Pål Bang-Hansen
- July 29, 1937
- March 25, 2010
- 72 years
- skin cancer
About Pål Bang-Hansen
Pål Bang-Hansen, 72, Norwegian film director, actor and film critic, skin cancer.
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Full Biography
|Pål Bang-Hansen (29 July 1937 – 25 March 2010) was a Norwegian actor, film director, screenwriter and film critic. He is remembered as a television personality and film expert at the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, leading the television film show Filmmagasinet for more than thirty years.
Early life and career
Bang-Hansen was born in Oslo, the son of writer Odd Bang-Hansen (1908–1984) and physician Elise Aas. He was married to Oddbjørg Havik, and was the brother of actor and theatre director Kjetil Bang-Hansen (born 1940). As a young boy he regularly participated in audio plays for children. Among his main characters were the master detective "Blomkvist" in adaptations of Astrid Lindgren's children's books (the Bill Bergson series). He made his film debut as a child, when he played the character "Sofus" in Arne Skouen's film Gategutter from 1949. He played the character "Tom" in the children's film Tom og Mette på sporet from 1952, directed by Lauritz Falk, based a book by Bang-Hansen's father. After finishing his examen artium in 1957 he worked for a time on film commercials. He studied film in Italy at Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, the Italian National film school, from 1959 to 1961, and spent one year with the Italian film industry. He was a journalist and film critic for the newspaper Arbeiderbladet from 1962 to 1966.
Film director
Bang-Hansen directed six films. His first film production was Skrift i sne (Script in Snow) from 1966. He produced the agent film Douglas in 1970. His satirical film Norske byggeklosser (1972) was a great success. In 1973 he made the film Kanarifuglen, and in 1974 the thriller Bortreist på ubestemt tid, based on a crime novel by Sigrun Krokvik. His last film was the political drama Kronprinsen from 1979, based on a true story, with Bjørn Sundquist making his debut in the leading role.
Film critic
Despite his success as a filmmaker Bang-Hansen has for several generations been best known throughout Norway as one of the nation's leading film critics, while working in that capacity for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) for forty years, from 1967 to 2007. He was anchor for the regular television show Filmmagasinet from 1966 to 1989. Another of his film programs was I objektivet from 1969 to 1976, where he introduced more special films to the public. In his role at NRK he was the one and only film presenter on Norwegian television for decades.
Bang-Hansen regularly reported from film festivals in Europe, notably from the Cannes Film Festival consecutively for more than forty years, and also the Berlin Film Festival and the Lübeck Nordic Film Days. Over the years he conducted interviews with Alfred Hitchcock, Gina Lollobrigida, Peter Sellers, and Jodie Foster. He is the only Norwegian to have interviewed John Lennon.
Writer
Among his books are Dager med Douglas from 1970, 24 ganger i sekundet from 1988, and Norske filmplakatar 1917–1988 from 1989. He has also written travel books. Among his posthumous works is a film script about an undercover resistance group from World War II, a branch of the clandestine organization XU.
Awards
Bang-Hansen was awarded the Gullruten honorary prize in 2001. In 2002 he was given the Amanda Honorary Award, shared with Rolv Wesenlund. He was awarded the Aamot statuette in 2009. Shortly before his death, in March 2010, he was awarded the order Den Hvide Knap from the Norwegian Students' Society's theatre Teater Neuf in Oslo. On 2 June 2005 Bang-Hansen was awarded the Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.
He died in March 2010, having been diagnosed with skin cancer a week before.
Selected filmography
- Trost i taklampa (1955)
- Kvinnens plass (1956)
- Skrift i sne (1966)
- Douglas (1970)
- Norske byggeklosser (1972)
- Kanarifuglen (1973)
- Bortreist på ubestemt tid (1974)
- Kronprinsen (1979)
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A5l_Bang-Hansen
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- September 29, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Pål Bang-Hansen's archived record and the sources above.
1.In what city was Pål Bang-Hansen born?
- A.Stavanger
- B.Oslocorrect
- C.Trondheim
- D.Bergen
Pål Bang-Hansen was born in Oslo, the son of writer Odd Bang-Hansen and physician Elise Aas.
Source: Early life and career
2.Who was the father of Pål Bang-Hansen?
- A.Lauritz Falk
- B.Odd Bang-Hansencorrect
- C.Arne Skouen
- D.Rolv Wesenlund
Pål Bang-Hansen was the son of the writer Odd Bang-Hansen.
