Greta Nissen (born Grethe Rüzt-Nissen; 30 January 1906 – 15 May 1988)
was a
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
-American film and stage actress.
Stage and screen actress
Born Grethe Rüzt-Nissen in
Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway, Nissen was originally a dancer. While still a student at the company's school in Copenhagen, she danced with the
Royal Danish Ballet
The Royal Danish Ballet is an internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Danish Theatre in Kongens Nytorv, Copenhagen, Denmark. It is one of the oldest ballet companies in the world and originates from 1748, when the R ...
, debuted as a solo ballerina on the
National Theatre in 1922. She toured in Norway and appeared in several Danish films.
Nissen made her Broadway debut as a ballerina in 1924. She had studied ballet with
Michel Fokine
Michael Fokine, ''Mikhail Mikhaylovich Fokin'', group=lower-alpha ( – 22 August 1942) was a groundbreaking Imperial Russian choreographer and dancer.
Career Early years
Fokine was born in Saint Petersburg to a prosperous merchant an ...
. In early 1924, she came as a member of a Danish ballet troupe to New York, where she was soon hired to do a larger dance numbers for
George S. Kaufman in the musical ''
Beggar on Horseback
''Beggar on Horseback'' is a 1924 play by George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly.
The play is a parody of the expressionistic parables that were popular at the time; its title derives from the proverb "Set a beggar on horseback, and he'll ride at a g ...
''. She was discovered by film producer
Jesse L. Lasky of
Paramount Pictures, and would appear in more than twenty films.
She appeared in ''The Wanderer'' (1925, director
Raoul Walsh). Among her other films were ''
Lost: A Wife'', ''
The King on Main Street
''The King on Main Street'', also known as ''The King'', is a 1925 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Monta Bell and starring Adolphe Menjou and Bessie Love. The film was adapted for the screen by Bell, and was based on the play ...
'', ''The Love Thief'', ''
Ambassador Bill
''Ambassador Bill'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code comedy film directed by Sam Taylor and starring Will Rogers and Marguerite Churchill
Marguerite Churchill (December 26, 1910 – January 9, 2000) was an American stage and film actress whose c ...
'', ''The Lucky Lady'', and ''Honours Easy''.
Nissen was cast as Helen, the female lead in ''
Hell's Angels'', originally conceived as a
silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...
. Principal photography began on 31 October 1927, with an interior shot at the Metropolitan Studio in
Hollywood.
Midway through production, the advent of sound in motion pictures came with the arrival of ''
The Jazz Singer
''The Jazz Singer'' is a 1927 American musical drama film directed by Alan Crosland. It is the first feature-length motion picture with both synchronized recorded music score as well as lip-synchronous singing and speech (in several isolate ...
''.
Director
Howard Hughes
Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in th ...
incorporated the new technology into the half-finished film, but Nissen became a casualty of the new sound age, due to her pronounced Norwegian accent.
He paid her for her work and cooperation, and replaced her, because her accent would make her role as a British aristocrat ludicrous.
In 1932, she played in ''
The Silent Witness'' with
Weldon Heyburn
Weldon Heyburn (born Weldon Heyburn Franks; September 19, 1903 – May 18, 1951) was an American character actor.
Early years
The son of Marie Pierce and United States Army Col. Wyatt G. Franks, Heyburn was most likely born in Washington, ...
, who became her first husband. They married on 30 March 1932, in Tijuana, Mexico. On 19 October 1935, Nissen went to court to have the marriage annulled, "charging their marriage ... was illegal and violated legal witness and residence requirements." The annulment was granted on 30 April 1936.
In 1933, she moved to England. Her film career ended in the mid-1930s after she had appeared in a few British films. In 1937 she retired from movie acting altogether.
Critical acclaim
A 1925 ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' review of the silent film ''A Norwegian Actress'' described Nissen as follows:
She was graceful in her movements and expressions, with a constantly changing gaze. The actress was attractive rather than beautiful. Her chin and nose were both somewhat pronounced. Greta's personality was delightful and she never showed an awareness to the audience that she was conscious of being on camera. Her skin was fair and she possessed blonde hair. At different times her coiffure had a somewhat "wild" appearance.
