Danish postcard by Alex Vincents Kunstforlag, Copenhagen, no. 1008. Holger Reenberg in the play 'Fangen paa Zenda' (The Prisoner of Zenda), based on the novel by Anthony Hope. Reenberg played the double role of Crown Prince Rudolph of Ruritania and Rudolph Rassendyll in 'The Prisoner of Zenda' in August 1903 at the Casino theatre in Copenhagen.
Danish postcard by Alex Vincents Kunstforlag, Copenhagen, no. 372. Holger Reenberg in the fairytale play 'Prinsessen og det halve kongerige' by Holger Drachmann, first performed in 1905 at the Casino theatre in Copenhagen.
A lover in folk plays and operettas
Holger Christian Frederik Reenberg was born in 1872 in Copenhagen. He was the son of the merchant Tøger Reenberg and his wife Camilla Amalie Holgersen. He grew up in Copenhagen. After graduating from high school, he attended the Elevenschule (school) at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen.
He made his theatre debut in 1896 in Helsingør as Oregon in 'Tartuffe' with theatre director Oddgeir Steffensen. In 1900, he started in Copenhagen at the Dagmarteatret. At the Casino theatre, he played a large repertoire as a lover in folk plays and operettas. He played the lead role as Count Danilo in 'Den glade enke' (The Merry Widow) opposite Gerda Krum almost 200 times. He also had success at the same theatre as the alcoholic plumber Copeau in 'Faldgruben' (Germinal / The Pit) by Emile Zola.
Reenberg subsequently performed at numerous theatres in Copenhagen, including the Folketeatret, the Odense Theatre, the Aarhus Theatre, and the Betty Nansen Theatre, where he later became a long-term ensemble member. At the Folketeatret, he had success as Professor Unrath in 'Den blaa Engel ('The Blue Angel, 1933) by Heinrich Mann and as Bishop Beugel in 'Han sidder ved Smeltediglen' (He sits by the melting pot, 1936) by Kaj Munk.
Holger Reenberg made his debut as a film actor in 1912 at the company Kinografen, probably in the film Marconi-Telegrafisten / The Marconi Operator (Einar Zangenberg, 1912). Between 1912 and 1913, Reenberg did some 10 films at Kinografen, including Skuespilleren / The Actor (dir. unknown, 1913). He often had the leading role at Kinografen.
From 1914, Holger Reenberg acted at various companies, but with less frequency. He appeared opposite Valdemar Psilander in the Fotorama production Elskovsleg / Love's Devotee (Holger-Madsen, August Blom, 1914). After 1917, Holger Reenberg wasn't active in Danish silent cinema anymore, apart from supporting parts at the end of the silent era in two Pat & Patachon (Fy og Bi) comedies at Palladium. In Germany, he appeared in Ein Lebenskünstler / An Artist of Life (Holger-Madsen, 1925), starring Erna Morena and Grete Mosheim.
Danish postcard by Alex Vincents Kunstforlag, Copenhagen, no. 1425. Holger Reenberg in the fairytale play 'Prinsessen og det halve kongerige' by Holger Drachmann, first performed in 1905 at the Casino theatre in Copenhagen.
Danish postcard by Paul Heckscher, unnumbered. Mailed in 1907. Holger Reenberg in the Franz Léhar operetta 'Den glade Enke' (The Merry Widow) at the Casino theatre in Copenhagen in 1906.
A naturalistic actor with an excellent stage appearance and a sense of warm humanity
In 1931, Holger Reenberg acted in his first sound film, the crime drama Hotel Paradis (George Schnéevoigt, 1931). Between 1932 and 1940, he acted in five more Danish sound films. His last film appearance was in 1940 at ASA in Arne Weel's En Dersertør / A Deserter (Lau Lauritzen, 1940). From 1939 until his death in 1942, Reenberg was the manager of Fasan Bio, a cinema in Fredriksberg.
On stage, he performed at the Royal Theatre from 1930 to 1933 and at the Det Ny Teater from 1934 to 1935. Holger Reenberg's repertoire included character roles and, at the lighter end, roles as the leading man. With his fine singing voice, he also excelled in operetta. He was used a lot on the radio and hosted several reading evenings.
Holger Reenberg was married four times, and he had two sons and two daughters. His first marriage was in 1901 to actress Marie Sophie Christine Sørensen. His son, actor Palle Reenberg and daughter, actress Ellen Reenberg Dich, are from this marriage. His second wife (some sources say they never married) was the actress Olga Svendsen. Their daughter, Elga Svendsen (1906), also pursued a career in acting.
In 1920, he married for the third time to actress Magda Helene Borving Eriksen, with whom he had a daughter, the director and screenwriter Annelise Reenberg, in 1919. In 1928, he married actress Ellen Carla Marie Carstensen, with whom he had a son, Jørgen Reenberg, in 1927.
Holger Reenberg died in 1942 in Frederiksberg at the age of 69. He is buried in Aeldre-Kirkegard, Frederiksberg Old Cemetery. Jytte Wiingaard & Robert Neiiendam at Dansk Biografisk Leksikon: "R. was a naturalistic actor with an excellent stage appearance and a sense of warm humanity, but his stage talent lacked the fiery and passionate temperament."
Danish postcard by Paul Heckscher, no. 5079. Mailed in 1908. Holger Reenberg in 'Aladdin', a drama by Adam Oehlenschläger, performed at the Casino in Copenhagen in 1907.
Danish postcard by C.AT. (Carl Stenders), no. 4863. Holger Reenberg as Hades in the operetta 'Orpheus i Unterverden' (Orphée aux Enfers / Orpheus in the Underworld) by Jacques Offenbach.
Source: Jytte Wiingaard & Robert Neiiendam (Dansk Biografisk Leksikon - Danish), Danske Film (Danish), Biografmuseet (Danish), Wikipedia (English, German and Danish), and IMDb.
No comments:
Post a Comment