Greta Thyssen (born Grethe Karen Thygesen; 30 March 1927 – 6 January 2018) was a Danish film actress and former model, long-resident in the United States. Born in

Hareskovby Hareskovby, or Hareskov By, is a small suburb to Copenhagen, Denmark, located just south and west of Hareskoven, one of the largest forested areas in the city's northern suburbs. It straddles the border between Furesø and Herlev municipalities ...

, Denmark, she appeared in films and television series between 1956 and 1967.

Career

Thyssen arrived in the United States after winning the

Miss Denmark Miss Denmark () is a national Beauty pageant in Denmark. The pageant was founded in 1926, where the winners were sent to Miss Universe and other titleholders to Miss World, Miss International and Miss Supranational. Organization The Miss Dan ...

crown in 1951. She attempted to follow in the footsteps of the reigning blonde sex symbols

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

and

Jayne Mansfield Jayne Mansfield (born Vera Jayne Palmer; April 19, 1933 – June 29, 1967) was an American actress, singer, nightclub entertainer, and ''Playboy'' Playmate. A sex symbol of the 1950s and early 1960s while under contract at 20th Century Fox, Man ...

by forging a movie career. She was Monroe's double in '' Bus Stop'', and appeared in '' Accused of Murder'', '' Terror Is a Man'', ''

Three Blondes in His Life ''Three Blondes in His Life'' is a 1961 American neo noir directed by Leon Chooluck and starring Jock Mahoney. Plot An insurance investigator, Duke Wallace, is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a colleague. The wife tells Duke that ...

'' and '' Journey to the Seventh Planet''. In addition to her appearances on the television series '' Dragnet'' and '' Bachelor Father'', she appeared as Roxy Howard, the title character in the ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

'' episode, "The Case of the Nervous Accomplice". Thyssen also appeared on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in ''Pajama Tops'' as a replacement for

June Wilkinson June Wilkinson (born 27 March 1940 in Eastbourne) is an English model and actress, known for her appearances in ''Playboy'' magazine and in films of the 1960s. One of the world's most-photographed women in the late 1950s and early 1960s, at the he ...

. Thyssen is probably best remembered for her appearances in

the Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeared ...

films '' Quiz Whizz'', '' Pies and Guys'' and ''

Sappy Bull Fighters ''Sappy Bull Fighters'' is a 1959 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Joe Besser in his final starring role). It is the 190th and final entry in the series re ...

''. In her brief stint with the Stooges, she endured a cream pie to the face in the second film. From 1956-1958, Thyssen was the original Pirate Girl on the game show '' Treasure Hunt'', assisting host

Jan Murray Jan Murray (born Murray Janofsky; October 4, 1916 – July 2, 2006) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, and game-show host who originally made his name on the Borscht Belt and later was known for his frequent television appearances over s ...

with presenting prizes hidden in miniature treasure chests. After appearing in the musical comedy ''

Cottonpickin' Chickenpickers ''Cottonpickin' Chickenpickers'' is a 1967 American film made by Southeastern Pictures Corporation whose cast includes some major country music performers. It was the final feature film of silent movie great Lila Lee and of 1940s Hollywood leadi ...

'' (1967), she retired from acting.

Legal problem

On October 5, 1953, Thyssen was ordered

deported Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term ''expulsion'' is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while deportation ...

for having violated her visitor's permit in two ways: the permit had expired in March 1953, and despite her status as a visitor, she worked in films and television.

Personal life

Thyssen was married four times. Her fourth marriage was to Theodore Guenther, with whom she had a daughter
Genevieve Juliette Guenther
On 6 January 2018, Thyssen died of pneumonia at her home in Manhattan, aged 90.

Filmography

''Feature Films'' * '' Bus Stop'' (1956) Monroe double * '' Accused of Murder'' (1956) * ''

The Beast of Budapest ''The Beast of Budapest'' is a 1958 American film about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Cast * Gerald Milton as Col. Otto Zagon *Greta Thyssen as Christi *John Hoyt as Prof. Ernst Tolnai *Violet Rensing as Marissa Foldessy * Joseph Turkel as Mar ...

'' (1958) * ''Catch Me If You Can'' (1959) * ''

Shadows A shadow is a dark area where light from a light source is blocked by an opaque object. It occupies all of the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two-dimensional silhouette, ...

'' (1959) * '' Terror Is a Man'' (1959) * ''

'' (1961) * '' Journey to the Seventh Planet'' (1962) * ''The Double-Barrelled Detective Story'' (1965) * ''

'' (1967) ''Short Films'' * '' Quiz Whizz'' (1958) * '' Pies and Guys'' (1958) * ''

'' (1959)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thyssen, Greta 1927 births 2018 deaths Actresses from Copenhagen Danish female models Danish film actresses Danish television personalities Danish emigrants to the United States Deaths from pneumonia in New York City People from Furesø Municipality