Henrik Malberg
Henrik Malberg (1873–1958) was a Danish actor of theater and Danish cinema who played his most noted role at the age of 80—the stoic authoritative farm owner in the Carl Th. Dreyer classic film Ordet.
Career
Henrik Martin Marinus Malberg was born in Aarhus Denmark on 4 December 1873. Originally trained as a mechanic, Malberg made his stage debut at the Århus Teater in 1896. Malberg worked with a touring company for several years but between 1902 and 1905 he was based with the Aarhus Theater. While playing the role of Arv in Masquerade, Malberg was noticed by the Danish actor Olaf Poulsen who brought him to Copenhagen. For the next five years, Malberg was the principal actor at the Dagmar Theater in Copenhagen. In 1910, he became director for a Danish touring company, then once again returned to the Dagmar (1912–1914) and afterwards, the Alexander Theater (1914–1917). In his later years, Malberg was employed at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen.
Malberg made his screen debut in the 1910 silent film, The Picture of Dorian Gray. He appeared in several more films during the silent era for the major Danish directors of the period: George Schnéevoigt, Emanuel Gregers, Holger-Madsen and Lau Lauritzen, Sr. He also performed in three Fy & Bi comedies. Then in 1930, Malberg performed the lead role in the first purely Danish sound film as the priest in the crime mystery Præsten i Vejlby. A man of large stature and booming voice, Malberg was primarily a stage performer, and his film performances are described as imposing and theatrical. It was not until he was 80 years old that Malberg played his most memorable role—as the farm owner Morten Borgen in the classic Carl Th. Dreyer film Ordet (The Word). Malberg credited Dreyer with teaching him the art of film acting.
