Edith Carlmar

Who was Edith Carlmar?

Edith Carlmar was an actress and Norway's first female film director. She is known for films such as Fjols til fjells, Aldri annet enn bråk, and Ung flukt. Her 1949 film, Døden er et kjærtegn, is considered to be Norway's first film noir. The last film she directed, Ung Flukt, introduced Liv Ullmann, Norway's most famous actor internationally, to the silver screen.

Carlmar came from a poor family in the working class districts of East Oslo. However, she did manage to take dancing classes and made her debut on stage at the age of 15. In the theater she met Otto Carlmar whom she married three years later. From 1936 she worked as an actress in various theatres. Here she met the film director Tancred Ibsen who introduced her to the world of cinema.

In 1949 she and her husband started Carlmar Film A/S, and began writing scripts, directing and producing films. They made ten feature films over a ten-year period. After a decade of film-making Carlmar retired as a director. In the last part of her life she accepted only minor acting roles in plays and movies.