Jens Selmer

{{short description|Norwegian actor}}

{{Infobox person

| image = Jens Selmer.png

| caption =

| name = Jens Selmer

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1845|07|14|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Christiania (now Oslo), Norway

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1928|05|21|1845|07|14|mf=y}}

| death_place = Oslo, Norway

| resting_place= Cemetery of Our Saviour

| occupation = Actor

| yearsactive =

| spouse = Leonora Selmer

| children = Ulf Selmer

| mother =

| father =

| relatives = Johan Selmer

}}

Jens Andreas Ludvig Selmer (July 14, 1845 – May 21, 1928) was a Norwegian stage actor and a film actor from the silent-film era.{{cite book |last1=Jensson |first1=Liv |title=Biografisk skuespillerleksikon: norske, danske og svenske skuespillere på norske scener særlig på 1800-tallet |date=1981 |publisher=Universitetsforlaget |location=Oslo}}{{cite book |last1=Franzén |first1=Tony |last2=Thelander |first2=Lars |last3=Vanberg |first3=Vidar |title=Pathé: Acoustic Recordings in Scandinavia with Historical Survey and Biographical Data: A Discography of Recordings Made and Issued Between 1901 and 1925 in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden by the Company Pathé Frères and Its Scandinavian Agents |date=1998 |publisher=Author |location=Oslo |page=68}}

Selmer made his debut in 1865 at the Christiania Theater, where he remained until 1899, except for two seasons at the New Christiania Norwegian Theatre (a.k.a. the Møllergaden Theater) under the direction of Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson. From 1899 to 1908 he was engaged with the National Theater. Selmer was a skilled and reliable character comedian. Among his roles were Jeppe in Jeppe on the Hill, Aslaksen in The League of Youth, and Old Ekdal in The Wild Duck.{{cite encyclopedia |title=Jens Selmer |encyclopedia=Store norske leksikon |publisher=Kunnskapsforlaget |location=Oslo |url=https://snl.no/Jens_Selmer_-_skuespiller |access-date=February 12, 2021 |year=2020 |language=no}}

Selmer was the son of Ludvig Selmer (1813–1898) and Maria Magdalene Selmer (1817–1903). His father was a manager at the Christiania Glass Shop. His brother Johan Selmer (1844–1910) became a well-known composer. With his wife Leonora Selmer (1850–1930), who was also an actress,{{cite web |title=Leonora (Eleonora Josephine) f. Nielsen Selmer |url=https://www.ibsen.uio.no/REGINFO_peLSe.xhtml |website=Henrik Ibsens skrifter |publisher=Universitetet i Oslo |access-date=February 13, 2021}} he was the father of actor Ulf Selmer (1885–1961).{{cite book |last1=Gram |first1=Harald |last2=Steenstrup |first2=Bjørn |title=Hvem er hvem? |date=1948 |publisher=Aschehoug |location=Oslo |page=478 |url=https://runeberg.org/hvemerhvem/1948/0478.html |access-date=February 13, 2021}}