Actress. Clara Pontoppidan received notoriety as a Danish stage and silent film actress. Starting in 1892, she was educated at the Royal Theater and Ballet School, making her stage debut in 1901. Making over 25 silent films, she made her film debut as a ballet dancer in 1902, credited as Clara Wieth, thus had a seventy-year film career. With her naturalistic style, she was Danish theater's leading ladies in tragedies. In two films, she played the role of a beautiful maiden, who falls into the clutches of cruel human traffickers. She had a lead role in “Vampire Dance” in 1912, which was the first screen vampire film making her an international “movie star.” Her most noted films were “Portrait of Dorian Gray” in 1910, “A Victim of the Mormons” in 1911, “The Miracle” in 1913, “The Clergyman” and “A Good Girl Keeps Herself in Good Order” in 1914 and “Haxan” in 1922. Appearing in Swedish films from 1913 to 1915, her most popular years were pre-World War I. When “talkies” movies started, she stepped down from the leading lady roles, appearing in a number of supporting roles. In 1958 she received from the Danish film industry, the Bodil Award for Best Actress for her film role in “A Woman of Superfluous.” Other honors she received was the Ingenio et Arti Gold Medal in 1931 and the Tagea Brandt Travel Scholarship in 1937. She married twice: first to Carlo Rossini Wieth, an actor, on October 20, 1906 and divorced in 1917; then she married Dr. Povl Vilhelm Pontoppidan on February 2, 1920, staying married until his death in 1953. Pontoppidan was the son of 1917 Nobel Prize in Literature recipient, Henrik Pontoppidan. She adopted two sons. She returned to the Royal Theater in 1925, and her last film, “Clock Tone in a Heavenly Bed,” was in 1972, thus continuing to work into her 80s.
Actress. Clara Pontoppidan received notoriety as a Danish stage and silent film actress. Starting in 1892, she was educated at the Royal Theater and Ballet School, making her stage debut in 1901. Making over 25 silent films, she made her film debut as a ballet dancer in 1902, credited as Clara Wieth, thus had a seventy-year film career. With her naturalistic style, she was Danish theater's leading ladies in tragedies. In two films, she played the role of a beautiful maiden, who falls into the clutches of cruel human traffickers. She had a lead role in “Vampire Dance” in 1912, which was the first screen vampire film making her an international “movie star.” Her most noted films were “Portrait of Dorian Gray” in 1910, “A Victim of the Mormons” in 1911, “The Miracle” in 1913, “The Clergyman” and “A Good Girl Keeps Herself in Good Order” in 1914 and “Haxan” in 1922. Appearing in Swedish films from 1913 to 1915, her most popular years were pre-World War I. When “talkies” movies started, she stepped down from the leading lady roles, appearing in a number of supporting roles. In 1958 she received from the Danish film industry, the Bodil Award for Best Actress for her film role in “A Woman of Superfluous.” Other honors she received was the Ingenio et Arti Gold Medal in 1931 and the Tagea Brandt Travel Scholarship in 1937. She married twice: first to Carlo Rossini Wieth, an actor, on October 20, 1906 and divorced in 1917; then she married Dr. Povl Vilhelm Pontoppidan on February 2, 1920, staying married until his death in 1953. Pontoppidan was the son of 1917 Nobel Prize in Literature recipient, Henrik Pontoppidan. She adopted two sons. She returned to the Royal Theater in 1925, and her last film, “Clock Tone in a Heavenly Bed,” was in 1972, thus continuing to work into her 80s.
Bio by: Linda Davis
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