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Lau Lauritzen Jr.Danish film director, actor and screenwriter
Date of Birth: 26.06.1910
Country:  Denmark |
Content:
- Early Life and Influences
- Early Career and Acting Debut
- ASA Filmudlejning and Wartime Era
- Collaboration with Bodil Ipsen
- Later Career and Legacy
Early Life and Influences
Lau Lauritzen Jr. was born in 1910 in Vejle, Denmark, into a renowned acting and directing family. His father, Lau Lauritzen Sr., was a prominent figure in Danish silent cinema. Lauritzen Jr. honed his filmmaking skills while working at studios in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Belgium.
Early Career and Acting Debut
Upon his return to Denmark, Lauritzen Jr. joined the Palladium studio. He made his acting and directing debuts in 1934, co-directing the comedy "Ud I den kold sne" with Alice O'Fredericks. The duo collaborated on a total of 27 films during the 1930s and 1940s.
ASA Filmudlejning and Wartime Era
In 1937, Lauritzen Jr. co-founded the film studio ASA Filmudlejning with Jon Olsen and Henning Kramer, becoming its artistic director. During the German occupation of Denmark, he directed a remarkable 22 films for the studio.
Collaboration with Bodil Ipsen
From the 1940s onward, Lauritzen Jr. frequently collaborated with actress Bodil Ipsen. Together, they won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival for "De røde enge" (The Red Meadows), and Lauritzen Jr. received the Danish national film award "Bodil" three times (1949, 1951, and 1952) for films they co-directed.
Later Career and Legacy
In his later years, Lauritzen Jr. continued to direct films, with his last work released in 1969. He passed away in Copenhagen on May 12, 1977, and was buried in the churchyard at Horsholm Kirke. Lauritzen Jr.'s legacy as a pioneering Danish filmmaker and his iconic collaborations with Alice O'Fredericks and Bodil Ipsen have ensured his enduring place in cinematic history.
