Nils Asther
Nils Asther | |
---|---|
Asther in The Wings (1916), his first film role | |
Born |
Hellerup, Denmark | 17 January 1897
Died |
19 October 1981 84) Farsta, Sweden | (aged
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1916–1963 |
Spouse(s) | Vivian Duncan (1930-1932) (divorced) 1 child |
Nils Anton Alfhild Asther (17 January 1897 – 19 October 1981)[1] was a Danish-born Swedish actor active in Hollywood from 1926 to the mid-1950s, known for his beautiful face and often called "the male Greta Garbo". Between 1916 and 1963 he appeared in over 70 feature films, 16 of which were produced in the silent era.
Biography
Born in Denmark in the Copenhagen suburb of Hellerup to unknown biological parents,[1] Asther was adopted shortly after birth by a wealthy couple in Malmö, Sweden, where he grew up. As a young man he moved to Stockholm, where he received acting lessons from local star Augusta Lindberg, who also became his mistress even though she was almost 30 years older than he was. Through her he received his first theatrical engagement at Lorensbergsteatern in Gothenburg, and in 1916 Mauritz Stiller cast him in The Wings. This soon lead to a number of film roles in Sweden, Denmark and Germany between 1918 and 1926.
In 1927 he left for Hollywood, where his first film was Topsy and Eva. The film also featured the Duncan Sisters, and in 1930 he married one of them, Vivian Duncan, with whom he had a daughter, Evelyn.[2]
By 1928 his good looks had made him into a leading man, playing opposite such stars as Pola Negri, Marion Davies, Joan Crawford and Greta Garbo, with whom he made two films. He grew a thin mustache which amplified his suave appearance.
With the arrival of sound in movies, Asther took diction and voice lessons to minimize his accent, and was generally cast in roles where an accent wasn't a problem, such as the Chinese General Yen in The Bitter Tea of General Yen.[1]
Between 1935 and 1940 he was forced to work in England after an alleged breach of contract led to a studio-based blacklist.[3] He made six films there. He returned to Hollywood in 1940, and although he made another 19 films up until 1949, his career wasn't the same. In the early 1950s he tried to restart his career in TV, but managed only to secure roles in a few episodes of minor TV series.[1]
In 1958[4] he returned to Sweden, almost destitute. He managed to get an engagement with a local theatre and had four film roles in Sweden and Denmark before finally giving up on acting in 1963 and devoting his time to painting.[1]
In 1988 his autobiography, Narrens väg (The Road of the Jester) was posthumously published in Swedish.[2]
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Nils Asther has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6705 Hollywood Blvd.
Selected filmography
- The Wings (1916)
- The Golden Butterfly (1926)
- Three Cuckoo Clocks (1926)
- Topsy and Eva (1927)
- Sorrell and Son (1927)
- The Cossacks (1928)
- Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928)
- Our Dancing Daughters (1928)
- The Cardboard Lover (1928)
- Wild Orchids (1929)
- The Single Standard (1929)
- The Sea Bat (1930)
- The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933)
- The Right to Romance (1933)
- Night of January 16th (1941)
- Flying Blind (1941)
- Night Monster (1942)
- Bluebeard (1944)
- The Man in Half Moon Street (1944)
- The Feathered Serpent (1948)
- Samson and Delilah (1949)
- Suddenly, a Woman! (1963)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Swedish Film Database - in Swedish only
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Nils Asther page on Answers.com
- ↑ Nils Asther page on "Golden Silents"
- ↑ 78:or och film - in Swedish only
External links
- Nils Asther at the Internet Movie Database
- Nils Asther at Find a Grave
- Nils Asther at the Swedish Film Database
- Nils Asther at AllRovi
- Nils Asther at Virtual History
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