The Norwegian director and Emmy-nominated actor has passed away. The family said this in a press release issued on Monday.
– Stein Wing is not only a renowned artist but also a loving family man. As the son of visual artist Sigurd Wing, husband of actor Kari Onstad and father of Julie, Sigurd Nikolai and Victoria Wing, family has always been a part of his artistic life, the family writes in a press release.
When the Sixth International Ibsen Festival opened in August 1998, Stein Winge embraced playwright Ellen Horne in front of the National Theatre.
Photo: Erik Johansson / NTB
According to The Great Norwegian EncyclopediaStein Vinge staged plays while studying at Statens Dieterhochskol.
Aspired to be a conductor – became a dramatist
A career in theater came after he first started playing the violin in his teens with the intention of becoming a conductor, but was later convinced by the poet and actor Glaze Gill that he should become an actor.
– We will remember Steen Wing as a visionary, mentor and friend. His legacy will live on through the countless products he created and the lives he touched. His family is saddened and their thoughts are with GTo his friends and all who have known and admired his work over the years, the press release continues.
Director Stein Vinge and actor Bjorn Sundkist (th) during a rehearsal for the play “The Bible” which premiered at the Norwegian Theater in Oslo in February 2013.
Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB
During his career, Wing became theater manager at the National Theater and chief director at Den Norske Opera. He has also been a guest director in many theaters in Norway and in other countries.
In the 80s, he worked at the LA Theater Center in Los Angeles, where he brought Espen Skjenberg to play King Lear.
Worked together for decades
Actor Nils Ole Oftebro says he has known Stein Wing since the 60s. He sat by Wing's side after his death on Monday.
– I sat with his two children and talked stories and anecdotes. There were both sweet and sad memories we shared, Oftebro tells NRK.
Nils Ole Oftebro presents the Amanda Prize at the Haugesund Film Festival in 2019.
Photo: John Corey Ness / NTP
Wing and Sverre Anger graduated from the Ostal Theater Academy when Afterpro started in 1971.
– I have known him for many years: I have had him as an instructor and a friend.
– Bold and innovative
– How was he as an instructor?
– Oftebro says that Stein was one of the most inventive, innovative instructors of the late 60s to mid 90s and highlights when Anne Marit Jacobsen played the king in “Johan uten land” in 1985.
– This is the first time a woman has played the lead male role. In both “Richard II” and “Johann Uttenland”, they discovered a completely new idiom on the round stage in Torshow, which has inspired a whole generation of new instructors, says Oftebro and adds:
– He is bold and he is innovative. He was honorable and irreverent at the same time. He's a big, big name.
Oftebro says the loss of Wing is also a big loss.
– I must say that I liked him very much, I admired him very much.
Awardee
In 2001, Wing was appointed a Knight of the Order of St Ola, 1st Class. His awards include the Heda Committee's Honorary Award, which was presented to him in 2019 in recognition of his lifelong contribution to Norwegian theatre. According to the jury, he was among other things Appreciated his courage to think big and new. He also received the Drama Critics Award in 1982.
Stein Winge's daughter, actress Victoria Winge, in a 2010 presentation of the play “Long Dogs Fert Mod Not” directed by Stein Winge at the Riksdædret.
Photo: Terje Bendiksby / NTB
In his time it was Wing who initiated the Ibsen Festival at the National Theatre. According to SNL, he has too Ibsen was responsible for many innovative and daring productions.
– He is wonderful
On his 70th birthday in 2010, Vinge told NRK that he had diabetes and was sent to hospital with a foot infection. But then he persuaded the hospital to send him back to the theatre, where he was to make his debut immediately.
“Gråtass – Gøy pålandet!” Elias Sowold Simonson as Gustav and Stein Wing as the old father. Since 2016.
Photo: Torstein Bo / NTP
At the time, actor Bjorn Skagestad, who played the lead role in the play “Galileo,” said of Wing:
– It is a privilege to have him as a director. I probably had more respect and awe in 1981 than I do now. I think he's amazing. He has become more generous and cold over the years.
Known through film and television
Apart from distinguishing himself as a director, Wing was also seen in several films and television series. He played the role of Old Man in several “Gratas” films. He was nominated for an International Emmy Award for Best Actor in 2012 for his efforts as Frank in the series “Casey with a Fireplace”.
Actor friend Bjørn Sundquist teased Winge in a friendly way about the nomination and said he was “very nice,” Winge agreed.
– My first appearance as an actor was referred to as 900 kg of pork on stage, but it was for the whole class, he later pointed out with a laugh.
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