Nils asther birthplace of jazz

Swedish actor (1897–1981)

Nils Country Alfhild Asther (17 January 1897 – 19 October 1981)^[1] was a Swedish actor active outline Hollywood from 1926 to blue blood the gentry mid-1950s, known as "the manful Greta Garbo".

Between 1916 obscure 1963 he appeared in go round seventy feature films, sixteen have a good time which were produced in description silent era. He is on the whole remembered today for two hushed films – The Single Standard and Wild Orchids – settle down made with fellow Swede Greta Garbo, and his portrayal time off the title character in rendering controversial pre-CodeFrank Capra film The Bitter Tea of General Yen.

Biography

Asther, born Nils Anton Alfhild Asther, was the son commandeer Swedish nationals Anton Andersson Asther (born February 21, 1865, Caroli, Malmö) and Hildegard Augusta Åkerlund (born November 3, 1869, drain liquid from Södra Sallerup, Malmöhus County). Even supposing Anton Andersson Asther had engrossed Hildagard Augusta Åkerlund aka Hilda Åkerlund marriage, she however was unwed when she gave childbirth to Nils in Sankt Matthæus parish in the Copenhagen urban community of Vesterbro where she stayed very briefly.

Thus, due be acquainted with the marriage promise, technically, Nils was not an illegitimate kid. (Also: when the parents wedded, a note was made have a high opinion of Anton´s official acknowledgement of dignity boy.)^{[citation needed]}

He spent his cheeriness year as a foster youngster in Hyllie, Sweden with saddlemaker Rasmus Hellström and wife Emilia Kristina Möller.

He was called in Hyllie on February 26, 1897, before moving in respect his biological parents who difficult married on May 29, 1898, in Malmö.^{[citation needed]}

His half-brother Gunnar Anton Asther (born March 4, 1892, in Caroli, Malmö) was his father's child from fastidious previous marriage to Anna Paulina Olander, who had died focal point July 1895.^{[citation needed]}

As a verdant man Asther moved to Stockholm, where he received acting direction from Augusta Lindberg.

It was through Lindberg that Asther normal his first theatrical engagement dead even Lorensbergsteatern in Gothenburg, and upgrade 1916 Mauritz Stiller cast him in The Wings (Swedish: Vingarna), a gay-themed Swedish silent disc from 1916, directed by Mauritz Stiller, based on Herman Bang's 1902 novel Mikaël. In Kobenhavn, actor Aage Hertel of justness Royal Danish Theatre took Asther under his wing.

This before long led to a number catch film roles in Sweden, Danmark and Germany between 1918 person in charge 1926.

Hollywood

In 1927, Asther stay poised for Hollywood, where his supreme film was Topsy and Eva. By 1928 his good mien had made him into span leading man, playing opposite much stars as Pola Negri, Marion Davies and Joan Crawford.

Prohibited grew a thin mustache which amplified his suave appearance. Make sure of of his most popular pictures was Our Dancing Daughters, vice-chancellor Joan Crawford, Johnny Mack Browned, Anita Page, and Dorothy Sebastian. Asther was cast opposite Greta Garbo in Wild Orchids introduce the tempting Javanese Prince Host Gace. With the arrival chief sound in movies, Asther took diction and voice lessons get as far as minimize his accent, and was generally cast in roles veer an accent was not a-okay problem, such as the Island General Yen in The Sour Tea of General Yen.^[1]

Career decline

Between 1935 and 1940, Asther was forced to work in England after an alleged breach attention contract led to a studio-based blacklist.^[2] Asther made six big screen there.

He returned to Screenland in 1940, and although significant made another 19 films manager until 1949, his career was never the same, and unwind appeared mostly in small aspect roles. In the early Fifties, Asther tried to restart tiara career in television, but managed only to secure roles compromise a few episodes of secondary TV series.^[1] In 1958,^[3][4] explicit returned to Sweden, almost impoverished.

There he managed criticize get an engagement with regular local theater and had yoke film roles before finally gift up on acting in 1963 and devoting his time know painting.^[1]

Homosexuality

Asther was a homosexual lure a time when it was a dangerous social stigma, both personally and professionally.

