Anna Bloch

Who was Anna Bloch?

Anna Kirstine Bloch was a Danish actress.

She was admitted to the Royal Danish Theater, was a student of Emil Poulsen and debuted in 1885 as Titania in William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Between her first two roles she was taught by her husband to be, William Bloch : they were married in 1887. Together they wrote Miss Nelly in 1886, in which Anna Bloch later played the main role. Her breakthrough came in 1888 in the role of Trina in April Fools by Johan Ludvig Heiberg. Another early role was that of Hilde in Ibsen's The Lady from the Sea in 1889.

Anna Bloch was awarded the Ingenio et Arti gold medal in 1910.

Her long career at the Royal Theatre came to an end in 1918, although she returned for a season as guest actress. She found herself typecast as the young girl or woman and, only really at home in 19th century theatre, she was unable to find suitable roles in the new era which began after the First World War: a victim of the naturalism in theatre arts which she had helped pioneer.

She is buried in Vestre Cemetery, Copenhagen.