Elith Pio


Viggo Elith William Pio was a Danish actor of stage, screen, radio and television. He is most noted for starring roles in films such as Carl Theodor Dreyer's Leaves from Satan's Book, Johan Jacobsen's Jenny and the Soldier and Benjamin Christensen's Häxan.

Theatre

Elith Pio made his theatre debut in 1907 as a member of the Peter Fjelstrup's theater company. He worked in various theaters in Denmark until 1931, when he was employed by the Royal Danish Theatre. He remained a member of the Royal Theatre until his retirement in 1974. Some of his most famous roles were Aristophanes in Johan Ludvig Heiberg's A Soul after the Dead, Dr. Relling and Old Ekdal in Henrik Ibsen's The Wild Duck and a chamberlain to in Ibsen's The League of Youth. In Denmark Pio was also well known for his numerous roles on local radio theatre, where his characteristic voice was an invaluable asset.

Film

Pio debuted on screen in the 1908 production of A Folk Tale. Thereafter, he performed in approximately 40 silent films. In 1931, well known from his work at the Royal Theatre, Pio starred in his first sound feature, Hotel Paradis, in the role of Fridolin. From then on he took part in over forty films. In 1947, Pio appeared as the state's attorney in the film Jenny and the Soldier which received the first Bodil Award for Best Danish Film. Pio's last film, The Man Who Thought Life starring John Price, was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1969.
As part of a small group of participants in an emerging Danish cinema, Pio was a favorite of many directors, working more than once with Benjamin Christensen, Viggo Larsen, Mogens Skot-Hansen, Emanuel Gregers, Ole Palsbo, Gabriel Axel, Knud Leif Thomsen, Lau Lauritzen Jr. & Alice O'Fredericks, Svend Methling, and the legendary Carl Theodor Dreyer. He worked four times with director Johan Jacobsen—most notably on Jenny and the Soldier—and four times with director George Schnéevoigt, who had worked as the cinematographer for both of Elith's films with Dreyer. Elith also acted in eight films authored by Danish screenwriter Fleming Lynge, who wrote the 1952 film Meet me on Cassiopeia.

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