The reviewer believed her hair was more effective when it was brushed down rather than when it was concealed by a small hat. As for her eyes, there was a close affinity in their appearance to those of
Sarah Bernhardt. Mordaunt Hall commented on her acting, saying, "Miss Nissen gives a sincere and earnest portrayal, always obtaining excellent results with an originality rarely beheld on the screen".
Later years and death
On 1 June 1941, she married industrialist Stuart D. Eckert (1907–1993), and withdrew from public life. Nissen died at age 82 at her home in
Montecito, California of Parkinson's disease on 15 May 1988.
Her husband said she still received fan letters. She had one son, Tor Bruce Nissen Eckert, who, in 2005, donated his large collection of Greta Nissen Memorabilia to the Norwegian Emigrant Museum (''Norsk Utvandrermuseum'') which is located in
Ottestad,
Hedmark
Hedmark () was a county in Norway before 1 January 2020, bordering Trøndelag to the north, Oppland to the west, Akershus to the south, and Sweden to the east. The county administration is in Hamar.
Hedmark and Oppland counties were merged int ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
.
Gallery
Image:El Brendel and Greta Nissen.jpg, Promotional photo of El Brendel
Elmer Goodfellow "El" Brendel (March 25, 1890 – April 9, 1964) was an American vaudeville comedian turned movie star, best remembered for his dialect routine as a Swedish immigrant. His biggest role was as "Single-0" in the sci-fi musical ' ...
and Greta Nissen for the 1931 comedy film ''Women of All Nations
''Women of All Nations'' is a 1931 American pre-Code military comedy film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Victor McLaglen, Edmund Lowe, Greta Nissen and El Brendel. It was the second of three sequels to Walsh's 1926 film, '' What Price Glor ...
''
Image:Greta Nissen, Victor McLaglen and Edmund Lowe.jpg, Promotional photo of Nissen, with Victor McLaglen
Victor Andrew de Bier Everleigh McLaglen (10 December 1886 – 7 November 1959) was a British boxer-turned-Hollywood actor.Obituary ''Variety'', 11 November 1959, page 79. He was known as a character actor, particularly in Westerns, and made sev ...
and Edmund Lowe
Edmund Dantes Lowe (March 3, 1890 – April 21, 1971) was an American actor. His formative experience began in vaudeville and silent film.
Biography
Lowe was born in San Jose, California. His father was a local judge. His childhood home was a ...
, for the 1931 comedy film ''Women of All Nations''
Image:Greta Nissen Argentinean Magazine AD 2.jpg , Argentinian magazine cover, 1931
Image:Greta Nissen Argentinean Magazine AD 3.jpg , Argentinian magazine photoshoot, 1933
Filmography
* ''Daarskab, dyd og driverter'' (1923) - Grethe
* ''Lille Lise let-paa-taa'' (1923) - Lise
* ''
Lost: A Wife'' (1925) - Charlotte Randolph
* ''
In the Name of Love'' (1925) - Marie Dufrayne
* ''
The Wanderer'' (1925) - Tisha
* ''
The King on Main Street
''The King on Main Street'', also known as ''The King'', is a 1925 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Monta Bell and starring Adolphe Menjou and Bessie Love. The film was adapted for the screen by Bell, and was based on the play ...
'' (1925) - Thérèse Manix
* ''
The Lucky Lady'' (1926) - Antoinette
* ''
The Love Thief
''The Love Thief'' is a 1926 silent black and white American romance film. Directed by John McDermott, it stars Norman Kerry, Greta Nissen, and Marc McDermott.
Cast list
* Norman Kerry as Prince Boris Alexander Emanuel Augustus
* Greta Niss ...
