| Calle Hellevang-Larsen | |
|---|---|
| |
| Name | Carl Fredrik Hellevang-Larsen |
| Birthday | 18. August 1977 |
| Status | Married |
| Twitter name | @hellevanglarsen |
Carl Fredrick "Calle" Hellevang-Larsen is a Norwegian comedian best known for his work with Ylvis and as part of the comedy trio Raske menn.
Early life[]
Calle was born in Bergen in 1977 and is the son of Frode Larsen, who was a professional football player for the Bergen-based team SK Brann. Calle attended Fana theatre school, making his stage debut as a German kitchen boy in the play Sjakkmatt ("checkmate"). He starred alongside Vegard Ylvisåker and fellow Raske menn member Øyvind Rafto. Calle then attended compulsory military training with the navy, working as a telegraph operator.[1]
Theatre and stage []
After his military training was complete, Calle signed up for the KNM Trondheim (a Norwegian Frigate). However, he soon decided that a military career wasn't for him. In 2003 he reunited with childhood friend Rafto and together with Anders Hoff the trio formed the Raske menn. Together, the three men debuted their comedy act at the Ole Bull theatre that same year. Their stage show 'The fast show' was in instant hit, and the trio were awarded the 2005 Komiprisen (Norwegian comedy prize) award for Best newcomer. 'The fast show' ran over a period of 5 years, selling 300,000 tickets over 500 shows.[2]
The Raske menn enjoyed enormous success across Norway with their stage shows, achieving rave reviews for their fast-paced humour and impressive comic timing. Famous sketches included 'rødhette', 'verdenshistorien på 5 minutter' and 'norsk-kroppen'.
On 29th January 2015 Raske menn debuted their latest show '90 minutter på 80 minutter' at the Ole Bull in Bergen, once again garnering positive reviews.[3] After a 3-month run in Bergen Raske menn will be bringing their show to Hovedscenen in Oslo from 1st October.[4]
Television[]
Raske menn[]
Together with Raske menn, Calle starred in the popular sketch show 'Snabbgrabbar med Raske menn', which aired on the Norwegian channel TVNorge in 2007. For this show they were awarded 'best TV newcomer by Norwegian magazine 'Se og hør'.
In 2012 Raske menn premiered the satiric news programme '20.00 med Raske menn' on TV2. Due to his commitments with Raske menn, Calle could not take part in the second season of I kveld med Ylvis, which aired concurrently on rival channel TVNorge.[5]
I kveld med Ylvis[]
In 2011 Calle was selected to be the sidekick to Bård and Vegård Ylvisåker on their talk show I kveld med Ylvis (Tonight with Ylvis). His sidekick role involved physical humour, numerous skits and short segments including Calle bader (Calle takes a bath) and Calle plager med lang pinne (Calle bothers with a long stick). As part of his sidekick role Calle was not permitted to interview guests, which resulted in him making a dramatic scene whenever Ylvis asked him to vacate the stage.
Calle was unable to participate in season 2 of i kveld med Ylvis due to his commitments with Raske menn for the satirical news show 20:00 med Raske menn, which aired on rival channel TV2. For this series the sidekick role was taken by Swedish comedian David Batra.
In 2013, Calle reprised his role as sidekick for the third season of i kveld med Ylvis, where he once again entertained the audience with his outlandish skits, including a travel report of New York and exposing himself to celebrities (Calle bløtter seg for kjent menn). Calle also appeared in his first music video with Ylvis, Massachusetts, and even produced an album of cover songs called 'Airhorn classics'.[6] During the season finale for UNICEF Calle was given a 'boleklipp' (bowl cut) in return for 1000 sponsors.[7] Calle later made reference to this in the Season 4 UNICEF special, stating that since he lost his long hair no one laughs at him anymore.[8]
I kveld med Ylvis returned for a fourth season in September 2014, with weekly shows broadcast live in front of an audience of 1400 people. Once again Calle played an instrumental role in the series, interviewing frightened celebrities and styling houses in a unique fashion. Most significantly, after 'repeated demands' it was written into Calle's contract that he would be given one minute of stage time in every episode without any involvement from Bård and/or Vegard Ylvisåker.[9] The resulting segment, entitled Calle's minutt (Calle's minute) featured stunning feats of entertainment, from shadow puppetry to recreating all the facial expressions of Dame Maggie Smith.
Music[]
Although perhaps not as accomplished as the Ylvis brothers, Calle himself can sing and play the drums and guitar. He has incorporated singing into his sketches with both Ylvis and Raske menn, and made his solo music video debut in 'det å bli far' (to be a father).
On 28 February 2014 Calle performed on the opening night of The expensive jacket tour at the Oslo Spektrum to a sold out crowd of 8000 people. He performed a short snippet from his hit album 'Airhorn classics', before pulling an audience member up on stage and serenading her with his special rendition of Josh Groban's 'you raise me up'. Unbeknownst to the fan, Ylvis had rigged up a train horn to surprise her as she was distracted by Calle's loving serenade.
Calle also sang Careless whisper alongside Ylvis and fellow sidekick Magnus Devold, as well as performing Massachusetts to a hungry crowd. It was just as well the crowd was hungry, as Ylvis and Calle showered the audience with cheeseburgers during the energetic number.
Following on from the Spektrum concert, Calle made appearances at subsequent shows on the Expensive Jacket tour whenever possible.
Other projects[]
Calle has also produced an online miniseries entitled 'Ah! Så det er sånn det er' (Ah! So that's how it is!), where he played a variety of zany characters.[10]
Personal life[]
Calle lives in Asker with his wife Kaja, whom he married in August 2014 for the financial benefits of matrimony.[11] He has a young daughter from a previous relationship, and one child with Kaja.
Calle is a private individual who rarely engages in social media. He has nearly 8000 followers on Instagram; despite having posted only one photo.
Legacy[]
In November 2014 Calle was declared the winner of Gullsjansen, a competition hosted by Magnus Devold during the fourth season of I kveld med Ylvis. During the inaugural Gullsjansen Magnus declared that the winner would have a square named after them on Averøy, an island situated on the west coast of Norway. The weekly competition involved the three contestants (Bård, Vegard and Calle) undertaking a series of challenges, from sounds impersonations to a 'bobleregatta'. The weekly winner would be awarded with a 'Gullmagge' (a small golden replica of Magnus), whilst the loser would face a harsh punishment. During the penultimate episode of I kveld med Ylvis Calle was declared the winner of Gullsjansen, and shortly afterwards Carl Fredrick Hellevang-Larsens plass was unveiled to a brass fanfare, witnessed by an excited crowd of local Averøya residents.[12]
The opening of Carl Fredrik Hellevang-Larsens Plass in Averøya, November 2014 (Credit: TVNorge)
- ↑ http://itscallehellevanglarsen.tumblr.com/whothehelliscalle
- ↑ http://www.ba.no/puls/article3933510.ece
- ↑ http://www.ba.no/Lekne_og_kjappe_menn-5-8-11149.html
- ↑ http://latter.no/show/oslo/vis-show/Raske-Menn--90-minutter-paa-80-minutter/275
- ↑ http://thetvdb.com/?tab=series&id=261950
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61UfGg6sf8I
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRTMpc9oUnw
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ell0o78OAoE
- ↑ https://youtu.be/DemdXuojMTk
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/instruksjonsvideo
- ↑ http://www.vg.no/rampelys/tv/ylvis/ylvis-calle-har-giftet-seg/a/23270800/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouRls-_mRYA