Jon Eikemo
{{Short description|Norwegian actor (1939–2025)|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jon Eikemo
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| birth_date = {{birth date|1939|11|30|df=y}}
| birth_place = Åsane, Norway
| death_date = {{death date and age|2025|6|11|1939|11|30|df=y}}
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| education =
| alma_mater = {{unbulleted list |Statens Teaterskole|Royal Academy of Dramatic Art}}
| occupation = Actor
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| awards = {{unbulleted list |Spellemannprisen (1979)|Norwegian Theatre Critics Award (1991/1992) |Arts Council Norway Honorary Award (2007) }}
}}
Jon Eikemo (30 November 1939 – 11 June 2025) was a Norwegian actor. He debuted on stage in 1961, and made his film debut in 1968.
Career
=Education=
Eikemo studied theatre at
Statens Teaterskole in Oslo from 1958, and further at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
=Theatre=
Eikemo debuted on stage in 1961. Between 1961 and 1978 he worked for a number of theaters, first the touring theatre Riksteatret until 1963, and then Fjernsynsteatret from 1963 to 1965. From 1965 he worked at Det Norske Teatret in Oslo, further at Nationaltheatret, Den Nationale Scene in Bergen, and Oslo Nye Teater from 1975 to 1978. From 1978 onwards he was assigned to the Nynorsk theatre Det Norske Teatret.
Eikemo played the title roles in Henrik Ibsen’s play Peer Gynt (1969) and Georg Büchner’s play Woyzeck (1975) at Den Nationale Scene. He acted in several plays by Bertolt Brecht, including the title character in {{lang|no|Schweik in the Second World War}}, Puntila in {{lang|no|Mr Puntila and His Man Matti}}, the chef in an adaptation of {{lang|no|Mother Courage and Her Children}}, Pierpont Mauler in {{lang|no|Heilage Johanna frå slaktehusa}}, and pope Urban VIII in an adaptation of Life of Galileo.
Among his performances at Det Norske Teatret were Hjalmar Ekdal in Ibsen’s play {{lang|no|Vildanden}} in 1981, the joker in William Shakespeare’s King Lear in 1983, the title role in Goethe’s Faust in 1985, and Oronte in The Misanthrope in 1997.
=Film=
Eikemo made his film debut in 1968, with the movie De ukjentes marked (The Market of the Outcasts). Further films were {{lang|no|{{ill|Øyeblikket|no}}}} (1977), directed by Sverre Udnæs, {{lang|no|{{ill|Mormor og de åtte ungene i byen|no}}}} (1977), {{lang|no|{{ill|Mormor og de åtte ungene i skogen|no}}}} (1979), Orion's Belt (1985), {{lang|no|{{ill|Folk og røvere i Kardemomme by|no|Folk og røvere i Kardemomme by (film)}}}} (1988, based on the children’s book When the Robbers Came to Cardamom Town), Karachi (1989), and {{lang|no|Forfall}} (2002).
=Other activities=
Eikemo was a minor political candidate for the Norwegian Centre Party.{{cite web|url=http://www.ssb.no/emner/00/01/10/stortingsvalg/tab-2005-10-27-18.html |title=Storting Election 2005. Official electoral lists, by county |accessdate=2 January 2007 |author=Statistics Norway |authorlink=Statistics Norway |year=2005 |work=Storting Election 2005 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070702052017/http://www.ssb.no/emner/00/01/10/stortingsvalg/tab-2005-10-27-18.html |archivedate=2 July 2007 }}
Personal life and death
Born in Åsane (now part of Bergen) on 30 November 1939, Eikemo was a son of merchant Johannes Eikemo and Malmfrid Breistein, the third among five siblings. He was married to Mimmi Nordby from 1969 to 1980, and to Helene Sofie Rasmussen from 1986 to 1999.
Eikemo died from a cardiac arrest on 11 June 2025, at the age of 85.{{Cite news |title=Jon Eikemo er død |first=Catherine Gonsholt |last=Ighanian |first2=Silje Kathrine |last2=Sviggum |first3=Yngve |last3=Kvistad |url=https://www.vg.no/rampelys/i/XjkbL7/jon-eikemo-er-doed |work=VG |language=no |date=12 June 2025 |access-date=12 June 2025 }}{{Cite news |title=Skuespiller Jon Eikemo er død: – Betydde mye for veldig mange |first=Julia Kirsebom |last=Thommessen |url=https://www.nrk.no/norge/skuespiller-jon-eikemo-er-dod_-_-betydde-mye-for-veldig-mange-1.17453021 |website=nrk.no |language=no |date=12 June 2025 |access-date=13 June 2025 }}
Awards and recognitions
Eikemo was awarded the Spellemannprisen trophy for his album with poetry by Jakob Sande from 1979. He received the Norwegian Theatre Critics Award for 1991/1992,{{cite encyclopedia|title=Kritikerprisen |first=Fred |last=Huvenes |first2=Lillian |last2=Bikset |encyclopedia=Store norske leksikon |editor-first=Erik | editor-last=Bolstad |publisher=Norsk nettleksikon |location=Oslo |url=https://snl.no/Kritikerprisen |language=no |access-date=13 June 2025}} and was awarded the Arts Council Norway Honorary Award for 2007.{{Cite web |title=Æresprisen 2007. Jon Eikemo |url=https://www.kulturdirektoratet.no/aeresprisen/vis-artikkel/-/asset_publisher/L2Gy/content/aeresprisen-2007-jon-eikemo |website=kulturdirektoratet.no |language=no |access-date=12 June 2025}}
References
{{Reflist |refs=
{{cite encyclopedia|title=Jon Eikemo |first=Svein Erik |last=Brodal |author-link=Svein Erik Brodal |first2=Hallgeir |last2=Elstad |encyclopedia=Store norske leksikon |editor-first=Erik | editor-last=Bolstad |publisher=Norsk nettleksikon |location=Oslo |url=https://snl.no/Jon_Eikemo |language=no |access-date=13 June 2025}}
}}
External links
{{portal|Norway|Biography|Film|Television|Theatre}}
- {{IMDb name|id=0251707|name=Jon Eikemo}}
- {{discogs artist|Jon Eikemo}}
- [http://snl.no/.nbl_biografi/Jon_Eikemo/utdypning Jon Eikemo Biography] on Norsk Biografisk Leksikon
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{{s-bef | before = Bruno Oldani}}
{{s-ttl | title = Recipient of the Norsk kulturråds ærespris | years = 2007 }}
{{s-aft | after = Solveig Kringlebotn}}
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{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eikemo, Jon}}
Category:Norwegian male stage actors
Category:Norwegian male film actors
Category:Spellemannprisen winners
Category:Male actors from Bergen
Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
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