[4][5] Selmer was born in Kristiania (now Oslo), the daughter of Karl Kristian Uchermann (1855–1940) and Bolette Hermana Schnitler (1864–1939).
[6] She debuted at the National Theatre in Oslo in 1913 as the wicked fairy Mørkøie in the Norwegian translation of Zachris Topelius's play Sleeping Beauty (Finnish: Prinsessa Ruusunen).
Selmer appeared in several Norwegian films and performed in many broadcasts of NRK's Radio Theater.
Two years later, Selmer played the green-clad woman in Peer Gynt at the National Theatre in Oslo.
In 1928 she played Hjørdis in The Vikings at Helgeland in 44 productions across Norway during the Bjørnevik Theater's Ibsen tour.