About Bodil Rosing
Lived 1877 – 1941 (aged 64). Bodil Rosing was an American actor and film actor.
Bodil Rosing (born Bodil Frederikke Hammerich; December 27, 1877 – December 31, 1941) was a Danish-American stage and film actress in the silent and sound eras.
Early years Bodil Hammerich was born in Copenhagen, the daughter of music dean Angel Hammerich and pianist Golla Hammerich (née Bodenhoff-Rosing). She studied acting at the Royal Danish Theatre in the 1890s.
Career Rosing worked as a stage actress in Denmark, performing for three years with the Royal Danish Theatre. She had her stage debut in Henrik Christiernsson's comedy Gurli at the Dagmar Theatre in 1898. In 1904, she played Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew at the Casino Theatre. Her last role at the Dagmar Theatre was as Michelle in Camille in 1905.
During the early 1920s, she made one or two stage appearances on Broadway, including Fools Errant (1922), while raising her children alone. She was retired from acting when she came to Hollywood in 1924, where her daughter married actor Monte Blue. There, she was chosen to play a film role, in Pretty Ladies (1925).
Rosing was under studio contract at MGM and often played matronly roles such as servants, housekeepers, cooks, or mothers. Her most notable role was perhaps Janet Gaynor's faithful maid in F.W. Murnau's silent film Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927). With the advent of sound film, she mostly portrayed foreigners and proved herself an extremely versatile actress in a variety of ethnicities, in about 85 films until her death. She appeared as the wife of her Danish compatriot, Jean Hersholt, in The Painted Veil (1934) with Greta Garbo, replacing the originally cast Beulah Bondi to bring a warmer look to the role. She also played the German neighbor of Lionel Barrymore in You Can't Take It with You (1938) by Frank Capra.
Personal life and death Rosing married a Norwegian doctor, Einer Jansen, in 1898; the couple had four children. They divorced in 1919.
Rosing died of a heart attack, aged 64. Shortly before her death, Rosing stated about her acting: "My goal has always been to reach the heart of my audience."
Theatre roles in Denmark Casino Theatre 1904 Trold kan tæmmes as Bianca, Baptista's daughter
Dagmar Theatre 1898 Gurli Clara as Johanson, model / Julia, Skytt's daughter 1898 Trold kan tæmmes as Bianca, Baptistas datter 1898 Ungdom as Anna, Pastor Hoppe's maid 1899 Cyrano de Bergerac as Marki 1899 Fejltagelserne as Constance Neville 1899 Henning Tondorf as Agnete Tripke 1899 Johannes den Døber as Maccha, Salomes legesøster 1899 Min svigerdatter as Marie 1899 Naar klostermuren brydes as Søster Ermegard 1899 Paa gale vej as Renee, Helene's daughter 1899 Zaza as Clairette, varietedame 1900 Under fire øjne as Erna, felix's wife 1901 Atalanta as Enkefru Thomsen 1901 En spurv i tranedans as Luise, Varbergs datter 1901 Et piskesmæld as Colette 1901 Kameliadamen as Nichette 1901 Sovevagonen as Rosina, Charbonneaus datter 1902 De fattiges dyrehave as Elisa, Conradsens datter 1902 Esther as Birthe, bedstemor Bagges sønnedatter 1902 Gurli as Julia, Skytt's daughter 1902 Lille Hanne as Engel 1902 Tre om een as Lotta, Mrs. Sandberg's maid 1902 Zaza as Floriane, varietedame 1903 1000 og 1 nat as Ascha, Suleimas veninde 1903 Doktor Jojo as Eugenie, Josephins kone 1903 Hjærtets begær as Olga Gerle 1903 Kærlighed as Ane-Sofie, Kristine's friend 1905 Kameliadamen as Theatre
Partial filmography
