Bodil Rosing

Danish and American actress (1877–1941)

Eiliv Jansen

(m. 1898; div. 1919)

Children4

Bodil Rosing (born Bodil Frederikke Hammerich; December 27, 1877 – December 31, 1941) was a Danish stage and American film actress in the silent and sound eras.

Early years

Bodil Hammerich was born in Copenhagen, the daughter of music dean Angel Hammerich and pianist Golla Hammerich (née Bodenhoff-Rosing). She studied acting at the Royal Danish Theatre in the 1890s.

Career

Rosing worked as a stage actress in Denmark, performing for three years with the Royal Danish Theatre.^[1] She had her stage debut in Henrik Christiernsson's comedy Gurli at the Dagmar Theatre in 1898. In 1904, she played Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew at the Casino Theatre.^[2] Her last role at the Dagmar Theatre was as Michelle in Camille in 1905.

During the early 1920s, she made one or two stage appearances on Broadway, including Fools Errant (1922),^[3] while raising her children alone.^[4]^[5] She was retired from acting when she came to Hollywood in 1924, where her daughter married actor Monte Blue. There, she was chosen to play a film role, in inn Pretty Ladies (1925).

Rosing was under studio contract at MGM and often played matronly roles such as servants, housekeepers, cooks, or mothers. Her most notable role was perhaps Janet Gaynor's faithful maid in F.W. Murnau's silent film Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927). With the advent of sound film, she mostly portrayed foreigners and proved herself an extremely versatile actress in a variety of ethnicities, in about 85 films until her death. She appeared as the wife of her Danish compatriot, Jean Hersholt, in The Painted Veil (1934) with Greta Garbo, replacing the originally cast Beulah Bondi to bring a warmer look to the role.^[6] She also played the German neighbor of Lionel Barrymore in You Can't Take It with You (1938) by Frank Capra.

Personal life and death

Rosing married a Norwegian doctor, Einer Jansen, in 1898; the couple had four children. They divorced in 1919.^{[citation needed]}

Rosing died of a heart attack, aged 64. Shortly before her death, Rosing stated about her acting: "My goal has always been to reach the heart of my audience."^[4]

Theatre roles in Denmark

Casino Theatre^[2]

1904 Trold kan tæmmes as Bianca, Baptista's daughter

Dagmar Theatre^[2]

1898 Gurli Clara as Johanson, model / Julia, Skytt's daughter
1898 Trold kan tæmmes as Bianca, Baptistas datter
1898 Ungdom as Anna, Pastor Hoppe's maid
1899 Cyrano de Bergerac as Marki
1899 Fejltagelserne as Constance Neville
1899 Henning Tondorf as Agnete Tripke
1899 Johannes den Døber as Maccha, Salomes legesøster
1899 Min svigerdatter as Marie
1899 Naar klostermuren brydes as Søster Ermegard
1899 Paa gale vej as Renee, Helene's daughter
1899 Zaza as Clairette, varietedame
1900 Under fire øjne as Erna, felix's wife
1901 Atalanta as Enkefru Thomsen
1901 En spurv i tranedans as Luise, Varbergs datter
1901 Et piskesmæld as Colette
1901 Kameliadamen as Nichette
1901 Sovevagonen as Rosina, Charbonneaus datter
1902 De fattiges dyrehave as Elisa, Conradsens datter
1902 Esther as Birthe, bedstemor Bagges sønnedatter
1902 Gurli as Julia, Skytt's daughter
1902 Lille Hanne as Engel
1902 Tre om een as Lotta, Mrs. Sandberg's maid
1902 Zaza as Floriane, varietedame
1903 1000 og 1 nat as Ascha, Suleimas veninde
1903 Doktor Jojo as Eugenie, Josephins kone
1903 Hjærtets begær as Olga Gerle
1903 Kærlighed as Ane-Sofie, Kristine's frined

