Trond Kirkvaag
Encyclopedia
“”Trond Georg Kirkvaag was a Norwegian
comedian
, actor
, impressionist, screenwriter
, author
, director
and television host. During his 39 years at the Norwegian TV network, NRK, he produced numerous comedy television series. After his death he was widely hailed by his colleagues as possibly the greatest Norwegian TV-comedian in history. He was the son of NRK journalist and television host Rolf Kirkvaag
.
Trond Kirkvaag appeared on television for the first time in 1968 in an NRK 1 program titled “Smil til det skjulte kamera” (Smile to the hidden camera), which was originally broadcast on 7 October 1967. This was the first step into a long-standing professional relationship with NRK, and Trond Kirkvaag became a firm fixture in the national TV and radio corporation's identity .
Trond Kirkvaag was best known for his work with Knut Lystad
and Lars Mjøen
as part of the comedy trio KLM , which was inspired by such diverse influences as the absurd humour of Monty Python
; the nonsensical, wordy Blackadder
; Not the Nine O'Clock News
; the child-like mime-esque Mr. Bean
, made famous by Rowan Atkinson
; and even the slapstick
of the silent movie
era and the quick-fire wise-cracking of the Marx Brothers
.
Kirkvaag and his fellow comedians won the “Gullrute” (Golden Pane) television award in 2004. The award is given by fellow members of the acting profession, and is an indication of how well-respected he was among his colleagues.
KLM won another Gullrute in 2007; however, only Lystad and Mjøen were able to receive the award, as Kirkvaag was too ill to attend.. Lystad paid an emotional tribute to his long-time friend during his acceptance speech.
. It won the Chaplin Award in Montreux
. In 1976, he and Skolmen won the Golden Rose of Montreux, the Chaplin Award and the Press Award in Montreux
for “The Nor-way to Broadcasting”, a humorous program about the history of broadcasting
in Norway. He began his collaboration with Lystad and Mjøen in 1976 with the satirical news program, “Nynytt” (Newnews). In 1979 the three-man team wrote and starred in the first of four series about “Brødrene Dal” (The Dal Brothers), which continued to be produced until 2005 . They also created a live show: “Brødrene Dal - Vikingsverdets forbannelse” (The Brothers Dal - Curse of the Viking Sword) in 1997 and released an LP album
featuring songs from the show.
A Fifth series of “Brødrene Dal” was planned, but it was abandoned after Kirkvaag's death.
Other programs included “MRK Fjærsynet” (MRK TeeVee) - an ironic play on NRK's title, with the acronym being an abbreviation of “Morsk Rikskringkasting” (Hard and Fast National Broadcasting Corporation). Fjærsyn is a colloquial pronunciation of “fjernsyn” (TV), Skai TV - imitert fjernsyn” (Skai Ⓡ TV ' — An Imitated Television (Channel), 1988), “KLMs Nachspiel” (KLM's After Play, 1992) and “KLMs Vorspiel” (KLM's Prelude, the Montreux
live contributions, “Diplomatix” (1985) and “The Rise and Fall of an Olympic Village” (1994), as well as the film “Noe Helt Annet” (Something Completely Different, sometimes titled “Oppskrift på jubileumskake” — Jubilee Cake Recipe), a Monty Python
tag line
.
In 1996, Kirkvaag created the program “Trotto Libre” on NRK 1's “Alltid Moro” (Always Fun) , with fellow comedian Otto Jespersen
, in which he played the famous characters ‘Skræmmer'n’ (the Frightener) and ‘Jacob Winche-Lanche’. After the collaboration with Jespersen ended, he starred in a skit series
“Showtalk”, with short satirical sketches on a TV2 talk show
.
. He was cremated on 30 November .
