Katie Rolfsen was a Norwegian-Swedish actor and singer.
Katie Rolfsen was born in Kristiania (now Oslo) in 1902. After having studied at Statens Kunstakademi and at Nationaltheatrets balettskola she moved to Stockholm in 1925. In the Swedish capital she was employed by Ernst Rolf and appeared in his revue shows at Cirkus. Katie Rolfsen most often performed at Södra teatern, which for a time was run by Björn Hodell. Towards the end of the 1930s she appeared in both Karl Gerhard’s and Kar de Mumma’s revue shows.
Katie Rolfsen played the role of the Thespis woman in Karl Gerhard’s 1940 revue entitled Gullregn. She frequently appeared at Södra teatern in various revues playing the role of a soothsayer called Fru Fingalson. Her snappy dialogue became her trademark, along with her hoarse and husky voice. The physical element to her form of expression led Katie Rolfsen to often be described as more of a physical than a text-based actor. She tended to portray comical characters, parodying aged women or chaste maidens. During her time at Södra teatern she developed a range of similar characters, including shrill washerwomen and supercilious girls. One of her well-known characters was Skrivmaskinsdamen (typewriting lady), a comical take on a serious monologue on the misery of office clerks.
Katie Rolfsen made her film debut in Norway in 1925, which was the same year that she moved to Sweden. Her first film part was that of Theodine in Amund Rydland's and Leif Sinding’s film Himmeluret. She appeared in about twenty Swedish films, usually in colourful supporting roles. Katie Rolfsen acted in her final role in 1965, playing the part of Inez, the mother of Monica Zetterlund’s character Berit, in Tage Danielsson’s film Att angöra en brygga.
Katier Rolfsen married twice. The first time was to the singer Arvid Richter; the second time was to the businessman Ramon Rodrigues Arias. She had two children during her first marriage: a son named Sven Arvid and a daughter called Sonja.
Katie Rolfsen died in a drowning accident in 1966.
