Kirsten Olesen

Acting

Kirsten Olesen

Born

1949-05-10 (77)

Place of birth

Aarhus, Danmark

Known for

Acting

Credits

54 titles

Kirsten Olesen is a Danish actress who since 1979 has been with Copenhagen's Royal Danish Theatre. In Denmark, she is known above all for taking the part of Agnes, a housemaid, in the popular television series Matador. Internationally, she has starred in the title role of Lars von Trier's Medea.

Known for

This Is Us poster
8.2

Follows the lives and families of three adults living and growing up in the United States of America in present and past times. As their paths cross and their life stories intertwine in curious ways, we find that several of them share the same birthday - and so much more than anyone would expect.

This Is Us

2016

The Bridge poster
8.1

When a body is found on the bridge between Denmark and Sweden, right on the border, Danish inspector Martin Rohde and Swedish Saga Norén have to share jurisdiction and work together to find the killer.

The Bridge

2011

The Legacy poster
7.4

The death of a matriarch brings forgotten secrets out into the open and causes a prolonged battle for the family inheritance.

The Legacy

2014

Sommer poster
7.6

Sommer is a Danish TV-drama aired on DR1 in 2008. The series was created by Jesper W. Nielsen and Karina Dam

Sommer

2008

Matador poster
9.0

Matador is a Danish TV series produced and shown between 1978 and 1982. It is set in the fictional Danish town of Korsbæk between 1929 and 1947. It follows the lives of a range of characters from across the social spectrum, focusing specifically on the rivalry between the families of two businessmen: The banker Hans Christian Varnæs, an established local worthy, and social climber Mads Skjern, who arrives in town as the series opens. The name Matador was taken from the localised edition of the boardgame Monopoly, also the series' tentative English title. In addition, in contemporary Danish a "matador" is often used to describe a business tycoon, in the series referring to the character of Mads Skjern and his craftiness as a self-made entrepreneur. Directed by famed Danish film maker Erik Balling, Matador was the idea of author Lise Nørgaard who wrote the bulk of the episodes alongside Karen Smith, Jens Louis Petersen and Paul Hammerich. The series is one of the most well-known and popular examples of Danish television and represents the peak of longtime development of Danish TV drama by the public service channel Danmarks Radio. The series has become part of the modern self-understanding of Danes, partly because of its successful mix of melodrama and a distinct warm Danish humour in the depiction of characters, which were portrayed by a wide range of the most popular Danish actors at the time; but also not least because of its accurate portrayal of a turbulent Denmark from around the start of the Great Depression and through Nazi Germany's occupation of Denmark in World War II.

Matador

1978

Spise med Price poster
8.5

The artistically streaked brothers James and Adam Price learned early on to LOVE food and both are right at home in the kitchen. In this series they alternate between working together and competing against each other as they take on each episode's theme of food. Some dishes are done the old fashioned way, some get a twist but all is done in a humorous atmosphere of good-natured bantering, teasing and story telling.

Spise med Price

2008

Film credits

2020s · 5 titles

Madklubben: Hjemme Igen poster
6.2

The three friends, Marie, Berling, and Vanja, are back home. They’ve moved in together in a large, beautiful house with high ceilings and a weekly dinner club. Marie is getting used to life as a newly divorced woman, the new grandmother Vanja takes care of both child and grandchild, while Berling has been forced into retirement. But with their usual impressive energy, the three women — led by Berling — decide to create Funen’s biggest local food festival! A decision that doesn’t go unnoticed, either within or around their small household.

Madklubben: Hjemme Igen

2025

As in Heaven poster
6.1

One day at the end of the 1800s, 14-year-old Lise’s life is changed forever. She is the eldest of her siblings, the first in her family to go to school and full of hope and confidence in life. But when her mother goes into labour, it quickly appears that something is wrong. As night falls and the labour progresses, Lise begins to understand that a day that began in childhood might end with her becoming the woman of the house.

As in Heaven

2021

Stains poster
NR

An artist finds herself at a residency in the northern part of Jutland. Her need for control in every aspect of her life is challenged… both by herself and by an older artist who is seemingly able to see right through her younger counterpart.

Stains

2022

Food Club poster
5.6

Three longtime girlfriends from elementary school, very different women, have one thing in common: they are in the fall of their lives and they all feel how ruthless old age can be. Marie is abandoned by her husband on Christmas Eve, and her entire identity as part of a happy family crumbles. Berling is the eternal "bachelor" who outwardly denies her age and lives the sweet life, but in the backdrop she is affected by a complicated relationship with her daughter. Vanja lives in the memories of her late husband and has difficulty moving on. The three travel to Italy together to attend a food course in Puglia, where they each have an opportunity to redefine themselves.