His final TV appearance was on “Luftens Helter”, which he co-wrote with Knut Lystad
. The final episode was aired the day after his death.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, impressionist, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, director
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
and television host. During his 39 years at the Norwegian TV network, NRK, he produced numerous comedy television series. After his death he was widely hailed by his colleagues as possibly the greatest Norwegian TV-comedian in history. He was the son of NRK journalist and television host Rolf Kirkvaag
Rolf Kirkvaag
Rolf Kirkvaag was a Norwegian journalist, and a radio- and TV personality. He worked for NRK, the Norwegian state broadcasting network, between 1947 and 1959, and 1969 and 1990. From 1972 to 1985 he was entertainment director.Already a popular public persona, his fame grew enormously after an...
.
Trond Kirkvaag appeared on television for the first time in 1968 in an NRK 1 program titled “Smil til det skjulte kamera” (Smile to the hidden camera), which was originally broadcast on 7 October 1967. This was the first step into a long-standing professional relationship with NRK, and Trond Kirkvaag became a firm fixture in the national TV and radio corporation's identity .
Trond Kirkvaag was best known for his work with Knut Lystad
Knut Lystad
Knut Ove Lystad is a Norwegian actor,singer , translator ,screenwriter, comedian and occasional director, best known from the comedy trio KLM alongside Trond Kirkvaag and Lars Mjøen....
and Lars Mjøen
Lars Mjøen
Lars Mjøen is a Norwegian comedian, actor,singer, screenwriter, director, editor and author. He is best known as a member of the comedy trio KLM, alongside Trond Kirkvaag and Knut Lystad....
as part of the comedy trio KLM , which was inspired by such diverse influences as the absurd humour of Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
; the nonsensical, wordy Blackadder
Blackadder
Blackadder is the name that encompassed four series of a BBC1 historical sitcom, along with several one-off instalments. All television programme episodes starred Rowan Atkinson as anti-hero Edmund Blackadder and Tony Robinson as Blackadder's dogsbody, Baldrick...
; Not the Nine O'Clock News
Not the Nine O'Clock News
Not the Nine O'Clock News is a television comedy sketch show which was broadcast on BBC 2 from 1979 to 1982.Originally shown as a comedy "alternative" to the BBC Nine O'Clock News on BBC 1, it featured satirical sketches on current news stories and popular culture, as well as parody songs, comedy...
; the child-like mime-esque Mr. Bean
Mr. Bean
Mr. Bean is a British comedy television programme series of 14 half-hour episodes written by and starring Rowan Atkinson as the title character. Different episodes were also written by Robin Driscoll, Richard Curtis and one by Ben Elton. The pilot episode was broadcast on ITV on 1 January 1990,...
, made famous by Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Sebastian Atkinson is a British actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is most famous for his work on the satirical sketch comedy show Not The Nine O'Clock News, and the sitcoms Blackadder, Mr. Bean and The Thin Blue Line...
; and even the slapstick
Slapstick
Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...
of the silent movie
Silent Movie
Silent Movie is a 1976 satirical comedy film co-written, directed by, and starring Mel Brooks, and released by 20th Century Fox on June 17, 1976...
era and the quick-fire wise-cracking of the Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
.
Kirkvaag and his fellow comedians won the “Gullrute” (Golden Pane) television award in 2004. The award is given by fellow members of the acting profession, and is an indication of how well-respected he was among his colleagues.
KLM won another Gullrute in 2007; however, only Lystad and Mjøen were able to receive the award, as Kirkvaag was too ill to attend.. Lystad paid an emotional tribute to his long-time friend during his acceptance speech.
Career
He began working at NRK in 1968. One of his first successes was “Buffalo Bløffs internasjonale vegg-til-vegg-show” (The Buffalo Bluff Wall-to-Wall International Tour) in 1973, made with partner Jon SkolmenJon Skolmen
Jon Skolmen is a Norwegian actor and comedian. Between 1963 and 1981, he was employed by the Norwegian state broadcasting company NRK, where he most notably co-wrote and appeared in "The Nor-Way to Broadcasting" alongside Trond Kirkvaag, which won the Golden Rose of Montreux and Chaplin Award at...
