Kjersti Holmen (born 8 February 1956) is a Norwegian actress.
She was born on Nøtterøy, and later moved to Alnabru, where she grew up with her parents and two sisters.[1] She graduated from the Norwegian National Academy of Theatre in 1980, and has been employed at the National Theatre since 1981 – permanently since 1992.[1] There she has had roles such as "Eliza Doolittle" in George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, the title role in Henrik Ibsens Hedda Gabler and "Blanche" in Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire.[2]
Holmen is also a well-known television and movie actress, and had her break-through on the big screen in the 1985 film Orions belte'.[3] She has won the Amanda – the main Norwegian film award – twice: in 1993 for her role in Telegrafisten, and in 2000 for the two films S.O.S. and Sofies verden.[4] In television she is known from the Norwegian/Swedish collaboration "Röd snö" – aired the same year as Orions belte came out – as well as several other roles.[3]
Holmen cohabits with actor Sverre Anker Ousdal, and has two sons from a former relationship with Reidar Sørensen – also an actor.[1]