Alice O'Fredericks
| Alice O'Fredericks | |
|---|---|
| Born |
8 September 1899 Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Died | 18 February 1968 (aged 68) Hellerup, Denmark |
| Other names | Mitzi Otha Alice Fredericksen |
| Occupation | Actress, Director, Writer |
| Years active | 1921–1963 |
| Spouse(s) | Oskar Klintholm |
Alice O'Fredericks (8 September 1899 – 18 February 1968) was a Danish actress, screenwriter, and film director. She is best known for directing the series of Far til Fire (Father of Four) comedies and the series of family dramas based on Morten Korch novels. Having written 38 produced screenplays and directed 72 feature films, O'Fredericks was one of the most prolific directors in Danish cinema. O'Fredericks also directed the first Danish films which highlighted women's rights. The Alice Award, presented annually to the Best Female Director at the Copenhagen International Film Festival, is named in her honor.
Alice O'Fredericks was born Mitzi Otha Alice Fredericksen on 8 September 1899 in Gothenburg, Sweden, the daughter of Danish parents. Her parents divorced when she was a young girl, after which she moved with her mother to Copenhagen. She was educated at a secretarial school then landed a job in 1918 as a script girl for Danish director, Benjamin Christensen. At this time she adopted the stage name of Alice O'Fredericks. In 1920, O'Fredericks stepped in front of the camera, making her film debut as a nun in Christensen's controversial silent film Häxan (The Witches). Through the 1920s, she performed in several films including Gudmundur Kamban's drama Hadda Padda, and the comedy Pas Paa Pigerne for the popular Danish duo of Fyrtårnet og Bivognen (Carl Schenstrøm and Harold Madsen). She created the Tumling Film production company with actor Johannes Meyer, played the starring role in two movies for Nordisk Film, and finished her acting career in George Schnéevoigt's 1929 Norwegian production of Laila.
O'Fredericks debuted as a screenwriter in 1928 after winning a contest sponsored by the B.T. newspaper. Her manuscript became the Fyrtårnet og Bivognen film Filmens Helte (The Heroes of the Movies). Thereafter she was employed with Palladium Film as a screenwriter and became a director's assistant to Lau Lauritzen Sr.. Through Lauritzen's mentoring, O'Fredericks learned the craft of filmmaking which laid the groundwork for her long and successful career as a director. She began directing films in 1934 in partnership with Lauritzen's son, Lau Lauritzen Jr.. Their first effort was the farce Ud i den kolde sne (Out in the Cold Snow). The O'Fredericks-Lauritzen partnership flourished and they made 27 films together during the 1930s and 1940s. In 1950, she took a solo turn in the director's chair at ASA Film with the filmatization of the Morten Korch novel De røde heste (The Red Horse). Korch's novels about rural life were very popular in Denmark but until then had never been transferred to the screen. The Red Horses was a huge success, and with 2.3 million viewers, became the most watched film in Danish history. O'Fredericks went on to film six more Korch novels.
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