Family, friends, acting colleagues and the King remembered Toralv Maurstad in Oslo Cathedral ahead of the weekend.
One of those who had gone to church was Maurstad’s former colleague at Hotel Cæsar, Kim Kolstad (52). The two played father and son in TV Series 2, from 1998 to 1999.
PATRIARCH: Georg Anker Hansen played by Toralv Maurstad in his office at Hotel Cæsar, 1998. Photo: TV 2
Maurstad played patriarch Georg Anker Hansen and took Norwegian TV audiences by storm 25 years ago.
Georg then lived single on the top floor with his mother Astrid. Georg was the father of Jens-August Anker Hansen, played by Kim Kolstad. Eventually he married Ninni, played by Henriette Lien, and she moved into the flat. Georg discovered he had pancreatic cancer and died after a short time.
– What impressed me the most was that he was so inclusive and kind to everyone who didn’t have as much experience. When I met him after he left the Cæsar Hotel, he always called me his son. He had no prima donna tantrums and was very supportive, Kolstad tells TV 2 in front of Oslo cathedral.
– Very professional
Hotel manager Georg Anker-Hansen died in the third season of the series. However, in episode 1000 in 2004, Maurstad had a small guest role when he appeared in the dreams of Astrid Anker-Hansen, Juli Anker-Hansen and Jens August Anker-Hansen.
NINNI AND GEORG: Henriette Lien as Ninni Anker-Hansen, the wife of Georg Anker-Hansen as Maurstad. Photo: television 2
– How was the first meeting with him?
– It was probably a reading test, and it was very professional. He didn’t lay down and direct how we made our lines. Hotel Cæsar was probably different from much of everything he did. I think Toralv liked that aspect of Hotel Cæsar, that there were a lot of people who liked the series and TV was something bigger than theatre, says Kolstad.
JENS-AUGUST: He was everyone’s favorite villain in the longest running Scandinavian soap opera, Hotel Cæsar. Photo: television 2
– Life lived to the fullest
Kim Kolstad is full of praise for his late colleague and learned a lot from Toralv Maurstad on the set of Hotel Cæsar. Now that he’s dead, Kolstad thinks it’s a life beautifully lived that is now over.
– He was professional down to his fingertips. Toralv was also an inspiring person because he lived life to the fullest, Kolstad tells TV 2.
