Wenche Foss | en

Eva Wenche Stang, née Steenfeldt Foss , commonly known as Wenche Foss (5 December 1917 — 28 March 2011) was a leading Norwegian actress of stage, screen and television.


Wenche Foss was born to engineer Christian August Steenfeldt Foss and Alfhild Røren. She made her stage debut as Ingrid in Vilhelm Dybwad's operetta Taterblod. She was subsequently part of the ensemble at the Carl Johan Teater from 1936 to 1939, and then became a central figure in Centralteatret. She received acclaim in a number of leading roles. Her breakthrough role was in Carl Erik Soya's To tråder.

Foss was also an accomplished vocalist (mezzo-soprano) who received classical training with M. Hviid and K. B. Børresen. Her performances in Emmerich Kálmán's operetta Die Bajadere, Eduard Künneke's Der Vetter aus Dingsda, Franz Lehár's operettas Der Graf von Luxemburg and The Merry Widow, where she played the title role and is credited, along with Poul Reichardt and then Knut Wigert as Count Danilo Danilovitsch for. She also pioneered musical parts in Kiss Me Kate, Cabaret and Hello, Dolly.

Starting in the 1940s, Foss played leading dramatic roles in the ensembles of Nationaltheatret and Oslo Nye Teater. Though her first performance as Rebekka West in Ibsen's Rosmersholm was judged melodramatic, subsequent performances in leading roles in Hedda Gabler, John Gabriel Borkman, Peer Gynt, and others.

Foss was made a Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 1972. In 1988 she was promoted to Commander with Star in the same order. She is one of few Norwegian civilians to hold such a high rank in the King's order of chivalry. She has also been awarded the Red Cross Badge of Honour and appointed a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog.

In 2007 Queen Sonja of Norway unveiled Per Ung's statue of Foss outside Norway's National Theater.

On December 2, 2010, Wenche Foss stated that she was seriously ill and did not expect to live past New Year.
She died on March 28, 2011 at Frøen in Oslo.
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