Gull-Maj Norin

Infobox actor
name = Gull-Maj Norin


imagesize = 200px
caption =
birthname =
birthdate = Birth date|1913|4|20
birthplace = Helsingborg, Sweden
deathdate = Death date and age|1997|11|27|1913|4|20
deathplace = Copenhagen, Denmark
othername =
occupation = Actress
yearsactive = 1936–1947
spouse = Søren Melson
(1940–1984)
domesticpartner =
website =
academyawards =
awards =

Gull-Maj Norin, (1913–1997), was a Danish actress of stage and film who performed for acting companies in both Denmark and Sweden during the 1930's and 40's. She is best known for her leading role as the suspected serial murderer in the 1944 film noir thriller "Melody of Murder".

Biography

Gull-Maj Norin was born in Helsingborg, Sweden on April 4, 1920. Norin was the daughter of Swedish actress Ann-Sofi Norin (1893-1942) and moved with her to Denmark when she was 10-years-old. She began her career as an artist, studying with the painter Peter Rostrup Bøyesen. She made her stage debut in a 1931 production of "Lysistrata" at the Riddersalen Theater in Copenhagen. The following year Norin landed a small role as a choirgirl in Emanuel Greger's comedy film "Odds 777". During the next several years she performed as a cabaret singer and stage actress in many theaters in Denmark and Sweden.

Norin became a film star in Denmark during the 1940's, however her career was brief. After several small roles, her breakthrough came as the heroine in the George Schnéevoigt melodrama "Fredløs" ("Outlawed"). After seeing her performance, the Hollywood director Josef von Sternberg asked Norin to replace the injured Merle Oberon in his film "I, Claudius". However, the outbreak of World War II prevented the production. Norin worked for ASA Film company in such movies as "De Tre, måske fire", "Nordhavets mænd" and with Max Hansen in "Weinerbarnet". With her Swedish background, she also made several films in Sweden. In 1942, Norin began working with Danish director Bodil Ipsen. Norin's finest performance came in their third collaboration, Ipsen's 1944 crime thriller "Mordets Melodi", in which Norin played a cabaret singer suspected of serial murder. The film is considered the first Danish film noir.

Norin made her final film, "Mani" in 1947. Thereafter, she withdrew from public performance. The Danish film critic Morten Piils wrote that Norin's acting created a "different female type with figures filled with tragic undertones and vague suffering."Piils, Morten, [http://dnfx.dfi.dk/pls/dnf/pwt.page_setup?p_pagename=dnfnavn&p_parmlist=navneid=113267 "Gull-Maj Norin"] , Danske Filmskuespillere, Gyldendal, 2003, retrieved 2008-06-14] Norin married film and television director Søren Melson in 1940. They remained married until his death in 1984. Norin died on November 27, 1993.

Filmography

*"Odds 777" (1932)
*"Två man om en änka" (1933)
*"Karl Fredrik regerar" (1934) .... Lena ... aka "Karl Fredrik Reigns" (USA)
*"Sången om den eldröda blomman" (1934) .... Maikki ... aka "Man's Way with Women" (USA)
*"Fredløs" (1935)
*"Det begyndte ombord" (1937)
*"De tre, måske fire" (1939)
*"Nordhavets mænd" (1939
*"Wienerbarnet" - (1941)
*"Alle mand på dæk" (1942)
*"En herre i kjole og hvidt" (1942) .... Gloria Brandt ... aka "A Gentleman in Top Hat and Tails"
*"Tante Cramers testamente" (1942)
*"Et skud før midnat" (1942)
*"Ballade i Nyhavn" (1942)
*"Drama på slottet" (1943)
*"Mordets Melodi" (1944) ... Cabaret Singer Odette Margot/Sonja ... aka "Melody of Murder"
*"I går og i morgen" (1945)
*"Så mødes vi hos Tove" (1946).... Gerd ... aka"We Meet at Tove's"
*"Mani" (1947)

Refererences

External Links

* [http://www.danskefilm.dk/skuespiller/75.html Den Danske Film Database] (In Danish)
* [http://dnfx.dfi.dk/pls/dnf/pwt.page_setup?p_pagename=dnfnavn&p_parmlist=navneid=113267 Det Danske Filminstitut]
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0635361/ IMDb]

Persondata
NAME= Norin, Gull-Maj
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Actress
DATE OF BIRTH= 1913-4-20
PLACE OF BIRTH= Helsingborg, Sweden
DATE OF DEATH= 1997-11-27
PLACE OF DEATH= Copenhagen, Denmark