Ulf Selmer

{{Short description|Norwegian actor and painter}}

{{Infobox person

| image = UlfSelmer-TM.T04742.jpg

| caption =

| name = Ulf Selmer

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1885|12|10|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Christiania (now Oslo), Norway

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1961|09|24|1885|12|10|mf=y}}

| death_place = Norway

| resting_place= Cemetery of Our Saviour

| occupation = Actor and painter

| yearsactive =

| spouse =

| children =

| mother = Leonora Selmer

| father = Jens Selmer

| relatives =

}}

File:Ulf Slemer painting.jpg

File:Street scene painting by Ulf Selmer.jpg

File:Watercolor of snowy tree by Ulf Selmer.jpg

Ulf Selmer (December 10, 1885 – September 24, 1961) was a Norwegian actor and painter.{{cite book |last1=Ytreberg |first1=Nils Andreas |title=Vær hilset!: Nordlændingernes forening, 1862–1962 |date=1962 |location=Oslo |page=81}}{{cite book |last1=Skavlan |first1=Einar |title=Norsk teater, 1930–1953 |date=1960 |publisher=Aschehoug |location=Oslo |page=239}}

Selmer was the son of the actor Jens Selmer (1845–1928) at the Christiania Theater and his wife, the actress Eleonora Josephine Nielsen (1850–1930), whose stage name was Leonora Selmer.

Selmer debuted at the Central Theater in 1904; he was in the National Tour ({{lang|no|Nationalturneen}}) traveling ensemble of Ludovica Levy (1856–1922) for one year before he was at the Fahlstrøm Theater for one year. In 1911 he moved to the newly opened Trondheim National Theater, where he remained until 1918. This was followed by three years at Chat Noir and one year at the National Theatre in Oslo before he returned to the Central Theater, where he celebrated the fortieth year of his acting career in 1944.{{cite news |title=Ulf Selmer død |url=https://www.nb.no/nbsok/nb/111cdd9410199b9958824ab7b2eda5a1?index=1#2 |access-date=February 20, 2021 |work=Rjukan Arbeiderblad |issue=220 |date=September 25, 1961 |page=4}}{{cite book |last1=Gjesdahl |first1=Paul |title=Centralteatrets historie |date=1964 |publisher=Gyldendal |location=Oslo}} His last appearance on stage was around 1954.{{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}}

He helped shape Norwegian film from the silent film era to more modern films in the mid-1950s. He made his debut in Den nye lensmannen in 1926, which was directed by Leif Sinding. His last film was Portrettet (1954), directed by Per Aabel.

Selmer was a skilled painter, and some of his works are displayed in the Oslo City Museum.{{cite book |last1=Steenstrup |first1=Bjørn |title=Hvem er Hvem? |date=1948 |publisher=Aschehoug |location=Oslo |page=478 |url=https://runeberg.org/hvemerhvem/1948/0478.html |access-date=February 21, 2021}}