Nils Anton Alfhild Asther (17 January 1897 – 19 October 1981) was a 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. He didn't seek publicity, choosing, instead, to be alone. Unfortunately, he is mainly remembered for two films he made with his fellow Swede, Greta Garbo and the pre-code Interracial love affair in The Bitter Tea of General Yen.
Born in Denmark in Sankt Matteus parish, Copenhagen, son of Swedish couple Anton Asther and Hilda Åkerlund. Nils spent his first year as a fosterchild in Limhamn, Sweden, because his biological parents were unmarried. That is also the reason Nils was born in Denmark. At that time unwed mothers went to Copenhagen for a discrete birthing. After their marriage in 1898 Nils moved in with them in Malmö, where he grew up. As a young man he moved to Stockholm, where he received acting lessons from Actress Augusta Lindberg, and through her he received his first theatrical engagement at Lorensbergsteatern in Gothenburg, and in 1916 Mauritz Stiller cast him in The Wings (Swedish: Vingarne), a gay-themed Swedish silent film from 1916, directed by Mauritz Stiller, based on Herman Bang's 1902 novel Mikaël. In Copenhagen, one of Sweden's best known actors, Aage Hertel of the Royal Danish Theatre, took Nils under his wing. This soon lead to a number of film roles in Sweden, Denmark and Germany between 1918 and 1926.
Nils Anton Alfhild Asther (17 January 1897 – 19 October 1981) was a 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. He didn't seek publicity, choosing, instead, to be alone. Unfortunately, he is mainly remembered for two films he made with his fellow Swede, Greta Garbo and the pre-code Interracial love affair in The Bitter Tea of General Yen.
Born in Denmark in Sankt Matteus parish, Copenhagen, son of Swedish couple Anton Asther and Hilda Åkerlund. Nils spent his first year as a fosterchild in Limhamn, Sweden, because his biological parents were unmarried. That is also the reason Nils was born in Denmark. At that time unwed mothers went to Copenhagen for a discrete birthing. After their marriage in 1898 Nils moved in with them in Malmö, where he grew up. As a young man he moved to Stockholm, where he received acting lessons from Actress Augusta Lindberg, and through her he received his first theatrical engagement at Lorensbergsteatern in Gothenburg, and in 1916 Mauritz Stiller cast him in The Wings (Swedish: Vingarne), a gay-themed Swedish silent film from 1916, directed by Mauritz Stiller, based on Herman Bang's 1902 novel Mikaël. In Copenhagen, one of Sweden's best known actors, Aage Hertel of the Royal Danish Theatre, took Nils under his wing. This soon lead to a number of film roles in Sweden, Denmark and Germany between 1918 and 1926.
WorldNews.com | 02 Dec 2020
Yahoo Daily News | 03 Dec 2020
The Independent | 03 Dec 2020