Birgitte Hjort Sørensen

Birgitte Hjort Sørensen
Sørensen in October 2016
Born (1982-01-16) 16 January 1982 (age 42)
Hillerød, Denmark
Alma materDanish National School of Performing Arts
OccupationActress
Years active2005–present
PartnerKristian Ladegaard Pedersen
Children2
Websitewww.birgittehjortsorensen.com

Birgitte Hjort Sørensen (born 16 January 1982) is a Danish actress. She has been nominated for three Robert Awards and one Bodil Award. Born in Hillerød and raised in Birkerød, Sørensen aspired to an acting career after watching the West End production of the musical Chicago while at school. She graduated from the Danish National School of Performing Arts. Her acting debut was in a minor role in the television series The Eagle in 2005. She followed this by playing Roxie Hart in a Copenhagen production of Chicago, and later on the West End. Sørensen's breakthrough role was as journalist Katrine Fønsmark in the television political drama Borgen (2010–2013, 2022).

Early life

[edit]

Sørensen was born in Hillerød on 16 January 1982. She grew up in Birkerød.[1][2] Both her parents are doctors and she has two elder sisters.[3] Her early education was at the Bistrup School in Birkerød and Øregård Gymnasium in Hellerup.[1] At the latter, she was the student council chair and editor of the school magazine.[4] Sørensen decided in her early teens not to follow her parents' footsteps in pursuing a career in medicine after work experience with her mother at a geriatrics ward. She commented, "Being met with that number of people who can no longer go to the bathroom or eat by themselves, it was traumatising. I lived too much with their misery."[5]

While on a school trip to London at the age of 19, she watched the West End production of the musical Chicago which motivated her to become an actress. Sørensen spoke of the experience in an interview for The Guardian, "It was so amazing and sexy, and I sat there thinking, 'I want to be on that stage one day.'".[5][6] Her motivation was solidified by her participation in a mini-musical school organised by the Gladsaxe Theatre which provided a six month introduction to musical theatre.[7][8] She continued her studies at the Danish National School of Performing Arts, during which time Sørensen made her acting debut in 2005 as a receptionist on the television series The Eagle.[9][10] The school forbid its students from having jobs so Sørensen feigned illness to appear on the television show.[11] Two years later she played the lead role of Roxie Hart in the 2007 production of Chicago at the Det Ny Teater in Copenhagen. The musical was critically acclaimed[12] and became the highest grossing Danish theatre production of the year.[13] For her performance she received a Reumert prize.[14] Sørensen then reprised the role in the West End production in 2008 at the Cambridge Theatre.[15][16]

Career

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In 2010, she made her breakthrough by playing the idealistic journalist, Katrine Fønsmark, in the DR fictional political drama Borgen which charted the rise of Denmark's first female prime minister.[5][17][18] In order to prepare for the role, she spent a summer training with television news teams and reporters.[19] Sørensen received critical acclaim for playing a strong female protagonist on the show, and international recognition especially in the United Kingdom.[20][21][22][23] For the show's third season, Sørensen received a nomination for the Robert Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Television).[24] She also garnered her first nomination for the Robert Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for playing a criminal psychologist's secretary in the action film Ved verdens ende (2009) with Nikolaj Lie Kaas, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.[25][26][27] In 2012, Sørensen portrayed painter Marie Krøyer in the biographical film The Passion of Marie which earned her second Best Actress nomination at the Robert Awards.[28][29] The following year, she appeared as Virgilia in the play Coriolanus with Tom Hiddleston at Donmar Warehouse, London.[30]

In 2015, Sørensen appeared in the "Hardhome" episode of the HBO fantasy drama series Game of Thrones playing Karsi, a wildling chieftain.[31] In the same year, she starred with Anna Kendrick in the musical comedy sequel Pitch Perfect 2 as Kommissar, the leader of a rival German a cappella group.[32] She was also nominated for the Bodil Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Someone You Love, in which she played a mother suffering with drug addiction.[33][34]

Sørensen played Andy Warhol's muse Ingrid in Martin Scorsese's HBO television series, Vinyl (2016).[35] In the latter part of the same year, she made her Broadway debut in the play Les Liaisons Dangereuses.[36] She reprised her role as Katrine Fønsmark in Borgen in 2022 when the show returned for a fourth season on Netflix.[37]

Personal life

[edit]

She is in a relationship with television writer and producer Kristian Ladegaard Pedersen.[38] They met when she auditioned for a role as a television host and have two daughters.[39]

