Lau Lauritzen Jr. | |
---|---|
Promotional Photo of Lau Lauritzen
for the 1935 film Weekenden |
|
Born |
Vejle, Denmark |
26 June 1910
Died | 12 May 1977 Copenhagen, Denmark |
(aged 66)
Occupation | Actor, Director, Studio Head |
Years active | 1931–1965 |
Spouse(s) | Lisbeth Movin |
Awards |
Bodil Award 1949 Støt står den danske sømand Bodil Award 1951 Café Paradis Bodil Award 1952 Det Sande Ansigt Bodil Award 1954 Farlig Ungdom Palme D'or 1946 De Røde Enge |
Lau Lauritzen Jr. (26 June 1910 – 12 May 1977), was a Danish actor, screenwriter, and film director. As a director, he was a 4-time recipient of the Bodil Award for Best Danish Film. Lauritzen co-founded the Danish film studio ASA Film and served as the studio's artistic director (1937–1945) and administrative director (1945–1964).
Lau Lauritzen Jr. was born 26 June 1910 in Vejle, Denmark, the son of silent film actor and director Lau Lauritzen Sr.. He pursued an education in the film industry by working at film studios in England, Germany, France, and Belgium. After returning to Denmark, he worked for his father at Palladium Film productions in multiple positions including screenwriter, cameraman, soundman, and director's assistant. In 1934, Lauritzen made his acting debut in the comedy Barken Margrethe. Earlier that same year, before he was 24 years old, Lauritzen made his directorial debut with the 1934 farcical comedy, Ud I den kold sne (Out in the Cold Snow). Lauritzen co-directed the film with Alice O'Fredericks who had also been working as a director's assistant for Lauritzen's father at Palladium. The Lauritzen-O'Fredericks partnership flourished and they eventually made 27 films together during the 1930s and 1940s.
In 1937, Lauritzen, along with director John Olsen and Henning Karmark, established the ASA Film studio, where Lauritzen worked as the company's artistic director. At ASA, he often co-directed films, notably with the leading women directors Alice O'Fredericks and Bodil Ipsen. During the years of German occupation in World War II, Lauritzen directed 22 films through ASA Film. In 1946, Lauritzen shared with Ipsen the Palme D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for their film The Red Meadows (De røde enge) which told about Danish resistance fighters during the German occupation. The film starred Lauritzen's new wife, Lisbeth Movin, whom he had married the previous year.