Signe Eleonora Cecilia Hasso (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' Larsson; 15 August 1915 – 7 June 2002) was a Swedish actress, writer, and composer.

Biography

Hasso was born in the Kungsholmen parish of

Stockholm Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...

, Sweden in 1915. Her father and grandfather died when she was four, and her mother, grandmother, two siblings, and she shared a single room. Her mother, a former aspiring actress herself, worked as a waffle cook. Her acting career began by accident. When a young actress fell ill, her mother was asked if she knew of any little girl who could act. Signe Hasso later recalled, "I was 12 then and didn't want to go and neither did my sister, so my mother flipped a coin. I lost." Her audition for a

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

play was successful, and she started earning money as an actress. She performed in Royal Dramatic Theatre productions, beginning in 1927 at the age of 12, and enrolled as the youngest acting student in its history at the age of 16. She performed on stage and in film in Sweden. In 1933, Signe Larrson made her first film, ''Tystnadens hus'', with

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

/cameraman Harry Hasso, whom she married the same year. They had a son by the time she was 19. They divorced in 1942. In Sweden, Signe was approached by Hollywood's

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 t ...

to move to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, where she would sign a contract with

RKO Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orph ...

(which he would later control), who promoted her as "the next Garbo". With only a few RKO roles forthcoming, she turned to the stage to make a living. According to the

Internet Broadway Database The Internet Broadway Database (IBDB) is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It was conceived and created by Karen Hauser in 1996 and is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade asso ...

, she appeared in five

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 ...

productions, beginning with ''Golden Wings'' (1941). In the mid-1940s, she signed with

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

. Her first role of note was in '' Heaven Can Wait'' (1943). During the 1940s, she appeared in ''

The Seventh Cross ''The Seventh Cross'' (german: Das siebte Kreuz) is a novel by Anna Seghers, one of the better-known examples of German literature circa World War II. It was first published in Mexico by ''El Libro Libre'' In 1942. The English translation came ...

'' (1944), '' Johnny Angel'' (1945), ''

The House on 92nd Street ''The House on 92nd Street'' is a 1945 black-and-white American spy film directed by Henry Hathaway. The movie, shot mostly in New York City, was released shortly after the end of World War II. ''The House on 92nd Street'' was made with the ful ...

'' (1945), ''

A Scandal in Paris ''A Scandal in Paris'' is a 1946 American biographical film directed by Douglas Sirk and starring George Sanders, Signe Hasso and Carole Landis. It loosely depicts the life of Eugène François Vidocq, a French criminal who reformed and became a ...

'' (1946), and '' A Double Life'' (1947). Her favorite role was as the ex-wife of an actor driven mad, played by

Ronald Colman Ronald Charles Colman (9 February 1891 – 19 May 1958) was an English-born actor, starting his career in theatre and silent film in his native country, then immigrating to the United States and having a successful Cinema of the United States, ...

, in ''A Double Life''. By the 1950s, her Hollywood career had stalled. Instead of Hollywood, Signe was asked to join

Eva Le Galliene Eva Le Gallienne (January 11, 1899 – June 3, 1991) was a British-born American stage actress, producer, director, translator, and author. A Broadway star by age 21, Le Gallienne gave up her Broadway appearances to devote herself to founding t ...

's American Repertory Company, ARC. In 1957, her son was killed in a motor-cycle accident on Santa Monica Boulevard. Signe was a frequent television guest on Bob Hope's NBC TV (Burbank) prime-time series. In the seventies Signe relocated to

Park La Brea Park La Brea (Spanish: ''La Brea''—"The tar", after the nearby La Brea Tar Pits) is a sprawling apartment community in the Miracle Mile District of Los Angeles, California. With 4,255 units located in eighteen 13-story towers and thirty-one ...

where Signe remained until her death.. From then on, she divided her time between making films in Sweden and acting on stage in New York City until she returned to Hollywood in the 1960s. She also acted on television, making guest appearances in several popular TV series, including '' Route 66'', ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on ...

