Ole Michelsen(1940-2020)

Ole Michelsen was born in the Frederiksberg, Denmark, where he still lives today. His family was quite poor and his father committed suicide when Ole was 14. After unfinished university studies Ole Michelsen went to live in Paris, pursuing his dream of being a director, and became an assistant to director Jean-Pierre Melville. Michelsen's experiences taught him that he was not suited for filmmaking, and instead he became a correspondent for Danish newspapers. In 1970 he returned to Denmark where he took a job as a culture journalist for Danish radio. Interviews were his specialty. In the early 1980s he started the film magazine "Bogart" on radio, then famously took it to television (DR) in 1985. The programme had a strong voice in Danish film and its marking scale of one to five Bogart hats was among the most cited. Ole Michelsen was strongly identified with his programme, and when he retired in late 2002 his skillful work and his mark on the Danish cinema culture were widely recognized. In his personal life, Michelsen became a single father when his wife died three years into their marriage. In recent years he and his daughter, Trine Michelsen, have improved their relationship which suffered when she starred in erotic films in the 1980s. After his retirement, Michelsen has expanded on his writing career and made efforts to share his own past experiences with alcoholism and help those with the same problem. He has also given lectures and written freelance journalism.