. It won the Chaplin Award in Montreux
Montreux
Montreux is a municipality in the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.It is located on Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps and has a population, , of and nearly 90,000 in the agglomeration.- History :...
. In 1976, he and Skolmen won the Golden Rose of Montreux, the Chaplin Award and the Press Award in Montreux
Montreux
Montreux is a municipality in the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.It is located on Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps and has a population, , of and nearly 90,000 in the agglomeration.- History :...
for “The Nor-way to Broadcasting”, a humorous program about the history of broadcasting
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
in Norway. He began his collaboration with Lystad and Mjøen in 1976 with the satirical news program, “Nynytt” (Newnews). In 1979 the three-man team wrote and starred in the first of four series about “Brødrene Dal” (The Dal Brothers), which continued to be produced until 2005 . They also created a live show: “Brødrene Dal - Vikingsverdets forbannelse” (The Brothers Dal - Curse of the Viking Sword) in 1997 and released an LP album
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
featuring songs from the show.
A Fifth series of “Brødrene Dal” was planned, but it was abandoned after Kirkvaag's death.
Other programs included “MRK Fjærsynet” (MRK TeeVee) - an ironic play on NRK's title, with the acronym being an abbreviation of “Morsk Rikskringkasting” (Hard and Fast National Broadcasting Corporation). Fjærsyn is a colloquial pronunciation of “fjernsyn” (TV), Skai TV - imitert fjernsyn” (Skai Ⓡ TV ' — An Imitated Television (Channel), 1988), “KLMs Nachspiel” (KLM's After Play, 1992) and “KLMs Vorspiel” (KLM's Prelude, the Montreux
Montreux
Montreux is a municipality in the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.It is located on Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps and has a population, , of and nearly 90,000 in the agglomeration.- History :...
live contributions, “Diplomatix” (1985) and “The Rise and Fall of an Olympic Village” (1994), as well as the film “Noe Helt Annet” (Something Completely Different, sometimes titled “Oppskrift på jubileumskake” — Jubilee Cake Recipe), a Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
tag line
Premise (film)
The premise of a film or screenplay is the fundamental concept that drives the plot.Most premises can be expressed very simply. For example: Othello - Unchecked jealousy leads to death; Titanic - Love conquers all, physically and spiritually; The Silence of the Lambs - Courage destroys evil. ...
.
In 1996, Kirkvaag created the program “Trotto Libre” on NRK 1's “Alltid Moro” (Always Fun) , with fellow comedian Otto Jespersen
Otto Jespersen
Jens Otto Harry Jespersen or Otto Jespersen was a Danish linguist who specialized in the grammar of the English language.He was born in Randers in northern Jutland and attended Copenhagen University, earning degrees in English, French, and Latin...
, in which he played the famous characters ‘Skræmmer'n’ (the Frightener) and ‘Jacob Winche-Lanche’. After the collaboration with Jespersen ended, he starred in a skit series
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
“Showtalk”, with short satirical sketches on a TV2 talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
.
Death
On 16 November 2007, Trond Kirkvaag died aged 61 of colorectal cancerColorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer, commonly known as bowel cancer, is a cancer caused by uncontrolled cell growth , in the colon, rectum, or vermiform appendix. Colorectal cancer is clinically distinct from anal cancer, which affects the anus....
. He was cremated on 30 November .
His final TV appearance was on “Luftens Helter”, which he co-wrote with Knut Lystad
Knut Lystad
Knut Ove Lystad is a Norwegian actor,singer , translator ,screenwriter, comedian and occasional director, best known from the comedy trio KLM alongside Trond Kirkvaag and Lars Mjøen....
. The final episode was aired the day after his death.
External links
- KLM Fan Club (Norwegian)
- You Tube - Trond Kirkvaag: «Skræmmer'n på toget» (The Frightener on the Train) — Video sketch (Norwegian)