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Language Notes Ref.
2006 Tre Somre Nanna Danish Short film
English title: Three Summers 		[40]
2007 Canoe The girl Danish Short film [41]
2007 Crush Lotte Danish Short film [41]
2008 The Funeral Daisy Danish [41]
[42]
2008 Anja & Viktor – I medgang og modgang Regitze Danish English title: Anja & Viktor – In Sickness and in Health [41]
2008 The Candidate Sarah Danish [41]
2008 Alliancen Sofie Danish Short film
English title: The Alliance 		[41]
[42]
2009 Ved verdens ende Beate Danish English title: At World's End [41]
2010 Truth About Men Girlfriend of the squire's son Danish [41]
2011 Love Is in the Air Camilla Danish Danish title: Magi i luften [41]
[42]
2011 Miss Julie Julie Danish [41]
2012 The Passion of Marie Marie Krøyer Danish Danish title: Balladen om Marie Krøyer [28]
2014 National Theatre Live: Coriolanus Virgilia English Filmed version of the Donmar Warehouse play [6]
2014 Autómata Rachel Vaucan English [43]
2014 In Order of Disappearance Marit Norwegian [41]
2014 Someone You Love Julie Danish Danish title: En du elsker [41]
2014 The Gas Man Mia Danish Short film [44]
2015 Pitch Perfect 2 Kommissar English [32]
2015 Sommeren '92 Minna Vilfort Danish [45]
2017 3 Things Camilla Danish [46]

Television

[edit]
Year(s) Title Role Language Notes Ref.
2005 The Eagle Nanna Danish Episode: "Keres — Del 16" [9]
[10]
[42]
2008 Maj & Charlie Sidse Danish 1 episode [41]
[42]
2010–2013, 2022 Borgen Katrine Fønsmark Danish 38 episodes [3][47]
2013 Bluestone 42 Astrid English Series 1, Episode 3 [48]
2013 Agatha Christie's Marple Greta English Episode: "Endless Night" [49]
2014 Midsomer Murders DS Anna Degn English Episode: "The Killings of Copenhagen" [50]
2015 Game of Thrones Karsi English Episode: "Hardhome" [31]
2016 Vinyl Ingrid English 10 episodes [35]
2017 Flashback Host Danish [51]
2018 Greyzone Victoria Rahbek Danish
Swedish 		10 episodes [52]
2024 Twilight of the Gods Hervor English 8 episodes [53]