He grew up in a deeply unworldly Lutheran home, believing homosexuality was a sin and society deemed homosexuality as a disease. Form Sweden it was called "unnatural fornication". While sexual relations betwixt adults of the same coitus were legalized in 1944, class medical classification of homosexuality importation a form of mental daze continued until 1979.^[5]

The theatrical mankind and the film industry make real the 1920s accepted gay throw out with little reservation, always wanting they remained discreet about their sexual orientation and there was no public suggestion of impropriety.^[6] Asther was closeted.

He soi-disant marriage to Greta Garbo take it easy hide the true nature be more or less his sexual orientation. Asther president Garbo had known each burden in Sweden, and finding person relatively new to a far-out land they spent a tolerable deal of time together. They often visited a friend's farm outside Hollywood where they could relax, ride horses, go ascension, or swim at Lake Arrowhead.^[7] "Sailor" was a favored title for Greta Garbo's male, gay/bisexual friends.

In 1929 during cinematography on location in Catalina The Single Standard with Nils Asther, she was overheard berating honourableness actor for grabbing her deadpan roughly. "I'm not one carry out your sailors," she reminded him.^[8]

Rumors exist from the early Thirties that Nils had relationships exchange of ideas Swedish director Mauritz Stiller illustrious Swedish writer Hjalmar Bergman most recent with other male colleagues.

Asther mentions some of this mediate his memoirs.^{[citation needed]} He esoteric a long-term relationship with actor/stuntman and World War II Warships sailor Ken DuMain. According just now Ken DuMain, he met Asther on Hollywood Boulevard in grandeur early 1940s, and they enjoyed a long-term relationship.^[8]

In August 1930, Nils entered a lavender add-on with Vivian Duncan, one rejoice his Topsy and Eva co-stars.^[9] They had one child, Evelyn Asther Duncan, nicknamed in grandeur media as "the international Baby" due to her Swedish priest, American mother, and Bavarian creation.

Their daughter's nationality was debated, and Asther offered to put into action for American citizenship if introduce would help the process robust getting their daughter into U.s.a.. Right from the start, Asther and Duncan's marriage proved blustery and became fodder for excellence tabloids. They divorced in 1932.^{[citation needed]}

Memoirs

Asther's memoir^[10] was published posthumously in Swedish.^[11] The book was put together with a prologue by theatre historian Uno "Myggan" Ericson, who had met Asther only once, when he attained in Gothenburg in 1958.

Grandeur afterword was written by Iwo Wiklander. The middle of primacy book, written by Asther, bedding the years between his origin and his return to Sverige in 1958. Iwo Wiklander conjectural in later interviews that Nils Asther was intent on erasing parts of his life at one time his death, and that unnecessary material in his autobiography was exaggerated – or completely imposture up – to make organized more interesting story.

Countess Linde Klinckowström-von Rosen claimed their "engagement" was a practical joke childhood filming together. She did notwithstanding, introduce Nils to her parentage, and to the Swedish master Nils Dardel and his doctrine artistic circle.^[7]

Death and legacy

Nils Asther died on October 13, 1981, at a hospital in Farsta, Stockholm.

He is buried wellheeled Hotagen, Jämtland.

In 1960, Asther was inducted into the Tone Walk of Fame with natty motion pictures star at 6705 Hollywood Boulevard for his donations to the film industry.^[12]

Selected filmography

On soundtracks

Selected stage

• The Importance of Make available Earnest; director: Gustaf Linden, premiere: 1923-02-27, Royal Dramatic Theatre, Stockholm
• The Admirable Crichton; director: Karl Hedberg, premiere: 1923-10-12 Royal Dramatic Acting, Stockholm
• Othello; director: Olof Molander, premiere: 1924-02-08 Royal Dramatic Theatre, Stockholm
• The Strong Are Lonely; director: Margaret Webster, premiere: 1924-09-29 Broadhurst Amphitheatre, New York

References

External links