Born at
Rydhave,
Vinderup, near
Holstebro, Nissen's brother was the opera singer Niels Frederik Nissen. He studied singing in
Copenhagen with composer
Leopold Rosenfeld. He made his professional debut in 1897 at the
Royal Danish Theatre (RDT) as Mephistopheles in
Charles Gounod's
Faust. He continued to sing leading roles at the RDT until 1912 when he shifted his career away from singing towards work as a voice teacher, conductor and director at the RDT. Among the many roles he performed on the stage were several parts in operas by
Richard Wagner, including Hans Sachs in
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Kaspar in
Der Freischütz, and Wotan in
The Ring Cycle. Nissen was the third husband of Danish actress
Gudrun Houlberg. In 1921 he portrayed the title role in the film ''
Leaves from Satan's Book'', his only film appearance. In 1907 he was named a
Kongelige Kammersangere. He committed
suicide in 1926 in Copenhagen. He is buried in the
Holmen Cemetery there. ==References==