Food Club

2020

Året der gik- 2023 poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Året der gik- 2023

2023

2010s · 9 titles

Wildwitch poster
4.9

12-year-old Clara is just like any other girl, until one day a mysterious black cat scratches her. Clara soon discovers that she can communicate with the cat and that she belongs to a family of Wild Witches with a strong connection to nature and animals. It turns out that Clara is a very special Wild Witch and that her blood can set free the ancient and evil witch, Bravita Bloodyoung.

Wildwitch

2018

The Sun Has Died poster
10.0

A young woman is terrorized while working the night shift, cleaning a remote kindergarten, in this intense first-person horror film.

The Sun Has Died

2015

Rebounce poster
4.8

REBOUNCE is a colorful, tough and powerful film featuring Frederikke Dahl Hansen in the leading role. She plays opposite Anne Sofie Espersen and Dar Salim, and despite being only 16 years old she portrays toughness, charm, and vulnerability admirably. REBOUNCE is an intense drama. Louise's mother is just out of prison and in the eyes of a teenager she's cool, tough and enchanting. To win her love, Louise follows her lead and enters a world of partying, drugs, fast cash and men. Meanwhile, everyone seems to forget that she is just a teenager

Rebounce

2011

Robin poster
3.8

You can run into anything in the Danish woods, but a naked woman covered in blood is not something you see every day. Her name is Robin and she not only claims to have witnessed a gruesome murder but also to having killed her assailant in self-defense. The problem is that the police doesn’t find any trace to prove what happened to her. It remains a complete mystery. Robin feels abandoned by the police, who clearly think she’s the victim of an overactive imagination. Ever her husband and her sister have all the trouble in the world to believe her. She reaches a chilling conclusion. If she didn’t kill the murderer, he must still be out there, wanting to end what he started.

Robin

2017

Ein Sommer in Dänemark poster
5.4

Translator Lena Feldhusen travels to Copenhagen to supposedly research the Danish writer Karen Blixen. However, there is another reason behind the trip: the search for her father Carl, whom she last saw in her early childhood. During the trip, she meets the charming Mads, who also turns out to be a Blixen expert and runs the museum of the same name. Her trip becomes a confrontation with herself, old family conflicts and the chance of a new love.

Ein Sommer in Dänemark

2016

Something in the Air poster
4.7

When clairvoyant Pernille meets Journalist Daniel, who is on a mission to write an exposé about Fact & Fiction in the clairvoyant world, Daniel falls in love with her. And funnily enough, she hadn't seen it coming.

Something in the Air

2011

Hvor lyset kommer ind poster
NR

Elisa's husband is paralyzed after a traffic accident. She takes care of him at home, but it is difficult. Elisa's in-laws do not believe she can handle the situation and want their son admitted to a nursing home. But Elisa disagrees, and as her life slowly crumbles, she refuses to accept that she has lost her husband and the love of her life.

Hvor lyset kommer ind

2013

The Stranger poster
3.8

Tommy is not doing much of anything with his life or the money he has inherited except smoking weed. His parents have high hopes for him and he is bound to disappoint them. Then one day a Thai prostitute on the run from criminal forces her way into his apartment and Tommy finds himself at a crossroad.

The Stranger

2015

In Your Arms poster
5.9

When Maria meets Niels for the first time, he comes across as an angry and unsympathetic young man. His chronic illness has been concentrated into a single wish—to go to a Swiss nursing home for euthanasia. But in order to get there, he needs a volunteer escort.

In Your Arms

2015

2000s · 7 titles

Daisy Diamond poster
5.6

A tragic story about Anna who dreams of one thing only: making it as an actress. She moves from Sweden to Copenhagen to pursue her dream. But fate has something else in store for her. Though she struggles to give her 4-month-old daughter a good start in life, she ultimately fails to unite her dream of acting with a safe and loving environment for her child, culminating in a desperate act that has fatal consequences for Anna and her daughter.

Daisy Diamond

2007

In Your Hands poster
5.8

Anna, a young theology graduate, starts work as a prison chaplain. She becomes especially concerned about one inmate, Kate, regarded as difficult and withdrawn, but whom the other inmates credit with mysterious healing powers.

In Your Hands

2004

When Heaven Falls poster
5.7

Sara was placed in care aged 11. Now 28 she hears her mother has died. She goes to the funeral and realises her brother and father don't recognise her so keeps quiet about her identity. When watching her father's house, she finds out she has two younger sisters, and realises that what's going on connects to her childhood...

When Heaven Falls

2009

Accused poster
6.7

On the surface Henrik and Nina Christofferson are an ordinary family living happily. But they have a problem. Their daughter, Stine, a difficult 14 year old, has a habit of telling lies in class. When Stine accuses her father of sexual abuse, and is believed by seemingly eager social workers, their family is thrust into crisis. Could Henrik have done it? And when Stine prepares to return home, the ugly side of family life is exposed.

