He had his first performance experience when he was seven years old, in a former hen house, playing Ludvig Holberg's Jeppe.

[2] During the German occupation of Norway the situation at the theatres was characterized by nazification from the authorities, and boycott from the public.

[1] Shortly before, in October 1942, Henry Gleditsch, theatre director at Trøndelag Teater in Trondheim had been shot by the German occupants,[4] and from then the actors at Nationaltheatret initiated a silent sabotage, resulting in all sorts of difficulties for the management.

This organisation started underground meetings, often at Bolling's home, where they secretly studied the Stanislavski's system.

He was regarded as an eminent interpreter of Norwegian fairy tales,[2] as a reciter in radio and later television.