Lars Mjøen
| Lars Mjøen | |
|---|---|
| Born |
13 November 1945 Oslo, Norway |
| Occupation | comedian, actor |
Lars Lennart Heiberg Mjøen (born 13 November 1945) is a Norwegian comedian, actor, singer, screenwriter, director, editor and author. He is best known as a member of the comedy trio KLM, alongside Trond Kirkvaag and Knut Lystad.
Mjøen and Lystad began their entertainment careers with the NRK radio show “Bedre sent enn alvor” (Better late than seriously) in 1975, a program heavily inspired by Monty Python. The program's similarities to Monty Python is probably no coincidence, as Mjøen has stated in interviews that Monty Python's Flying Circus was what inspired him to become a comedian. In 1976, they moved on to television where they joined Kirkvaag who was already a well-known comedian in Norway for the satirical news program “Nynytt” (Newnews).
KLM shows later included “Klin Kokos” (Sticky Coconuts, 1981), “MRK Fjærsynet” (MRK TeeVee,[1] 1983), “I spøkelyset” (In the Joke Light, 1984), “Skai TV - imitert fjernsyn” (Skai Ⓡ TV [2] — An Imitated Television (Channel), 1988), “KLMs Nachspiel” (KLM's After Play, 1992) and “KLMs Vorspiel” (KLM's Prelude, 1995). With the exception of the Monty Python-esque “Klin Kokos”, all these shows mainly spoofed Norwegian television and current events. Typically, Lystad and Kirkvaag played the comedic roles, while Mjøen was more often cast as a host or a straight man, likely because he was not as gifted of an imitator as the other two. The role as a host suited him well. Mjøen also directed many of the KLM shows.
In 1985, KLM made their first and only feature film, “Noe helt annet” (Something completely different), scoffing Buffalo Bull (Trond Kirkvaag already derided this public figure in 1973 in the “Buffalo Bløffs internasjonale vegg-til-vegg-show”, The Buffalo Bluff Wall-to-Wall International Tour, together with Jon Skolmen, and Kirkvaag as ‘Buffalo Bløff’), a young man who must come to terms about being a vampire. As the title suggests, this movie is heavily inspired by Monty Python's style of humor.
The trio also made four series about Brødrene Dal, about the three explorer brothers Gaus (Mjøen), Roms (Lystad) and Brumund Dal (Kirkvaag), and their absurd adventures. While most of their other work was intended for an adult audience, the “Brødrene Dal” series' target audience was primarily children and teenagers.
He recorded the LP “Singing in the Brain” with Lystad, and wrote the first and fourth series of “Brødrene Dal” into bookforms. Unlike Lystad and Kirkvaag, who have appeared separately on many other television programs, Mjøen has rarely appeared on television outside the KLM shows.
He is the cousin of author Gerd Brantenberg.
Notes
- ↑ This mocks NRK's title, with the acronym being an abbreviation of “Morsk Rikskringkasting” (Hard and Fast National Broadcasting Corporation). Fjærsyn is a colloquial pronunciation of “fjernsyn” (TV).
- ↑ Not to be confused with the Greek Skai TV (ΣΚΑΪ Τηλεόραση) channel, set up five years later…
See also
- Trond Kirkvaag
- Knut Lystad, both members of the KLM trio