'' (1926) - Princess Flavia Eugenia Marie
* ''Ebberöds bank'' (1926)
* ''
The Lady of the Harem'' (1926) - Pervaneh
* ''
The Popular Sin'' (1926) - La Belle Toulaise
* ''
Blonde or Brunette'' (1927) - Fanny
* ''
Blind Alleys'' (1927) - Maria d'Alvarez Kirby
* ''
Horse Shoes'' (1927)
* ''
Fazil'' (1928) - Fabienne
* ''
The Butter and Egg Man
''The Butter and Egg Man'' is a 1925 play by George S. Kaufman, the only play he wrote without collaborating. It was a Broadway hit during the 1925–26 season at the Longacre Theatre. Adapted to film six times, it is still performed on stages toda ...
'' (1928) - Mary Martin
* ''
Women of All Nations
''Women of All Nations'' is a 1931 American pre-Code military comedy film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Victor McLaglen, Edmund Lowe, Greta Nissen and El Brendel. It was the second of three sequels to Walsh's 1926 film, '' What Price Glor ...
'' (1931) - Elsa
* ''
Transatlantic
Transatlantic, Trans-Atlantic or TransAtlantic may refer to:
Film
* Transatlantic Pictures, a film production company from 1948 to 1950
* Transatlantic Enterprises, an American production company in the late 1970s
* ''Transatlantic'' (1931 film) ...
'' (1931) - Sigrid Carline
* ''
Ambassador Bill
''Ambassador Bill'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code comedy film directed by Sam Taylor and starring Will Rogers and Marguerite Churchill
Marguerite Churchill (December 26, 1910 – January 9, 2000) was an American stage and film actress whose c ...
'' (1931) - Countess Ilka
* ''
Good Sport
''Good Sport'' is a 1931 American comedy film directed by Kenneth MacKenna and written by William Hurlbut. The film stars Linda Watkins, John Boles, Greta Nissen, Minna Gombell, Hedda Hopper and Alan Dinehart. The film was released on Decembe ...
'' (1931) - Peggy Bums
* ''
The Silent Witness'' (1932) - Nora Selmer
* ''
Rackety Rax'' (1932) - Voine
* ''
The Unwritten Law'' (1932) - Fifi La Rue
* ''
The Circus Queen Murder'' (1933) - Josie La Tour
* ''
Melody Cruise
''Melody Cruise'' is Slipping Stitches' first full-length release. Michael Monroe of Hanoi Rocks fame appears on the bonus tracks as producer, lyricist, and vocalist.
Track listing
Personnel
Band
* Cashmire Starz – vocals, guitar, keyboard ...
'' (1933) - Elsa Von Rader
* ''
Best of Enemies'' (1933) - The Blonde
* ''
Life in the Raw'' (1933) - Belle
* ''
Red Wagon'' (1933) - Zara
* ''
On Secret Service
''On Secret Service'' is a 1933 British thriller film directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Greta Nissen, Karl Ludwig Diehl, Don Alvarado, and Austin Trevor. It was produced by British International Pictures. It is based on the 1933 German ...
'' (1933) - Marchesa Marcella Galdi
* ''
Hired Wife
''Hired Wife'' is a 1940 American romantic comedy film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Rosalind Russell, Brian Aherne and Virginia Bruce.
Plot
When Stephen Dexter (Brian Aherne), boss of Dexter Cement, competes with the giants in his ...
'' (1934) - Vivian Mathews
* ''
The Luck of a Sailor
''The Luck of a Sailor'' is a 1934 British romance film directed by Robert Milton and starring Greta Nissen, David Manners and Clifford Mollison. It was made at Elstree Studios.Wood p.78
Cast
* Greta Nissen as Queen Helena
* David Manners ...
'' (1934) - Queen Helena
* ''
Honours Easy'' (1935) - Ursula Barton
* ''
Cafe Colette'' (1937) - Vanda Muroff (final film role)
References
External links
*
Photographs and literature*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nissen, Greta
1906 births
1988 deaths
20th-century American actresses
American film actresses
American silent film actresses
American stage actresses
Norwegian ballerinas
Norwegian emigrants to the United States
Norwegian film actresses
Norwegian silent film actresses
20th-century Norwegian actresses
Actresses from Oslo