Editing Erik Balling

{{short description|Danish film director}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name                      = Erik Balling
| image                     = Erik Balling.jpg
| image_size                = 
| birth_name                = 
| birth_date                = {{birth date|1924|11|29|df=yes}}
| birth_place               = [[Nyborg]], [[Denmark]]
| death_date                = {{death date and age|2005|11|19|1924|11|29|df=yes}}
| death_place               = [[Gentofte]], [[Denmark]]
| burial_place              = Gentofte Churchyard, [[Gentofte Municipality]], [[Denmark]]
| other_names               = 
| occupation                = [[Film director]]
| years_active              = 1952&nbsp;– 1984
}}

'''Erik Balling''' (29 November 1924&nbsp;– 19 November 2005) was a [[Denmark|Danish]] TV and [[film director]]. He created two of Denmark's most popular TV-series, ''[[Matador (Danish TV series)|Matador]]'' and ''[[Huset på Christianshavn]]''.

His feature film ''[[Qivitoq]]'' (1956) was nominated for a [[Golden Palm]] at the [[1957 Cannes Film Festival]],<ref name="festival-cannes.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/3529/year/1957.html |title=Festival de Cannes: Qivitoq |access-date=8 February 2009 |work=festival-cannes.com}}</ref> and for an [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] as Best Foreign Language Film.<ref name="Oscars1957">{{Cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1957 |title=The 29th Academy Awards (1957) Nominees and Winners |access-date=24 October 2011 |work=oscars.org}}</ref> His 1962 film ''[[Den kære familie]]'' was entered into the [[3rd Moscow International Film Festival]].<ref name="Moscow1963">{{cite web |url=http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1963 |title=3rd Moscow International Film Festival (1963) |access-date=30 November 2012 |work=MIFF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116210707/http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1963 |archive-date=16 January 2013}}</ref>

Together with [[Henning Bahs]], he also created the hugely popular series of ''[[Olsen-banden|Olsen Gang]]'' feature films.

== Biography ==
Balling started working for the largest and oldest Danish film production company, [[Nordisk Film]]s Kompagni, in 1946. He later became the boss of the company.

His made his directing debut with ''Adam & Eva'' (1953), which was nominated for a [[Bodil Awards|Bodil-award]] as Best Film.

In 1956 he directed ''[[Kispus]]'', which was the first Danish movie filmed in color.

The most popular films directed by Balling were the feature film comedies about a trio of small-time crooks, the [[Olsen-banden|Olsen Gang]].
There were 13 episodes of this movie series between 1968 and 1981, starting with ''Olsen-banden''. They were remade in several languages.

In 1998, Erik Balling received an [[Robert (award)|Honorary Robert Award]].