Pretty Ladies (1925) - Minor Role (uncredited) The Tower of Lies (1925) - Midwife (uncredited) Lights of Old Broadway (1925) - Widow Gorman The Volga Boatman (1926) - Tartar Woman (uncredited) The Sporting Lover (1926) - Nora O'Brien It Must Be Love (1926) - Mom Schmidt The Midnight Kiss (1926) - Swedish maid The Return of Peter Grimm (1926) - Marta (uncredited) The City (1926) - Sarah Stage Madness (1927) - Maid Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) - The Maid Blondes by Choice (1927) - Caroline Bennett Wild Geese (1927) - Mrs. Sandbo The Law of the Range (1928) - Mother of Jim and the Kid The Big Noise (1928) - Ma Sloval The Port of Missing Girls (1928) - Elsa Ladies of the Mob (1928) - Yvonne's Mother Wheel of Chance (1928) - Sara Turkeltaub Out of the Ruins (1928) - Mère Gilbert The Fleet's In (1928) - Mrs. Deane The Woman from Moscow (1928) - Nadia King of the Rodeo (1929) - Mother Why Be Good? (1929) - Ma Kelly Eternal Love (1929) - Housekeeper Betrayal (1929) - Andre's Mother Broadway Babies (1929) - Durgan The Bishop Murder Case (1929) - Grete Menzel Hello Sister (1930) - Martha Peddie All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - Mother of hospital patient (uncredited) A Lady's Morals (1930) - Innkeeper's Wife Oh, For a Man! (1930) - Masseuse (uncredited) Part Time Wife (1930) - Martha - the Cook Three Who Loved (1931) - Mrs. 'Aunt Anna' Larson Surrender (1931) - Domenica The Miracle Man (1932) - Townswoman (uncredited) Grand Hotel (1932) - Nurse Helping Old Lady Into Elevator (uncredited) Downstairs (1932) - Sophie - the Cook Six Hours to Live (1932) - Greta (uncredited) The Match King (1932) - Frau Necher (uncredited) Hallelujah, I'm a Bum (1933) - Matron (uncredited) The Crime of the Century (1933) - Hilda Ericson - Maid Reunion in Vienna (1933) - Kathie - the Krug Family Maid Ex-Lady (1933) - Mrs. Bauer - Helen's Mother Queen Christina (1933) - Innkeeper's Wife (uncredited) Hello, Sister (1933) Mandalay (1934) - Mrs. Kleinschmidt All Men Are Enemies (1934) - Landlady (uncredited) Little Man, What Now? (1934) - Frau Kleinholz Such Women Are Dangerous (1934) - Helma King Kelly of the U.S.A. (1934) - Sylvia, Tania's Chaperone Crimson Romance (1934) - Mama von Bergen The Painted Veil (1934) - Frau Koerber A Night at the Ritz (1935) - Mama Jaynos Roberta (1935) - Fernande Four Hours to Kill! (1935) - Ma Let 'Em Have It (1935) - Mrs. Keefer Thunder in the Night (1935) - Lisa Peter Ibbetson (1935) - Minor Role (scenes deleted) Hearts in Bondage (1936) - Mrs. Adams Libeled Lady (1936) - Wife of the Justice of the Peace (uncredited) Rose Bowl (1936) - Mrs. Schultz (uncredited) The Plot Thickens (1936) - Theresa the Cook (uncredited) Thin Ice (1937) - Otto's Wife (uncredited) Michael O'Halloran (1937) - Mrs. Polska Heidi (1937) - First Village Woman (uncredited) Breakfast for Two (1937) - Nanny - Blair's Household Staff (uncredited) Conquest (1937) - Anna - Servant (uncredited) The First Hundred Years (1938) - Martha You Can't Take It with You (1938) - Mrs. Schmidt The Great Waltz (1938) - Innkeeper's Wife (uncredited) Hotel Imperial (1939) - Ratty Old Woman (uncredited) Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939) - Passenger on Boat The Star Maker (1939) - Mrs. Swanson Nurse Edith Cavell (1939) - Charlotte Hitler – Beast of Berlin (1939) - Frau Kohler Florian (1940) - Anna - Diana's Maid (uncredited) Four Sons (1940) - Townswoman (uncredited) The Mortal Storm (1940) - Old Woman on Train (uncredited) Reaching for the Sun (1941) - Rita's Mother They Dare Not Love (1941) - Leni (uncredited) No Greater Sin (1941)) - 'Ma' James Man at Large (1941) - Klara, Botany's Housekeeper Marry the Boss's Daughter (1941) - Mrs. Polgar (final film role)
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Important facts
People in Bodil Rosing's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Bodil Rosing's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Bodil Rosing?
American actress (1877-1941)
When was Bodil Rosing born?
Bodil Rosing was born on 27 December 1877 in Copenhagen.
When did Bodil Rosing die?
Bodil Rosing died on 31 December 1941 in Hollywood.
What was Bodil Rosing's occupation?
Bodil Rosing was an actor and film actor.
What nationality was Bodil Rosing?
Bodil Rosing was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Bodil Rosing. https://biography.guide/bodil-rosing/
MLA: "Bodil Rosing." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/bodil-rosing/.
Chicago: "Bodil Rosing." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/bodil-rosing/.
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