Connie Sjölin

Connie Sjölin was born Helga Nilsson in Hamburg, Germany, on June 16, 1932 to a German mother, Frieda (Fuhlendorf), and a Swedish father, Hjalmar Nilsson. Because of the Second World War the family moved to Sweden in 1943. In her teens she changed her name to Connie and met her future husband Bertil Sjölin. She was interested in theatre and started taking lessons from actor Toivo Pawlo. She had an audition to study at the Royal Dramatic Theatre's acting school which failed. In 1954 she joined an amateur theatre group, Lilla Teatern in Lund. A number of people in Lilla Teatern later became professional in the theatre and film industry, most notably Sweden's leading animator Per Åhlin. Connie played several leading roles like Polly in Brecht's Threepenny Opera. In 1958 she joined Teater 23 in Malmö and was active there for over a decade. She appeared in the TV short, En hungersaga (1970) written by Lars Norén. It was based on a true story about two children living in poverty killing their old landlady to steal her food. Relatives to the children complained and the film was never screened. She played Lisbeth Forsén in NP Möller, Fastighetsskötare (1972), a popular comedy series on Swedish television, and starred in the TV short Överraskningen (1973). It was based on a story by Stig Dagerman and directed by renowned photographer Georg Oddner.