Gabriel Axel (pictured) who was the first Danish director to win an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1988 with Babette’s Feast has passed away on Sunday in Copenhagen at the age of 95. Born in 1918 in the city of Aarhus, Axel grew up in Paris and shared much of his time between Denmark and France. He produced TV series and directed and acted in films.
His culinary masterpiece Babette’s Feast based on a short story by Karen Blixen brought him world fame and is part of Denmark’s Kulturkanons (Culture Canons) as landmark work in Danish cultural heritage. In 2000 it was named the sixth best foreign film of all time in a poll of 35,000 US cinemagoers.