Ellen Horn

Ellen Horn (born Ellen Stoesen, 1 February 1951) is a Norwegian actress, theatre director, and politician for the Labour Party.

Horn started as a puppet actor at Oslo Nye Teater (1969–70), and was educated at the Teaterhøyskolen (1972–75), and since the late 1980s has been one of the most central and prominent figures in Norwegian theater.

Horn was married (1988) to the Norwegian Jazz drummer Jon Christensen (1943-2020), and she has two children: theater director Kjersti Horn (b. 1977, from her marriage (1973–81) to scenographer Per Kristian Horn, b. 1941), and singer and actress Emilie Stoesen Christensen (b. 1986) from her current marriage.

As an actress, she has distinguished herself by her versatility; as director at the Nationaltheatret (1992-2000), she managed to turn a money-losing company with a highly turbulent business culture into a thriving theater both financially and artistically.

Horn has been an associate of Norsk Rikskringkasting and Nationaltheatret, and is currently director of Riksteatret.

Horn further developed and consolidated the Ibsen Festival, and led the Nationaltheatret through its 100th anniversary in 1999.

On that occasion, she was appointed Commander of the Order of St. Olav.

During Stoltenberg's First Cabinet she was Minister of Culture (2000-2001).

After leaving the cabinet, Horn returned to the Nationaltheatret as an actor, and in recent years she has toured with the theater productions Undset and Jeg kunne gråte blod (about Marie and Knut Hamsun).

Both as theater director and as minister, she was met by doubts and questions whether she was qualified enough to undertake such large tasks, but she put most of the skepticism to shame with her hard and focused work and her pragmatic attitude, and by growing with the new roles.