Source: Early life and career
3.Which fictional character did Pål Bang-Hansen play in audio plays as a child?
- A.Blomkvistcorrect
- B.Sofus
- C.Douglas
- D.Tom
As a young boy, Pål Bang-Hansen regularly participated in audio plays, playing the master detective Blomkvist.
Source: Early life and career
4.Where did Pål Bang-Hansen study film from 1959 to 1961?
- A.Norway
- B.Germany
- C.Italycorrect
- D.France
Pål Bang-Hansen studied film in Italy at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia.
Source: Early life and career
5.Pål Bang-Hansen directed which satirical film in 1972?
- A.Kronprinsen
- B.Skrift i sne
- C.Norske byggeklossercorrect
- D.Kanarifuglen
Pål Bang-Hansen's satirical film Norske byggeklosser was released in 1972 and was a great success.
Source: Film director
6.Which actor made his debut in Pål Bang-Hansen's last film, Kronprinsen?
- A.Kjetil Bang-Hansen
- B.Rolv Wesenlund
- C.Bjørn Sundquistcorrect
- D.Lauritz Falk
Pål Bang-Hansen's final film Kronprinsen featured Bjørn Sundquist in his leading role debut.
Source: Film director
7.For how many years did Pål Bang-Hansen work for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation?
- A.Forty yearscorrect
- B.Thirty years
- C.Fifty years
- D.Twenty years
Pål Bang-Hansen worked for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation in the capacity of a film critic for forty years.
Source: Film critic
8.Pål Bang-Hansen was the anchor for which television show from 1966 to 1989?
- A.I objektivet
- B.Dager med Douglas
- C.Norske filmplakatar
- D.Filmmagasinetcorrect
Pål Bang-Hansen served as the anchor for the television film show Filmmagasinet for more than thirty years.
Source: Film critic
9.Which famous director did Pål Bang-Hansen interview during his career?
- A.Lauritz Falk
- B.Alfred Hitchcockcorrect
- C.Sigrun Krokvik
- D.Arne Skouen
Pål Bang-Hansen conducted interviews with several prominent figures, including Alfred Hitchcock.
Source: Film critic
10.Pål Bang-Hansen is the only Norwegian to have interviewed which famous person?
- A.Gina Lollobrigida
- B.Peter Sellers
- C.Jodie Foster
- D.John Lennoncorrect
Pål Bang-Hansen holds the distinction of being the only Norwegian to have interviewed John Lennon.
Source: Film critic
11.What is the subject of the film script Pål Bang-Hansen wrote posthumously?
- A.A history of Norwegian film festivals
- B.The life of a film critic
- C.An undercover resistance groupcorrect
- D.A biography of Odd Bang-Hansen
Among his posthumous works is a film script about an undercover resistance group from World War II, a branch of the XU organization.
Source: Writer
12.In what year was Pål Bang-Hansen awarded the Amanda Honorary Award?
- A.2001
- B.1989
- C.2002correct
- D.2009
Pål Bang-Hansen was given the Amanda Honorary Award in 2002, which he shared with Rolv Wesenlund.
Source: Awards
13.Which prize was awarded to Pål Bang-Hansen shortly before his death in 2010?
- A.Gullruten
- B.Den Hvide Knapcorrect
- C.Aamot statuette
- D.Amanda Honorary Award
Shortly before his death in March 2010, Pål Bang-Hansen was awarded the order Den Hvide Knap.
Source: Awards
14.What was the cause of Pål Bang-Hansen's death?
- A.Respiratory failure
- B.A stroke
- C.Heart failure
- D.Skin cancercorrect
Pål Bang-Hansen died in March 2010, having been diagnosed with skin cancer a week before his passing.
Source: Awards
15.In which year was the film Gategutter, featuring Pål Bang-Hansen, released?
- A.1949correct
- B.1955
- C.1956
- D.1952
Pål Bang-Hansen made his film debut as a child when he played the character Sofus in the 1949 film Gategutter.
Source: Early life and career
16.Who was the spouse of Pål Bang-Hansen?
- A.Astrid Lindgren
- B.Oddbjørg Havikcorrect
- C.Sigrun Krokvik
- D.Elise Aas
Pål Bang-Hansen was married to Oddbjørg Havik.
Source: Early life and career
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