Tove Maës

Infobox actor
name = Tove Maës


imagesize = 200px
caption =
birthname =
birthdate = birth date|1921|4|30|mf=y
birthplace = Copenhagen, Denmark
deathdate =
deathplace =
othername =
occupation = Actress
yearsactive = 1946–1994
spouse = Carl Ottesen
domesticpartner =
website =
academyawards =
awards = awd|Bodil Award|1954|"Himlen er Blå"
awd|Bodil Award|1971|Det er Nat med Fru. Knudsen"
awd|Bodil Award|1983|Felix

Tove Maës is a Danish actress of stage, television and film best known for her starring roles in the series of "Morten Korch" films, in particular the "The Red Horses". Maës is a three-time recipient of the Bodil Award for Best Actress, winning in 1954, 1971, and 1983.

Biography

Career

Tove Maës was born in Copenhagen, Denmark on April 30, 1921. She studied with the Danish actor Albert Luther and , in 1942, was "discovered" by Theater Director Helge Rungwald who employed Maes at the Odense Theater.cite web |url=http://www.kvinfo.dk/side/170/bio/1000/query/tove%20ma%EBs/ |title=Dansk Kvindebiografisk Leksikon - Tove Maës |format= |work= |accessdate=] Shortly thereafter, Maës played the lead in Selma Lagerlof's "Dunungen". Maes sought an apprenticeship at the Royal Danish Theatre after appearing there in Carl Erik Soya's "Natteherberget", but was turned down. Instead, she worked at the Riddersalen, performing in long series of roles.

In 1946, Maes made a critically acclaimed screen debut as Ditte Godpige in the filmatization of Martin Andersen Nexø's novel, "Ditte Menneskebarn" ("Ditte, Child of Man"). Her performance in the film about the hardships of a young impoverished girl received international recognition. Especially noticed was her thoroughly wholesome and pure sensualism even while bathing nude.Piil, Morten, "Tove Maes", Danske Filmskuespillere, Gyldendal, (2001) pg 291-293] However, film reviewers in the United States (where the movie was seen in an edited version which removed any nudity) dismissed the movie as being too melodramatic. [Wollstein, Hans J. cite web |url=http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll |title=All Movie Guide|format= |work= |accessdate=2008-06-25] Maes replied in a later interview said that people there hadn't yet been confronted with poverty in such a realistic portrayal. During the 1950s, Maes performed in many of the light-hearted films by playing the part of the sweet young ingenue . She also played the starring role in several family films adapted from the popular Morten Korch novels, the first of which, "The Red Horses", became the biggest box-office success in Danish cinema. However, Maes also was able to bring a more serious side to her acting, and in 1954, she was awarded the Bodil Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of the insane girl in Sven Aage Lorentz's experimental film, "Himlen er Blå".

Maës focused again on her stage work during the 1960s with several performances at the Århus Theatre. In 1966, she caused public reaction when she went against her usual movie persona, playing against type in the role of a prostitute named Lucy in the black comedy "Galgenhumor" ("Gallows Humor"). She explained that she was tired of playing the nice young girl. She also began acting in a series of roles playing middle-aged mothers and wives. In 1971, Maës played the title role in "Det er nat med Fru Knudsen" ("Curtains for Mrs. Knudsen"). The film, directed by Henning Ørnbak and Leif Petersen, was an adaptation of Petersen's stage play that had debuted one year earlier with Maës in the same role. The part of the drunken and grotesque mother of a small-time criminal brought her the Bodil Award for Best Actress. For the 1975 comedy film "Ta' det some en mand, frue!" ("Take it Like a Man, Miss!") she was awarded the Mathilde Prize from the Danish Women's Society. She again won the Bodil Award in 1982 for her performance as an overlooked but fantasy-filled retiree in Erik Clausen's drama "Felix".

Maës is also noted for a number of supporting roles on television series including the sister, Jette on "Rundt om Selma", the mother in the adaptation of Pirandello's "Six Characters in Search of an Author", the subdued Lilly Lund on "Matador", and Mrs. Zachariasen on the TV mini-series "The Kingdom".

Personal life

Maës married Danish actor, writer and director Carl Ottosen in 1942. They were subsequently divorced and Maës married a second time to press photographer Jesper Gottschalck.

Filmography

References

External links

* [http://danskfilmogtv.dk/content.php?page=persons&sort=lastname&value=11334 Film in Denmark] (In Danish)
* [http://www.kvinfo.dk/side/170/bio/1000/query/tove%20ma%EBs/ Dansk Kvindebiografisk Leksikon ]
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0563736/ Internet Movie Database: Tove Maës]
* [http://dnfx.dfi.dk/pls/dnf/pwt.page_setup?p_pagename=dnfnavn&p_parmlist=navneid=1729 Det Danske Filminstitut]

Persondata
NAME= Maës, Tove
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Actress
DATE OF BIRTH= 1921-4-30
PLACE OF BIRTH= Copenhagen, Denmark
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=