguerite Viby - Frk. Eva Holm* Poul Reumert - Direktør Thomas Berg* Johannes Meyer - Obersten* Ib Schønberg - Bogholder Blom...
- 1941 - Lykken kommer - 1942
- Frøken Vildkat - 1942
- Op med humøret - 1943
- Som du vil ha' mig - 1943
- TeatertossetTeatertosset-Cast:* Marguerite Viby as Dorrit Madsen* Hans Kurt as Knud Andersen* Karl Gustav Ahlefeldt as Ole Vang* Johannes Meyer as Hr. Fuglsang* Else Jarlbak as Nanna Sten* Sigrid Horne-Rasmussen as Gerda* Preben Neergaard as Harald* Erik Sjøgreen as Jens...
- 1944 - Lilla helgonet - 1944
- Jeg elsker en anden - 1946
- Den opvakte jomfruDen opvakte jomfruDen opvakte jomfru is a 1950 Danish family film directed by Lau Lauritzen, Jr. and Alice O'Fredericks.-Cast:* Marguerite Viby - Skønjomfruen Anne Pedersdatter* Helge Kjærulff-Schmidt - Profossor Ebenezer Steenhammer* Lisbeth Movin - Frk. Grøndal...
- 1950 - Den store gavtyvDen store gavtyvDen store gavtyv is a 1956 Danish comedy film directed by Johan Jacobsen and starring Dirch Passer.-Cast:* Dirch Passer - K.M.M. Mathisen* Ole Monty - S.P.R.F...
- 1956 - Hvad vil De ha'?Hvad vil De ha'?Hvad vil De ha'? is a 1956 Danish comedy film directed by Jens Henriksen and Preben Neergaard and starring Dirch Passer.-Cast:* Asbjørn Andersen - Filmproducenten* Boyd Bachmann - Himself* Paul Hagen - Soldaten* Hans Kurt - Vagabonden...
- 1956 - Pigen og vandpyttenPigen og vandpyttenPigen og vandpytten is a 1958 Danish family film directed by Bent Christensen and starring Lily Broberg.-Cast:* Lily Broberg - Mai Grøndahl* Preben Mahrt - Erik Thorbjørn* Buster Larsen - Teaterdirektører...
- 1958 - Mine tossede drengeMine tossede drengeMine tossede drenge is a 1961 Danish family film directed by Sven Methling and starring Marguerite Viby.-Cast:* Marguerite Viby - Gerda Henriksen* Otto Brandenburg - William Henriksen* Poul Reichhardt - Ernst Henriksen* Judy Gringer - Nina...
- 1961 - Don Olsen kommer til byenDon Olsen kommer til byenDon Olsen kommer til byen is a 1964 Danish comedy film directed by Anker Sørensen. The film stars Dirch Passer.-Cast:*Dirch Passer*Buster Larsen*Bodil Udsen*Birgitte Price*Marguerite Viby*Bendt Rothe*Otto Brandenburg*Daimi Larsen*Karl Stegger...
- 1964 - Far laver sovsen - 1967
- Mordskab - (1969) ... aka The Busybody
- På'en igen Amalie - 1973
Awards
- Johanne Luise HeibergJohanne Luise HeibergJohanne Luise Heiberg was one of the greatest Danish actresses of the 19th century. She is most famous for her work at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, where she achieved great success.-Early life:...
Memorial Grant - Liva WeelLiva WeelLiva Weel was a Danish singer and actress. She is listed in the book of The 20th century's 100 most important people in Denmark.- Filmography :* Odds 777 * De blaa drenge * Cocktail...
Anniversary Grant - Ole Haslund Artists Fund (1969)
- Frederiksberg Artist of the Year (1983)
- Clara Pontoppidans Fødseldaglegat (1987)
- Karl Gerhardts Hæderpris (1987)
- Bodil Award (2000)
- Robert AwardRobert AwardThe Robert statue is a Danish film prize awarded each year by the Film Academy of Denmark. It is the Danish equivalent of the American Oscars. The award, voted only by academy members, is acknowledgement by Danish industry colleagues of a person's or film's outstanding contributions during the...
(2000)
Further reading
- Mørk, Ebbe, Marguerite Viby - det var sjovt at være til (2001)
- Pils, Morten, Marguerite Viby, Danske filmskuespillere, Gyldendal (2003):
- Spies, Margrethe Linder, Marguerite Viby: skuespillerindens karrière i tekst og billeder (1940)
- Marguerite Viby Død, Obituary, BT Newspaper, (8 April 2001), retrieved 2008-06-13