Fridtjof Nansen particularly in the polar regions. The Nansen family originated in Denmark. Hans Nansen (1598–1667), a trader, was an early explorer of the White Sea region of the Arctic Ocean. In later life he settled in Copenhagen, becoming the city's "borgmester" in 1654. Later generations of the family lived in Copenhagen until the mid-18th century, when Ancher Antoni Nansen moved to Norway (then in a union with Denmark). His son, Hans Leierdahl Nansen (1764–1821), was a magistrate first in the Trondheim district, later in Jæren. After Norway's separation from Denmark in 1814, he entered national political life as the representative for
Betty Nansen until her death in 1943. In 1896, she married the writer, journalist and director of Gyldendal, Peter Nansen (1861–1918). Her second marriage was to the actor Henrik Bentzon. She died on 15 March 1943, just 4 days shy of her 70th birthday. Betty Nansen Betty Nansen (née Betty Anna Maria Müller) (19 March 1873 – 15 March 1943) was a Danish actress and theatre director of the theater that carries her name, the Betty Nansen Theatre. She was born on 19 March 1873. She had her debut in the fall of 1893 in Copenhagen's Casino Theater as the title character