Stage

[edit]
Year(s) Title Role(s) Theatre Language Notes Ref(s)
2007 Mød mig på Cassiopeia Frk. Sørensen Nørrebros Theater Danish [54]
2007 Chicago Roxie Hart Det Ny Teater Danish [12]
2008 Chicago Roxie Hart Cambridge Theatre English [15]
2008 Bornholmerrevyen Various Rønne Theater Danish [55]
2009 Slutstrand Eva Mammutteatret Danish [56]
2011 GNAGS Various Black Box Theater Danish [57]
2013–2014 Coriolanus Virgilia Donmar Warehouse English 17 December 2013 – 13 February 2014 [58]
[59]
2014 Umbrellas of Cherbourg Geneviève Betty Nansen Teatret Danish [60]
2016–2017 Les Liaisons Dangereuses Madame de Tourvel Booth Theatre English 30 October 2016 – 8 January 2017 [61]
[62]
2018 Et Vintereventyr Queen Hermione Teater Republique Danish 12 May – 9 June [63]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Funch, Anne (7 February 2016). "Birgitte Hjort Sørensen: Hvad gør man, når Mick Jagger spørger en til råds?". Berlingske (in Danish). Archived from the original on 3 May 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  2. ^ "Bla Bog Birgitte Hjort Sørensen". Dagbladet Børsen (in Danish). 25 January 2013. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015.
  3. ^ a b Day, Elizabeth (16 November 2013). "Birgitte Hjort Sørensen: 'People in Britain have really taken to Borgen's strong female leads'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  4. ^ Masri, Lena (19 April 2014). "Birgitte Hjort Sørensen: Tør nu opsøge det skræmmende". Berlingske (in Danish). Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  5. ^ a b c Urwin, Rosamund (8 November 2013). "Borgen's other woman". London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 18 July 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  6. ^ a b Lawson, Mark (26 November 2013). "Birgitte Sørensen: power player". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  7. ^ Evans, Lloyd (14 December 2013). "Is this the real First Lady of 'Borgen'?". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 2 April 2016.
  8. ^ "Skuespil-talenter vokser i Væksthuset". BT (in Danish). 30 July 2001. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  9. ^ a b Treo, Thomas (21 May 2015). "Dansker topper hitliste i USA". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  10. ^ a b Andersson, Jan-Olov (14 October 2012). "– Jag är nykär i en "Borgen"-kollega". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  11. ^ Brown, Emma (10 November 2016). "Birgitte Hjort Sørensen". Interview. Archived from the original on 11 November 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
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  14. ^ "Galla med det bedste af dansk teater". Jyllands-Posten (in Danish). 27 April 2008. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
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  17. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (25 March 2016). "International Star You Should Know: Birgitte Hjort Sorensen". Variety. Archived from the original on 7 December 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  18. ^ Dam, Freja (10 May 2012). "From The Kingdom to The Killing". Danish Film Institute. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
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  20. ^ Merrick, Jane (30 December 2012). "Birgitte Hjort Sorensen: Borgen's back! Meet one of its stars". The Independent. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  21. ^ Tate, Gabriel (13 November 2013). "Birgitte Hjort Sørensen interview: 'I like to find out I've been wrong'". Time Out. Archived from the original on 12 July 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  22. ^ Murray, Jenni (11 December 2013). "Why is Danish drama Borgen so popular?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
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  24. ^ "Et Brag Af Et Dansk Filmar Skal Fejres!" (PDF) (in Danish). Danish Film Academy. 7 January 2014. p. 7. Retrieved 5 May 2017.[permanent dead link]
  25. ^ Ravn, Signe (11 October 2009). "Birgitte Hjort Sørensen duperet af kolleger". Billed Bladet (in Danish). Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
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  27. ^ "At World's End Review". SBS. Archived from the original on 7 December 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  28. ^ a b Simon, Alissa (22 October 2012). "Review: 'Marie Kroyer'". Variety. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  29. ^ "Robert-Nomineringer 2013" (in Danish). Danish Film Institute. 23 January 2013. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  30. ^ Billington, Michael (18 December 2013). "Coriolanus – review". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 February 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  31. ^ a b Hughes, Sarah (1 June 2015). "Game of Thrones recap: season five, episode eight – Hardhome". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  32. ^ a b Felperin, Leslie (7 May 2015). "'Pitch Perfect 2': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 23 June 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  33. ^ Bergløv, Emil (14 January 2015). "'Stille Hjerte' er topscorer ved årets Bodil-nominering". Politiken (in Danish). Archived from the original on 18 April 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  34. ^ Mintzer, Jordan (11 February 2014). "Someone You Love (En du elsker): Berlin Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  35. ^ a b Giese, Ditte (3 August 2015). "Jagger og Scorsese bag serie med Birgitte Hjort". Politiken. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  36. ^ "Les Liaisons Dangereuses". Internet Broadway Database. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  37. ^ Abend, Lisa (3 June 2022). "Danish Political Drama Borgen Is Back at Last, With a Fresh Take on Female Power". Time. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  38. ^ Silverman, Rosa (15 February 2019). "Actress Birgitte Hjort Sørensen says it's great to be a dane". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  39. ^ Mortensen, Frederikke Renée (28 January 2023). "Birgitte Hjort Sørensen afslører: Sådan mødte jeg min mand". B.T. (in Danish). Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  40. ^ "Tre Somre (2006)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  41. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Birgitte Hjort Sørensen". Danish Film Institute. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  42. ^ a b c d e "CV". Curtis Brown. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  43. ^ Holden, Stephen (9 October 2014). "Maybe the Robots Don't Like Protocol". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  44. ^ "The Gas Man". Festival Focus. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  45. ^ "Sommeren '92" (in Danish). Danish Film Institute. Archived from the original on 22 February 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  46. ^ "3 ting" (in Danish). Danish Film Institute. Archived from the original on 24 November 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  47. ^ Enker, Debi (15 June 2022). "Political comebacks don't get much better than TV's Borgen". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  48. ^ "BBC Three — Bluestone 42, Series 1, Episode 3". BBC. Archived from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  49. ^ "Agatha Christie's Marple: Endless Night". ITV. 16 November 2013. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  50. ^ O'Donovan, Gerard (12 February 2014). "Midsomer Murders: a charming centenary episode". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  51. ^ Lohse, Gregers (11 March 2017). "Birgitte Hjort efter succes i udlandet: Ensomheden fik mig til at vende hjem" (in Danish). DR. Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  52. ^ Leth-Larsen, Lone; Hansen, Michael (21 February 2018). "Splinterny spændingsserie på TV 2: 'Greyzone'" (in Danish). TV2. Archived from the original on 14 March 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  53. ^ "Twilight of the Gods: Official Trailer". IGN Nordic. 2024-06-12. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  54. ^ Lyding, Henrik (11 May 2007). "Musical-år på Det Ny Teater". Jyllands-Posten (in Danish). Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  55. ^ Jensen, Jesper Ransborg (26 February 2008). "København — London — Rønne" (in Danish). Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  56. ^ "Det kunne være så godt". Berlingske (in Danish). 11 March 2009. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  57. ^ Revsbech, Jeppe Kiel (19 May 2011). "Gnags forvandles til teaterkoncert". Gaffa (in Danish). Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  58. ^ Benedict, David (17 December 2013). "London Theater Review: 'Coriolanus' Starring Tom Hiddleston". Variety. Archived from the original on 24 January 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  59. ^ Trueman, Matt (16 January 2014). "Donmar Warehouse extends Coriolanus run – using ticket ballot". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 December 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  60. ^ "Pigen med paraplyerne på Betty Nansen Teatret (officiel trailer)". Betty Nansen Teatret. Archived from the original on 24 September 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  61. ^ Rooney, David (30 October 2016). "'Les Liaisons Dangereuses': Theater Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  62. ^ "Les Liaisons Dangereuses". Internet Broadway Database. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  63. ^ Jensen, Cecilie Hornung (14 March 2018). "Birgitte Hjort Sørensen får hovedrolle i genopsætning af 'Et Vintereventyr'" (in Danish). Teaternyheder. Archived from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
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