Accused

2005

The Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar II poster
5.4

In 1361 the Danish King Valdemar's troops approached the city walls of Visby, Gotland. Meanwhile, a young woman named Sigrid was leaving tracks all over the place leading to the whereabouts of a great treasure.She was able to fulfill her mission before being captured and immured alive in a tower, as punishment for not revealing the whereabouts of the treasure. Currently Kathrine, 14, and his three friends have to follow the tracks of 700 years ago during the Medieval Week celebration in Visby to rescue his father, who has been kidnapped, and find the lost treasure. But the fearful and dangerous Black Brotherhood lies in wait.

The Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar II

2007

No artwork available
4.2

No synopsis available yet.

Bare Holger

2005

No artwork available
5.5

No synopsis available yet.

Trækfugle

2001

1980s · 14 titles

Medea poster
6.5

Medea after having helped the man she loves, Jason, and given him to birth two children, is driven into fury and vengeful madness after he decides to abandon her to become successor to the throne by marring Glauce, the daughter of Creon, king of Corinth.

Medea

1989

Sorg-agre poster
4.7

The story takes place on a manor in the late 18th century, where the widow Ane Marie's son is suspected of burning down a barn. If the lord of the manor hands him over to the authorities, it will mean prison or military service for an indefinite period. Therefore, Ane Marie makes a deal with the lord of the manor: her son will go free if Ane Marie can do the work of three men and mow a field from sunrise to sunset.

Sorg-agre

1987

Elise poster
4.2

In a sexual and romantic drama of intrigue, lies, and gossip, a young woman over a long period of time, has children by both men, her husband and lover before her deception begins to fall apart. Elise (Ann-Mari Max Hansen) is an outgoing, happy woman married to Henry (Ole Ernst), the town doctor. Because of a mix-up one day, she finds herself first compromised and then romantically involved with William (Henning Jensen), a captain of the Dragoons. Her story is told from the viewpoint of the town vicar, who may not be such an innocent bystander as he first seems. Eventually, gossip begins to run rampant, and Elise's life heads for a radical change.

Elise

1985

Truck-driver poster
6.0

This trucker road movie tells the story of four men driving 30-ton meat-carriers in shuttle service between Denmark and Italy. Against their will, the truckers get involved in criminal activities that flourish as a result of European custom service bureaucracy. Their bonding as friends and their strongly rooted family life help them through.

Truck-driver

1981

Johannes' hemmelighed poster
8.0

Johannes is upset because his parents have divorced and because his father never phones him. Before going to bed he wants his mother to read something from the Bible for him, instead of one of the usual stories from Superman. She reads some lines from the Revelation of St. John. Johannes asks her what "the end is near" means. She explains that it is when Jesus comes back, and sends the good people to Paradise and the evil ones to Hell. In the middle of the night Johannes sees a dazzling light and lots of water pouring out from the toilet. Suddenly an androgynous being is standing in the bathroom. Johannes thinks it's Jesus, and the being doesn't deny it. Johannes asks Jesus if his parents are going to Hell, as he thinks they are evil.

Johannes' hemmelighed

1985

That's me too poster
7.3

Stine is eighteen and has finished school. Her parents have are divorced, and the father has a new wife. Stine is not so anxious finding a regular job, She would like to be an actor.

That's me too

1980

Sigurd Fafnersbane poster
NR

An animated retelling of the legendary hero Sigurd of Norse folklore.

Sigurd Fafnersbane

1981

No artwork available
NR

Disguised as a man, Viola (Kirsten Olesen) is stranded in the wonderland of Illyria where she awakens the love of the beautiful Olivia (Susse Wold). Viola herself falls in love with Duke Orsino (Nis Bank-Mikkelsen) who in turn is in love with Olivia.

Helligtrekongersaften

1981

Enlig Far poster
5.5

When Ole's wife leaves him for another man after 16 years and 2 teenage daughters, he starts seeing other women.

Enlig Far

1980

Time Out poster
3.3

Drama about a young Dane who has traveled to America to find the father he can hardly remember. In New Mexico he gets to know the daughter of a political-religious fanatic who runs a "survival school". The young Dane is interested in the girl and admits to school. Later, however, there will be a violent showdown with the fanatic. But was this man, in fact, his father?

Time Out

1988

My Granny's House poster
5.0

Danish author Soya's acidly funny turn-of-the-century memoir novel turned into a robust black comedy. After his mother's death, tiny tot Søren goes to live with his wilful, rich and stingy Granny, who wants to improve his manners. She also wants to make him sole heir to her fortune, which everybody else covets. Mutual respect, even love, develops between the two. And death by poison enlivens things.

