Actors - Asta Nielsen

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	Actors - Asta Nielsen

Asta Sofie Amalie Nielsen (September 11, 1883 - May 24, 1972), also known as Die Asta, was a Danish actress, mostly appearing in German silent films during the 1910s and 1920s. She was nicknamed The Silent Muse.

Early Life, Education and Stage

She was born in Vesterbro, Copenhagen to a coppersmith father and a washerwoman mother. They both died before she was fifteen. She studied acting at the Royal Theatre School of Copenhagen. She became the most famous stage actress across Scandinavia while she toured.

Transition to Film

In 1909, director Urban Gad encouraged her to become a silent screen actor and she starred in the 1910 film Afgrunden ("The Abyss"). The film was a success so she was encouraged to continue making silent films. Nielsen and Gad soon married and then moved to Germany because her talent was not understood by Danish film industry.

She worked in film until talkies became popular, continuing acting only on stage. 1936 she left Germany for good settling in Denmark where she was unemployed for almost the rest of her life.

She is considered to be a great movie actress because of her talent of adapting her performing style in accordance with the demands of the film media avoiding theatrical manners. Besides, she was able to play women of extremely various social positions as well as of different psychology.

She was married 5 times. She died in 1972.

German films of importance

Engelein, 1914
Reigen, 1920 (Eng. Merry-Go-Round)
Fräulein Julie, 1921
Hamlet, 1921
Die freudlose Gasse, 1925 (Eng. Joyless Street)
Dirnentragödie, 1927 (Eng. Tragedy of the Street)

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Asta Nielsen ]

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