== Filmography ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! scope="col" | Work
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Credit
! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Notes
|-
| ''[[The Olsen Gang's Last Trick]]'' || 1998 || Script || Feature
|-
| ''[[Mer' Matador]]'' || 1998 || Himself || TV documentary
|-
| ''[[Bryggeren]]'' || 1996 || Story || TV series
|-
| ''{{ill|Murder in Paradise|da|Mord i Paradis}}'' || 1988 || Script || Feature
|-
| ''{{ill|Murder in the dark|da|Mord i mørket}}'' || 1986 || Script || Feature
|-
| ''[[In the Middle of the Night (film)|In the Middle of the Night]]'' || 1984 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''{{ill|Anthonsen|da||de|Privatdetektiv Anthonsen}}'' || 1984 || Direction || TV series
|-
| ''[[Kurt and Valde]]'' || 1983 || Screenplay || Feature
|-
| ''[[The Olsen Gang Long Gone]]'' || 1981 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[The Olsen Gang's Escape over the Fence]]'' || 1981 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''{{ill|The Olsen Gang Never Surrenders|da|Olsen-banden overgiver sig aldrig|de|Die Olsenbande ergibt sich nie|no|Olsen-banden overgiver sig aldrig|pl|Gang Olsena nigdy się nie poddaje|sv|Olsen-banden overgiver sig aldrig}}'' || 1979 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''{{ill|The Olsen Gang Goes to War|da|Olsen-banden går i krig|de|Die Olsenbande steigt aufs Dach|no|Olsen-banden går i krig|pl|Gang Olsena idzie na wojnę|sv|Olsen-banden går i krig}}'' || 1978 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[Matador (Danish TV series)|Matador]]'' || 1978 || Direction || TV series
|-
| ''[[Bandefører Balling]]'' || 1978 || Appearance || TV documentary
|-
| ''{{ill|The Olsen Gang Outta Sight|da|Olsen-banden deruda'|de|Die Olsenbande schlägt wieder zu|no|Olsen-banden deruda'|pl|Gang Olsena znowu w akcji|sv|Olsen-banden deruda'}}'' || 1977 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[The Moelleby Affair]]'' || 1976 || Script || Feature
|-
| ''[[It all adds up]]'' || 1976 || Script || Feature
|-
| ''[[The Olsen Gang Sees Red]]'' || 1976 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''{{ill|Superfos Glasuld – et isoleret tilfælde|da|Et isoleret tilfælde}}'' || 1976 || Direction || Commercial
|-
| ''[[The Olsen Gang on the Track]]'' || 1975 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[The Last Exploits of the Olsen Gang]]'' || 1974 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[The Olsen Gang Goes Crazy]]'' || 1973 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[The Olsen Gang's Big Score]]'' || 1972 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[Our Home is Our Castle]]'' || 1971 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''{{ill|One of those things|da|Hændeligt uheld (film)}}'' || 1971 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[The Olsen Gang in Jutland]]'' || 1971 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[Viva the revolution!]]'' || 1970 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[Huset på Christianshavn]]'' || 1970 || Direction || TV series
|-
| ''[[The Olsen Gang in a Fix]]'' || 1969 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''{{ill|One Saturday Evening|da|Det var en lørdag aften (film fra 1968)}}'' || 1968 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[The Olsen Gang (film)|The Olsen Gang]]'' || 1968 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''Martha'' || 1967 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[I Belong to Me (film)|I Belong to Me]]'' || 1967 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[Relax Freddie]]'' || 1966 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[Strike first Freddy]]'' || 1965 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''{{ill|Halløj i himmelsengen|de|3=2&nbsp;×&nbsp;2 im Himmelbett|lt=Halløj i himmelsengen}}'' || 1965 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[A Farmer's Life|Landmandsliv]]'' || 1965 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[Death Comes at High Noon]]'' || 1964 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[Sommer i Tyrol]]'' || 1964 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[Hvis lille pige er du?]]'' || 1963 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[Den kære familie]]'' || 1962 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[79 of Station]]'' || 1962 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[Cirkus Buster]]'' || 1961 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[Poeten og Lillemor i forårshumør]]'' || 1961 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[Forelsket i København]]'' || 1960 || Producer || Feature
|-
| ''[[Poeten og Lillemor og Lotte]]'' || 1960 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[Tro, håb og trolddom]]'' || 1960 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[Poeten og Lillemor]]'' || 1959 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[Helle for Helene]]'' || 1959 || Producer || Feature
|-
| ''[[The six-day bicycle race]]'' || 1958 || Script || Feature
|-
| ''[[The Girls Are Willing]]'' || 1958 || Production manager || Feature
|-
| ''[[A woman not wanted]]'' || 1957 || Producer || Feature
|-
| ''[[Jeg elsker dig]]'' || 1957 || Producer || Feature
|-
| ''[[Kispus]]'' || 1956 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[Qivitoq]]'' || 1956 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[På tro og love]]'' || 1955 || Script || Feature
|-
| ''{{ill|Kongeligt besøg|da}}'' || 1954 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[Adam and Eve (1953 film)|Adam and Eve]]'' || 1953 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[We Who Go the Kitchen Route]]'' || 1953 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[Vi arme syndere]]'' || 1952 || Direction || Feature
|-
| ''[[Mød mig på Cassiopeia]]'' || 1951 || Production manager || Feature
|-
| ''[[Cinderella]]'' || 1950 || Director: Danish version || Feature
|-
| ''{{ill|For frihed og ret|da}}'' || 1949 || Assistant director || Feature
|-
| ''[[Israel]]'' || 1949 || Direction || Documentary
|-
| ''[[Ditte, daughter of man]]'' || 1946 || Production assistant || Feature
|-
| ''{{ill|Diskret Ophold|da|Diskret ophold}}'' || 1946 || Assistant director || Feature
|}

== Literature ==
* {{ill|Christian Monggaard|da}}, ''Balling – Hans liv og film'', Informations Forlag, 2011. {{ISBN|978-87-7514-279-8}}.
* {{ill|Karen Thisted|da}}, ''Erik Balling : manden med de største succeser i dansk film'', Møntergården, 1996. {{ISBN|87-7553-555-6}}.
* ''Erik Balling – Som barn var jeg voldsomt hidsig'', Aschehoug, 1998. {{ISBN|87-11-11180-1}}.
* ''Erik Balling – Gedächtnisbilder: Über ein Leben, die Olsenbande und all die anderen schöne Filme'', Mosamax Verlag, Dresden 2016. {{ISBN|978-3-9817140-0-5}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}
* {{cite news |url=http://www.dr.dk/Nyheder/Kultur/2005/11/19/161939.htm?rss=true |title=Erik Balling er død, 80 år |date=19 November 2005 |publisher=[[Danmarks Radio]] | language=da |access-date=23 December 2010}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb name|id=0050853|name=Erik Balling}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20210224232801/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9f16b304 Erik Balling] at the [[British Film Institute]]{{better source needed|reason=Help request: a live link can be searched for at https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/search/expert - if available, replace the archive URL with the live link. Or if none found, remove this 'better source needed' template. | date=October 2023}}
* {{Danish National Filmography name|32}}
* {{Find a Grave|20427696|Erik Balling}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balling, Erik}}
[[Category:1924 births]]
[[Category:2005 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Danish screenwriters]]
[[Category:Bodil Honorary Award recipients]]
[[Category:Danish film directors]]
[[Category:Danish television directors]]
[[Category:Danish male screenwriters]]
[[Category:People from Nyborg]]