Toralv Maurstad
Encyclopedia
Toralv Maurstad is a prominent actor
of Norwegian stage, screen and television. By many regarded as the leading Norwegian actor of his generation, he is the son of the highly regarded actor Alfred Maurstad
and actress Tordis Maurstad
, and half-brother of actress Mari Maurstad
.
Maurstad graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
(RADA) in London
in 1949. Through the years he has not only worked as a leading actor but is also a respected stage director, and was the head of Oslo Nye Teater (Oslo New Theatre) from 1967 to 1978 and most notably the head of Norway's National Theatre Nationaltheatret
from 1978 to 1986. He is considered perhaps the greatest interpreter of Henrik Ibsen's
Peer Gynt
, having played the part numerous times (he even performed excerpts from the play as late as the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City).
His only American film appearance (so far) was starring in the 1970 box office and critical disaster Song of Norway
, a film musical about the life of composer Edvard Grieg
(his co-star was Florence Henderson
). It was based on a successful, but now semi-forgotten, 1944 Broadway show
. So complete was the film's failure that today American audiences are still completely unaware of Maurstad's high standing in Norwegian classical and modern theatre.
A testament to his position in Norwegian theatre came when in the 1970s he co-starred with Liv Ullmann
in a critically acclaimed Broadway-staging of Ibsen's A Doll's House
in New York
.
In 1974 the King of Norway made him a Knight, First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav and in March 2007, Maurstad was appointed a Commander of the Order of St. Olav.
on New Year's Eve 1999, when she was 39 and he was 73. In 2001, Eriksen's application for adopting a child was rejected because Maurstad was considered to be too old. According to Norwegian rules, people who intend to adopt a child should be between 25 and 45, and Maurstad was 74.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
of Norwegian stage, screen and television. By many regarded as the leading Norwegian actor of his generation, he is the son of the highly regarded actor Alfred Maurstad
Alfred Maurstad
Alfred Maurstad was a leading Norwegian actor, and the father of actor Toralv Maurstad. Beside being an actor, Alfred was famous for playing the fiddle...
and actress Tordis Maurstad
Tordis Maurstad
Tordis Maurstad was a Norwegian stage actress. She was married to Alfred Maurstad, and the mother of Toralv Maurstad. She later married Helge Krog. She made her stage debut in Falkberget's play Fjellsjøheidningen in 1923. She was appointed at Det Norske Teatret in 1923, and worked at this theatre...
, and half-brother of actress Mari Maurstad
Mari Maurstad
Mari Maurstad is a Norwegian actress. She debuted at Nationalteatret in 1981, and has worked there since. Here she has had roles such as "Polly" in Brecht's The Threepenny Opera, and "Mrs. Sørby" in Ibsen's The Wild Duck. She has also acted in outdoor performances of Ibsen's Peer Gynt, and in...
.
Maurstad graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school located in London, United Kingdom. It is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1904.RADA is an affiliate school of the...
(RADA) in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1949. Through the years he has not only worked as a leading actor but is also a respected stage director, and was the head of Oslo Nye Teater (Oslo New Theatre) from 1967 to 1978 and most notably the head of Norway's National Theatre Nationaltheatret
Nationaltheatret
The National Theatre in Oslo is one of Norway's largest and most prominent venues for performance of dramatic arts.The theatre had its first performance on 1 September 1899 but can trace its origins to Christiania Theatre, which was founded in 1829...
from 1978 to 1986. He is considered perhaps the greatest interpreter of Henrik Ibsen's
Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt is a five-act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen, loosely based on the fairy tale Per Gynt. It is the most widely performed Norwegian play. According to Klaus Van Den Berg, the "cinematic script blends poetry with social satire and realistic scenes with surreal ones"...
, having played the part numerous times (he even performed excerpts from the play as late as the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City).
His only American film appearance (so far) was starring in the 1970 box office and critical disaster Song of Norway
Song of Norway (film)
Song of Norway is a 1970 film adaptation of the successful operetta of the same name, directed by Andrew L. Stone.Like the play from which it derived, the film tells of the early struggles of composer Edvard Grieg and his attempts to develop an authentic Norwegian national music...
, a film musical about the life of composer Edvard Grieg
Edvard Grieg
Edvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is best known for his Piano Concerto in A minor, for his incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt , and for his collection of piano miniatures Lyric Pieces.-Biography:Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born in...
(his co-star was Florence Henderson
Florence Henderson
Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...
). It was based on a successful, but now semi-forgotten, 1944 Broadway show
Song of Norway
Song of Norway is an operetta written in 1944 by Robert Wright and George Forrest, adapted from the music of Edvard Grieg and the book by Milton Lazarus and Homer Curran...
. So complete was the film's failure that today American audiences are still completely unaware of Maurstad's high standing in Norwegian classical and modern theatre.
A testament to his position in Norwegian theatre came when in the 1970s he co-starred with Liv Ullmann
Liv Ullmann
Liv Johanne Ullmann is a Norwegian actress and film director, as well as one of the "muses" of the Swedish director Ingmar Bergman...
in a critically acclaimed Broadway-staging of Ibsen's A Doll's House
A Doll's House
A Doll's House is a three-act play in prose by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premièred at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having been published earlier that month....
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
In 1974 the King of Norway made him a Knight, First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav and in March 2007, Maurstad was appointed a Commander of the Order of St. Olav.
Personal life
Maurstad married fellow actor Beate EriksenBeate Eriksen
Beate Marie Eriksen is a Norwegian actress and director. Eriksen has acted at several Norwegian theatres and is known for her role on the popular soap opera Hotel Cæsar....
on New Year's Eve 1999, when she was 39 and he was 73. In 2001, Eriksen's application for adopting a child was rejected because Maurstad was considered to be too old. According to Norwegian rules, people who intend to adopt a child should be between 25 and 45, and Maurstad was 74.