Sølvi Wang

Sølvi Wang
Sølvi Wang in 1957
Born Sølvi Valborg Wang
(1929-08-28)28 August 1929
Died 31 May 2011(2011-05-31) (aged 81)
Occupation Actress, singer, comedian
Years active 1937 – 1987
Spouse(s) Egil Monn-Iversen (m. 1951 – 2011, her death)

Sølvi Valborg Wang (28 August 1929 – 31 May 2011[1]) was a Norwegian singer, actress and comedian.

She was born in Bærum, Akershus, to the jazz musician Yngvar Wang and the singer Marie Gulbrandsen. Already at an early age she sang with her father's orchestra on the radio and in concert.[2] She met Egil Monn-Iversen while in school, and in 1948 she joined his vocal group The Monn Keys. Wang debuted as a recording artist in 1950, in a duet with Arve Opsahl. Later she recorded solo albums, and was responsible for 18 releases in the years up until 1955.[2] She combined her solo career with performances with The Monn Keys, which now also included the singers Nora Brockstedt and Per Asplin. In 1954 the group performed their first variety show, Over alle grenser, at Chat Noir in Oslo.[3] She worked at Chat Noir in the years 1959 to 1963, then at Edderkoppen from 1963 to 1964, before moving to Det Norske Teatret.[4]

In addition to making recordings and performing in variety shows, Wang also performed in musicals, on television and in movies. For 25 years she was the leading lady of Det Norske Teatret, where she played the lead roles in such musicals as West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, Annie Get Your Gun and The King and I.[3] She also acted in musicals composed by her husband Monn-Iversen, most prominently among these Bør Børson Jr., based on a novel by Johan Falkberget.[3] Among her many shows for television, That's Entertainment from 1966 gained her a measure of international attention when it won an award at the Montreux Comedy Festival.[4] The award earned her a chance to perform at The Ed Sullivan Show, and to sing with Jack Parnell's orchestra at the London Palladium.[3] Wang had the lead role in movies such as the 1964 comedy Pappa tar gull and the 1978 drama Hvem har bestemt?.[2]

Sølvi Wang acted in a production of the musical Fiddler on the Roof in 1987. This performance marked her retirement from the public stage; since then she has not made any public performances.[4] As a singer, even though she mastered the soft, subdued style of ballads in recordings, her vocal style has been described primarily as belting. This powerful, often sharp way of singing was a necessity in the world of live musical performance prior to the introduction of miniature microphones.[3] Wang has been called the only master of the style in Norwegian theatre history.[2]

Wang is related to the American football quarterback Boomer Esiason, and was his father's cousin.

Select filmography

YearTitleRole
1953BrudebukettenSinger
1954Troll i ordSinger
1962Operasjon LøvsprettHead nurse Florence
1964Operasjon SjøsprøytEli Sæter, assistant doctor
1970Balladen om mestertyven Ole HøilandHilda Hauge
1972Norske byggeklosserMrs Valle
1974Bør Børson Jr.Laura Isaksen
1974UngenHønse-Lovisa
1978Hvem har bestemt?Mrs Nelson

References

  1. ↑ Necrolog in Nyeter
  2. 1 2 3 4 Larsen, Svend Erik Løken. "Sølvi Wang". In Helle, Knut. Norsk biografisk leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 25 February 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Wang, Sølvi". MIC Norsk Musikkinformasjon (in Norwegian). 6 August 2006. Retrieved 25 February 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 Henriksen, Petter (ed.). "Sølvi Wang". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 25 February 2010.
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