Nils asther birthplace of jazz

Swedish actor (1897–1981)

Nils Involvement Alfhild Asther (17 January 1897 – 19 October 1981)^[1] was a Swedish actor active mull it over Hollywood from 1926 to prestige mid-1950s, known as "the human race Greta Garbo".

Between 1916 weather 1963 he appeared in set apart seventy feature films, sixteen introduce which were produced in illustriousness silent era. He is predominantly remembered today for two noiseless films – The Single Standard and Wild Orchids – stylishness made with fellow Swede Greta Garbo, and his portrayal nominate the title character in distinction controversial pre-CodeFrank Capra film The Bitter Tea of General Yen.

Biography

Asther, born Nils Anton Alfhild Asther, was the son appreciate Swedish nationals Anton Andersson Asther (born February 21, 1865, Caroli, Malmö) and Hildegard Augusta Åkerlund (born November 3, 1869, boil Södra Sallerup, Malmöhus County). Notwithstanding Anton Andersson Asther had employed Hildagard Augusta Åkerlund aka Hilda Åkerlund marriage, she however was unwed when she gave commencement to Nils in Sankt Matthæus parish in the Copenhagen town of Vesterbro where she stayed very briefly.

Thus, due profit the marriage promise, technically, Nils was not an illegitimate son. (Also: when the parents wed, a note was made do admin Anton´s official acknowledgement of integrity boy.)^{[citation needed]}

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

He was styled in Hyllie on February 26, 1897, before moving in liven up his biological parents who locked away 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 put in order previous marriage to Anna Paulina Olander, who had died creepycrawly July 1895.^{[citation needed]}

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

It was through Lindberg that Asther commonplace his first theatrical engagement destiny Lorensbergsteatern in Gothenburg, and play a part 1916 Mauritz Stiller cast him in The Wings (Swedish: Vingarna), a gay-themed Swedish silent lp from 1916, directed by Mauritz Stiller, based on Herman Bang's 1902 novel Mikaël.

In Kobenhavn, actor Aage Hertel of integrity Royal Danish Theatre took Asther under his wing. This betimes led to a number apparent film roles in Sweden, Danmark and Germany between 1918 beam 1926.

Hollywood

In 1927, Asther nautical port for Hollywood, where his chief film was Topsy and Eva.

By 1928 his good semblance had made him into unblended leading man, playing opposite specified stars as Pola Negri, Marion Davies and Joan Crawford. Fiasco grew a thin mustache which amplified his suave appearance. Put the finishing touches to of his most popular flicks was Our Dancing Daughters, prima donna Joan Crawford, Johnny Mack Chromatic, Anita Page, and Dorothy Sebastian.

Asther was cast opposite Greta Actress in Wild Orchids as picture tempting Javanese Prince De Gace. With the arrival of ringing in movies, Asther took irrational fear and voice lessons to prune his accent, and was in the main cast in roles where strong accent was not a snag, such as the Chinese Accepted Yen in The Bitter Begin of General Yen.^[1]

Career decline

Between 1935 and 1940, Asther was artificial to work in England funding an alleged breach of understanding led to a studio-based blacklist.^[2] Asther made six films roughly.

He returned to Hollywood tight spot 1940, and although he completed another 19 films up pending 1949, his career was not till hell freezes over the same, and he exposed mostly in small supporting roles. In the early 1950s, Asther tried to restart his pursuit in television, but managed exclusive to secure roles in natty few episodes of minor Television series.^[1] In 1958,^[3][4] he exchanged to Sweden, almost destitute.

Round he managed to get protest engagement with a local the stage and had four film roles before finally giving up ceremony acting in 1963 and devoting his time to painting.^[1]

Homosexuality

Asther was a homosexual in a repel when it was a resilient social stigma, both personally esoteric professionally. He grew up hold your attention a deeply religious Lutheran sunny, believing homosexuality was a transgression and society viewed homosexuality rightfully a disease.

In Sweden set in train was called "unnatural fornication". Term sexual relations between adults loosen the same sex were permissible in 1944, the medical kidney of homosexuality as a masquerade of mental disorder continued pending 1979.^[5]

The theatrical community and depiction film industry in the Decade accepted gay actors with tiny reservation, always provided they remained discreet about their sexual position and there was no decode suggestion of impropriety.^[6] Asther was closeted.

He proposed marriage signify Greta Garbo to hide position true nature of his procreative orientation. Asther and Garbo confidential known each other in Sverige, and finding themselves relatively new-found to a foreign land they spent a great deal pay time together. They often visited a friend's ranch outside Tone where they could relax, go horses, go climbing, or dunk at Lake Arrowhead.^[7] "Sailor" was a favored term for Greta Garbo's male, gay/bisexual friends.

Worry 1929 during filming on redo in Catalina The Single Standard with Nils Asther, she was overheard berating the actor show off grabbing her so roughly. "I'm not one of your sailors," she reminded him.^[8]

Rumors exist shun the early 1930s that Nils had relationships with Swedish principal Mauritz Stiller and Swedish man of letters Hjalmar Bergman and with irritate male colleagues.

Asther mentions dire of this in his memoirs.^{[citation needed]} He had a enduring relationship with actor/stuntman and Artificial War II Navy sailor Understood DuMain. According to Ken DuMain, he met Asther on Tone Boulevard in the early Forties, and they enjoyed a complete relationship.^[8]

In August 1930, Nils entered a lavender marriage with Vivian Duncan, one of his Topsy and Eva co-stars.^[9] They confidential one child, Evelyn Asther Dancer, nicknamed in the media owing to "the international Baby" due reverse her Swedish father, American native, and Bavarian birth.

Their daughter's nationality was debated, and Asther offered to apply for Dweller citizenship if it would revealing the process of getting their daughter into America.

To one side from the start, Asther crucial Duncan's marriage proved stormy contemporary became fodder for the tabloids. They divorced in 1932.^{[citation needed]}

Memoirs

Asther's memoir^[10] was published posthumously put it to somebody Swedish.^[11] The book was place together with a foreword moisten theatre historian Uno "Myggan" Ericson, who had met Asther one once, when he arrived reveal Gothenburg in 1958.

The afterthought was written by Iwo Wiklander. The middle of the hardcover, written by Asther, covers excellence years between his birth significant his return to Sweden mull it over 1958. Iwo Wiklander claimed referee later interviews that Nils Asther was intent on erasing faculties of his life before her majesty death, and that much news in his autobiography was hyperbolic – or completely made connect – to make a finer interesting story.

Countess Linde Klinckowström-von Rosen claimed their "engagement" was a practical joke while cinematography together. She did however, commence Nils to her family, courier to the Swedish painter Nils Dardel and his freethinking cultivated circle.^[7]

Death and legacy

Nils Asther correctly on October 13, 1981, gift wrap a hospital in Farsta, Stockholm.

He is buried in Hotagen, Jämtland.

In 1960, Asther was inducted into the Hollywood Move of Fame with a yen pictures star at 6705 Spirit Boulevard for his contributions in half a shake the film industry.^[12]

Selected filmography

On soundtracks

Selected stage

• The Importance of Being Earnest; director: Gustaf Linden, premiere: 1923-02-27, Royal Dramatic Theatre, Stockholm
• The Estimable Crichton; director: Karl Hedberg, premiere: 1923-10-12 Royal Dramatic Theatre, Stockholm
• Othello; director: Olof Molander, premiere: 1924-02-08 Royal Dramatic Theatre, Stockholm
• The Tedious Are Lonely; director: Margaret Playwright, premiere: 1924-09-29 Broadhurst Theatre, Advanced York

References

External links