Jens Albinus  

As an actor, dramatist and director, Jens Albinus is one of the most independent-minded and uncompromising names in Danish theatre. He trained at the Århus Theatre, where he was employed until 1995 and played many major roles in both older and new works, ranging from Holberg’s Jeppe on the Hill over Henrik Ibsen’s The Wild Duck to Tony Kushner’s Angels in America. Later, as an actor, he has worked freelance with several of the country’s leading theatres, including Dr. Dante, the Jomfru Ane Theatre, Mungo Park, Det Danske Teater, Kaleidoskop, the Betty Nansen Theatre, Husets Teater and the Royal Theatre. In 2003 he played the title role in Shakespeare’s Hamlet at Kronborg Castle (“Elsinore”). He has also performed on several occasions in German theatre – in 2000 for example in Strindberg’s The Father at the Volksbühne in Berlin, and in 2003 in Basel as Don Rodrigo in Claudel’s The Satin Slipper. Unlike many other actors of his generation he has appeared in relatively few films and TV productions. He had his breakthrough with cinema audiences as the cult leader ‘Stoffer’ in Lars von Trier’s controversial Dogma film The Idiots, had a striking minor role in Per Fly’s The Bench and the absolute leading role in Nils Malmros’ Facing the Truth. On TV he has played Hans Christian Andersen in Kasper Rostrup’s series The Brewer, and in 2004 he reached the really large audiences with the title role in Danmarks Radio’s thriller series The Eagle. Among other honours he has received the Lauritzen Prize, the Inge Dam Grant, ‘Teaterkatten’ and the Herman Bang Travel Grant, and in 2003 both ‘Bodil’ and ‘Robert’ film awards for Facing the Truth.