Elith Pio

Biography

Outstanding Danish character actor Elith Pio was active for more than 65 years on stage, screen, radio and TV. Both his parents were in the theatre and Pio made his stage debut in 1907 with a touring company. With his wife he settled down in Copenhagen with various theaters and from 1931 with The Royal Theatre. Film debut in 1908 with Nordisk Film where he continued working with Benjamin Christensen and Carl Theodor Dreyer in numerous silent films. Being very short of stature Pio never acted as a leading man but was quite contended as a supporting actor. Compared with his prolific acting in silents he only appeared in about 30 talkies - but always with distinction. Never the comedian Pio preferred the darker, sinister even devious characters - and succeeded. Married to actress Soffy Pio for almost 70 years there were never any scandals just a diligent eye on the job in hand.