Asta Nielsen facts for kids

Asta Sofie Amalie Nielsen (born September 11, 1881 – died May 24, 1972) was a famous Danish silent film actress. She was one of the most popular leading ladies in the 1910s. She was also one of the first international movie stars.

Most of her 74 films (70 of them) were made in Germany. In Germany, people simply called her Die Asta (The Asta). She was known for her big dark eyes, unique face, and slim figure. Asta Nielsen often played strong women facing tough situations. She helped change acting in movies, making it more natural and less like stage acting. She started her own film studio in Berlin in the 1920s. She moved back to Denmark in 1937 because of the rise of Nazism in Germany. Later in life, she became an artist who made collages and wrote books.

Early Life

Asta Sofie Amalie Nielsen was born in the Vesterbro area of Copenhagen, Denmark. Her father, Jens Christian Nielsen, was a blacksmith who often didn't have a job. Her mother, Ida Frederikke Petersen, was a washerwoman. Asta had an older sister, Johanne, who was often sick.

Her family moved many times when she was a child as her father looked for work. They lived in Malmö, Sweden, for some years. Her father died when she was 14 years old. At 18, Asta was accepted into the acting school of the Royal Danish Theatre. In 1901, when she was 21, Asta had a daughter named Jesta. She chose to raise her child alone with the help of her mother and sister. Jesta passed away in 1964.

Asta finished theater school in 1902. For the next eight years, she worked in different theaters. Even though she worked steadily as a stage actress, her performances were not very famous. People said her unique look was great for films, but her deep voice wasn't as good for stage plays.

Film Career

Asta Nielsen started her film career in 1909. She starred in the 1910 film Afgrunden ("The Abyss"), directed by Urban Gad. Asta's simple and natural acting style was new for movies. She played a young woman who gets into a difficult life. Because the film was so successful, Asta kept acting in movies instead of on stage.

Asta and Urban Gad got married. They made four more films together. Asta's huge popularity led them to move from Denmark to Germany. There, she got her own film studio and could earn more money.

In Germany, Asta signed a contract with producer Paul Davidson. They started a company together. This company handled all of Asta Nielsen's films in Europe. Asta became a huge international film star, known simply as Die Asta. By 1914, she was earning a very high salary.

Asta Nielsen is often called the first international movie star. In a poll in Russia in 1911, she was voted the world's top female movie star. She remained popular even during World War I. In 1921, Asta, through her own film company, starred in Hamlet. This film was a very different version of William Shakespeare's play. Asta played Hamlet as a woman who dressed up as a man.

In 1925, she starred in the German film Die freudlose Gasse (The Joyless Street). This film also featured Greta Garbo, who later became a big Hollywood star.

Asta worked in German films until sound movies became popular. She made only one sound film, Unmögliche Liebe (Crown of Thorns), in 1932. However, the new film technology and her age meant she retired from movies. After that, Asta only acted on stage.

After the Nazis came to power, propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels offered her her own film studio. Asta later said she was invited to tea with Adolf Hitler. He tried to convince her to return to films, explaining how powerful her presence on screen was. Understanding what this meant, Asta declined and left Germany in 1936. She went back home to Denmark. There, she wrote articles about art and politics and also wrote her life story in two books.

Asta Nielsen is seen as a great movie actress. This is because of her natural acting style. She adapted to what films needed and avoided acting too dramatically. She was also good at playing women from different social backgrounds and with different personalities.

Help During World War II

During World War II, Asta Nielsen gave money to Allan O. Hagedorff. He was a young Dane living in Germany. He used the money to help Jewish people. Hagedorff sent many food packages to the Theresienstadt Ghetto. He was even warned by the Gestapo (the German secret police) because of this.

Relationships and Death

Asta Nielsen had four long relationships and was divorced twice. In 1912, she married Danish film director Urban Gad. They had moved to Germany together in 1911 to build their film studio. They divorced in 1919. Then, Asta married Swedish shipbuilder Freddy Windgårdh. This marriage was shorter, ending in divorce in 1923.

Asta fell in love with the Russian actor Gregori Chmara. They had a long-term partnership from 1923 until 1936. In the late 1960s, Asta started a relationship with Danish art collector Christian Theede. She had met him through her own artwork. In 1970, when Asta was 88 years old, she married 77-year-old Theede. Their happiness at marrying at an older age was celebrated around the world. Asta Nielsen passed away at the age of 90 on May 25, 1972, at Frederiksberg Hospital.

Legacy

The Belgian poet Paul van Ostaijen wrote a poem called "Asta Nielsen" in 1921. It was about Asta's amazing presence.

Joachim Ringelnatz, who often visited Asta's home, wrote poems about her. These included "Über Asta Nielsen" (About Asta Nielsen) in 1928 and "Asta Nielsen weiht einen Pokal" (Asta Nielsen Dedicates a Trophy) in 1929.

Filmography

Images for kids

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  Asta Nielsen photographed by Alexander Binder, 1920s.

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  Asta Nielsen at an appearance at Scala Theater in Berlin, 1934

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  Memorial plaque for Asta Nielsen at Fasanenstraße 69, in Charlottenburg

See Also

In Spanish: Asta Nielsen para niños