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Nils Asther
Born	January 17, 1897(1897-01-17) Copenhagen, Denmark
Died	October 13, 1981 (aged 84) Stockholm, Sweden
Occupation	Film, television actor

Nils Asther (January 17, 1897 – October 13, 1981) was a Danish-born Swedish stage and film actor.

Biography

Born in Copenhagen, Asther grew up in Sweden and attended the Royal Dramatic Theater School in Stockholm. After returning to Copenhagen to do stage work, he soon began appearing in European films, working with acclaimed directors such as Victor Sjöström.

He soon left for Hollywood, his first film there being released in 1927. 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 voice lessons so as to minimize the presence of his accent. In 1935 he was forced to seek work in England after an alleged breach of contract led to a studio-based blacklist. Although allowed back in 1941, his career in Hollywood dwindled throughout the 1940s, and he soon returned to Sweden, where he remained an active actor on stage and television until his death.

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 Golden Butterfly (1926)
• Sorrell and Son (1927)
• Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928)
• Our Dancing Daughters (1928)
• The Single Standard (1929)
• Wild Orchids (1929)
• The Sea Bat (1930)
• The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933)
• Night Monster (1942)
• Bluebeard (1944)
• The Man on Half Moon Street (1944)
• Suddenly, a Woman! (1963)

External links

• Nils Asther at the Internet Movie Database
• Nils Asther at Allmovie