1905 Kameliadamen as Theatre

Partial filmography

Pretty Ladies (1925) - Minor Role (uncredited)
The Tower of Lies (1925) - Midwife (uncredited)
Lights of Old Broadway (1925) - Widow Gorman
The Volga Boatman (1926) - Tartar Woman (uncredited)
The Sporting Lover (1926) - Nora O'Brien
It Must Be Love (1926) - Mom Schmidt
The Midnight Kiss (1926) - Swedish maid
The Return of Peter Grimm (1926) - Marta (uncredited)
The City (1926) - Sarah
Stage Madness (1927) - Maid
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) - The Maid
Blondes by Choice (1927) - Caroline Bennett
Wild Geese (1927) - Mrs. Sandbo
The Law of the Range (1928) - Mother of Jim and the Kid
The Big Noise (1928) - Ma Sloval
The Port of Missing Girls (1928) - Elsa
Ladies of the Mob (1928) - Yvonne's Mother
Wheel of Chance (1928) - Sara Turkeltaub
Out of the Ruins (1928) - Mère Gilbert
The Fleet's In (1928) - Mrs. Deane
The Woman from Moscow (1928) - Nadia
King of the Rodeo (1929) - Mother
Why Be Good? (1929) - Ma Kelly
Eternal Love (1929) - Housekeeper
Betrayal (1929) - Andre's Mother
Broadway Babies (1929) - Durgan
The Bishop Murder Case (1929) - Grete Menzel
Hello Sister (1930) - Martha Peddie
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - Mother of hospital patient (uncredited)
A Lady's Morals (1930) - Innkeeper's Wife
Oh, For a Man! (1930) - Masseuse (uncredited)
Part Time Wife (1930) - Martha - the Cook
Three Who Loved (1931) - Mrs. 'Aunt Anna' Larson
Surrender (1931) - Domenica
The Miracle Man (1932) - Townswoman (uncredited)
Grand Hotel (1932) - Nurse Helping Old Lady Into Elevator (uncredited)
Downstairs (1932) - Sophie - the Cook
Six Hours to Live (1932) - Greta (uncredited)
The Match King (1932) - Frau Necher (uncredited)
Hallelujah, I'm a Bum (1933) - Matron (uncredited)
The Crime of the Century (1933) - Hilda Ericson - Maid
Reunion in Vienna (1933) - Kathie - the Krug Family Maid
Ex-Lady (1933) - Mrs. Bauer - Helen's Mother
Queen Christina (1933) - Innkeeper's Wife (uncredited)
Hello, Sister (1933)
Mandalay (1934) - Mrs. Kleinschmidt
All Men Are Enemies (1934) - Landlady (uncredited)
Little Man, What Now? (1934) - Frau Kleinholz
Such Women Are Dangerous (1934) - Helma
King Kelly of the U.S.A. (1934) - Sylvia, Tania's Chaperone
Crimson Romance (1934) - Mama von Bergen
The Painted Veil (1934) - Frau Koerber
A Night at the Ritz (1935) - Mama Jaynos
Roberta (1935) - Fernande
Four Hours to Kill! (1935) - Ma
Let 'Em Have It (1935) - Mrs. Keefer
Thunder in the Night (1935) - Lisa
Peter Ibbetson (1935) - Minor Role (scenes deleted)
Hearts in Bondage (1936) - Mrs. Adams
Libeled Lady (1936) - Wife of the Justice of the Peace (uncredited)
Rose Bowl (1936) - Mrs. Schultz (uncredited)
The Plot Thickens (1936) - Theresa the Cook (uncredited)
Thin Ice (1937) - Otto's Wife (uncredited)
Michael O'Halloran (1937) - Mrs. Polska
Heidi (1937) - First Village Woman (uncredited)
Breakfast for Two (1937) - Nanny - Blair's Household Staff (uncredited)
Conquest (1937) - Anna - Servant (uncredited)
The First Hundred Years (1938) - Martha
You Can't Take It with You (1938) - Mrs. Schmidt
The Great Waltz (1938) - Innkeeper's Wife (uncredited)
Hotel Imperial (1939) - Ratty Old Woman (uncredited)
Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939) - Passenger on Boat
The Star Maker (1939) - Mrs. Swanson
Nurse Edith Cavell (1939) - Charlotte
Hitler – Beast of Berlin (1939) - Frau Kohler
Florian (1940) - Anna - Diana's Maid (uncredited)
Four Sons (1940) - Townswoman (uncredited)
The Mortal Storm (1940) - Old Woman on Train (uncredited)
Reaching for the Sun (1941) - Rita's Mother
They Dare Not Love (1941) - Leni (uncredited)
No Greater Sin (1941)) - 'Ma' James
Man at Large (1941) - Klara, Botany's Housekeeper
Marry the Boss's Daughter (1941) - Mrs. Polgar (final film role)

References

^ "Bodil Rosing Will Entertain Young Son". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. June 30, 1926. p. 25. Retrieved May 14, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Bodil Hammerich". danskfilmogteater.dk (in Danish). Retrieved May 28, 2022.
^ Mantle, Burns; Chapman, John Arthur; Sherwood, Garrison P.; Kronenberger, Louis (1923). The Best Plays. Dodd, Mead.
^ ^a ^b Bodil Rosing short biography, allmovie.com; accessed July 28, 2015.
^ Bodil Rosing biography; ibdb.com; accessed July 28, 2015.
^ Bret, David (June 25, 2012). Greta Garbo: A Divine Star. Biteback Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84954-353-8.