Tollie Zellman

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Tollie Zellman, 1914 Tollie Zellman

Berta Alice Victoria "Tollie" Zellman (born August 31, 1887 in Stockholm ; † October 9, 1964 there ) was a Swedish actress and theater director.

Life

Zellman was the daughter of a decorative painter and his wife. She attended better girls' schools in Stockholm and after the family moved to Nyköping and showed an early interest in the theater. After a brief employment at the Nordiska Kompaniet department store , she made her debut at Alfred Lundberg's theater company in 1906 without the consent of her parents . She took the name Tollie, which her uncle gave her.

The birth of an illegitimate daughter in 1908 led to a temporary break with the family. Her economic situation improved again after she was able to join the operetta company of the artist August Bodén . In the 1920s, Zellman was hired for varying roles at different theaters, including the Oscar Theater in Stockholm and the Swedish Theater in Helsinki .

Zellman celebrated her greatest success in comic roles, e.g. B. Mrs. Dulcie Baxter in the comedy The Mollusk (English title: The mollusc ) the author Hubert Henry Davies or as Julia Hylténius in The Testament his honor by Hjalmar Bergman . Despite her origins, the Zellman appeared on stage like a decidedly aristocrat . Contributing to this was their habit of misstressing, which always brought surprises. Between 1923 and 1931 she directed eight theater performances.

Tollie Zellam acted in about 50 films. Her portrayal of an aging stage star in the 1946 film While the Gate Was Closed (Sw. Medan porten var stängd ) received special attention . The role was tailored to her by the director Hasse Ekman , who had known her since his youth. Zellman was known among colleagues as a femme fatale , a Swedish Mae West , but who had her own idiosyncrasies.

Tollie Zellam was married to the entrepreneur Viggo Berck from 1916 to 1918. A second marriage existed from 1918 to 1923 with the administrative employee Carl Holmquist. Her daughter Lill-Tollie Zellman was also active as a film actress.

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Commons : Tollie Zellman  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Zellman, Tollie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Zellam, Tollie; Zellman, Berta Alice Victoria (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swedish actress and theater director
DATE OF BIRTH August 31, 1887
PLACE OF BIRTH Stockholm
DATE OF DEATH October 9, 1964
Place of death Stockholm