My Granny's House

1984

The Boy Who Disappeared poster
8.5

Fed up with his quarreling middle class parents, thirteen-year-old Jonas runs away from home. He seeks his freedom in the woods, where he befriends a girl his own age and a drunken ex-pilot, who offers him some warmth and understanding.

The Boy Who Disappeared

1984

Images of Liberation poster
6.8

A German officer visits his Danish mistress after the occupation of Denmark has ended.

Images of Liberation

1982

Rødtotterne og Tyrannos poster
5.0

Seven 12-year-olds fight against property speculators and local officials who intend to replace a treasured forest with a concrete building jungle.

Rødtotterne og Tyrannos

1988

Series credits

This Is Us poster
8.2

Follows the lives and families of three adults living and growing up in the United States of America in present and past times. As their paths cross and their life stories intertwine in curious ways, we find that several of them share the same birthday - and so much more than anyone would expect.

This Is Us

2016

The Bridge poster
8.1

When a body is found on the bridge between Denmark and Sweden, right on the border, Danish inspector Martin Rohde and Swedish Saga Norén have to share jurisdiction and work together to find the killer.

The Bridge

2011

The Legacy poster
7.4

The death of a matriarch brings forgotten secrets out into the open and causes a prolonged battle for the family inheritance.

The Legacy

2014

Sommer poster
7.6

Sommer is a Danish TV-drama aired on DR1 in 2008. The series was created by Jesper W. Nielsen and Karina Dam

Sommer

2008

Matador poster
9.0

Matador is a Danish TV series produced and shown between 1978 and 1982. It is set in the fictional Danish town of Korsbæk between 1929 and 1947. It follows the lives of a range of characters from across the social spectrum, focusing specifically on the rivalry between the families of two businessmen: The banker Hans Christian Varnæs, an established local worthy, and social climber Mads Skjern, who arrives in town as the series opens. The name Matador was taken from the localised edition of the boardgame Monopoly, also the series' tentative English title. In addition, in contemporary Danish a "matador" is often used to describe a business tycoon, in the series referring to the character of Mads Skjern and his craftiness as a self-made entrepreneur. Directed by famed Danish film maker Erik Balling, Matador was the idea of author Lise Nørgaard who wrote the bulk of the episodes alongside Karen Smith, Jens Louis Petersen and Paul Hammerich. The series is one of the most well-known and popular examples of Danish television and represents the peak of longtime development of Danish TV drama by the public service channel Danmarks Radio. The series has become part of the modern self-understanding of Danes, partly because of its successful mix of melodrama and a distinct warm Danish humour in the depiction of characters, which were portrayed by a wide range of the most popular Danish actors at the time; but also not least because of its accurate portrayal of a turbulent Denmark from around the start of the Great Depression and through Nazi Germany's occupation of Denmark in World War II.

Matador

1978

Spise med Price poster
8.5

The artistically streaked brothers James and Adam Price learned early on to LOVE food and both are right at home in the kitchen. In this series they alternate between working together and competing against each other as they take on each episode's theme of food. Some dishes are done the old fashioned way, some get a twist but all is done in a humorous atmosphere of good-natured bantering, teasing and story telling.

Spise med Price

2008

Bryggeren poster
4.2

A story about Carlsberg founder JC Jacobsen, his son Carl, and their struggle to create a brewing company, and simultaneously a look at fifty years of Danish history.

Bryggeren

1996

Hotellet poster
8.0

No synopsis available yet.

Hotellet

2000

Tre ludere og en lommetyv poster
10.0

No synopsis available yet.

Tre ludere og en lommetyv

1993

Vores år poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Vores år

1980

Lysets nøgle poster
7.0

No synopsis available yet.

Lysets nøgle

2007

Finding Home poster
NR

The year is 1899. The young girl Marie Jensen lives at an orphanage with her two younger siblings Karl and Sofie. Their father is a sailor and has not been home for years. He was last seen in Norway but everybody is convinced he was lost at sea – except Marie. One morning the beautiful freighter ‘Hope’ comes to town with Skipper Andersen and his wife Mrs. Agnete on board. To Marie’s distress, they adopt Karl and Sofie, and Marie now faces being left alone. But quickly she comes up with a plan. At night, she cuts her long hair and disguises herself as a boy, adopts the name of Martin and signs on as a deck boy on ‘’Hope’. The ship takes Marie and her siblings on an eventful journey from the coast of Denmark to Norway and Iceland. A journey full of secrets, friendship, love and adventure – all in the hope of finding her father and reuniting her family. 'Finding Home' is a story about a young girl’s fight to break free of the path that society has destined for her and instead becoming a strong and independent woman.

Finding Home

2018