'', '' The Outer Limits'', ''

The Green Hornet The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell. Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of med ...

'', ''

Cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

'', ''

Starsky and Hutch ''Starsky & Hutch'' is an American action television series, which consisted of a 72-minute pilot movie (originally aired as a '' Movie of the Week'' entry) and 92 episodes of 50 minutes each. The show was created by William Blinn (inspired by ...

'', ''

The Streets of San Francisco ''The Streets of San Francisco'' is a television crime drama filmed on location in San Francisco and produced by Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros. Television (QM produced the show on its ...

'', ''

Ellery Queen Ellery Queen is a pseudonym created in 1929 by American crime fiction writers Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee and the name of their main fictional character, a mystery writer in New York City who helps his police inspector father solve ...

'', '' Quincy, M.E.'', '' Magnum, P.I.'', ''

Trapper John, M.D. ''Trapper John, M.D.'' is an American medical drama television series and spin-off of the film ''M*A*S*H'' (1970). Pernell Roberts portrayed the title character, a lovable surgeon who became a mentor and father figure in San Francisco, Californ ...

'', and ''

Hart to Hart ''Hart to Hart'' is an American mystery television series that premiered on August 25, 1979, on ABC. The show stars Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, respectively, a wealthy couple who lead a glamorous jetset life ...

''. Hasso composed music, as a lyricist, songwriter and author, as well, translator, she translated Swedish folk songs into English. Her debut novel, ''Momo'' (1977), depicts her childhood in interwar Stockholm. Hasso's second album, ''Where the Sun Meets the Moon'' (1979), consists of her own versions of Swedish folk tunes. In a 1995 interview, she stated she wanted to be remembered for her writing, not her acting. She continued to act until late in her life, her last film being ''One Hell of a Guy'' (1998).

Death

She died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California in 2002, aged 86, of pneumonia and cancer. Hasso adhered to

Lutheranism Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

Awards

In 1935, she received the Theatre League's De Wahl-stipendium and in 1939 the first Nordic nordiska Gösta Ekmanpriset. In 1972, King

Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden Gustav, Gustaf or Gustave may refer to: * Gustav (name), a male given name of Old Swedish origin Art, entertainment, and media * ''Primeval'' (film), a 2007 American horror film * ''Gustav'' (film series), a Hungarian series of animated short car ...

named her Member 1st Class of the Royal Order of Vasa. In 1989, the Vasa Order of America named her Swedish-American of the Year. Hasso has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

for her contribution to motion pictures, at 7080 Hollywood Boulevard.

Selected bibliography

* ''Momo'' (1977) * ''Kom slott'' (1978) * ''Inte än'' (1988) * ''Om igen'' (1989) * ''Tidens vän'' (1990)

Complete filmography

* ''Tystnadens hus'' (''House of Silence'', 1933) - Susanna Braun * '' Witches' Night'' (1937) - Majken Celsing * ''

Career The career is an individual's metaphorical "journey" through learning, work and other aspects of life. There are a number of ways to define career and the term is used in a variety of ways. Definitions The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defi ...

'' (1938) - Monika Hall * ''Geld fällt vom Himmel'' (1938) - Hannelore * ''Pengar från skyn'' (1938) - Hanne * '' The Two of Us'' (1939) - Kristina - hans hustru * ''

Emilie Högquist Emilie Sophie Högquist or Högqvist (29 April 1812 – 18 December 1846) was a Swedish stage actress. She was a star of the Royal Dramatic Theatre and has been referred to as the first celebrity within Swedish drama and known as the Swedi ...

'' (1939) - Emelie Högqvist * '' Bastard'' (1940) - Aitanga, nomadepike * ''Stål'' (1940) - Margit * ''Än en gång Gösta Ekman'' (1940 short) - Birgit Steen * '' With Open Arms'' (1940) - Eva Richert * '' The Three of Us'' (1940) - Kristina, hans hustru * ''Den ljusnande framtid'' (''

Bright Prospects ''Bright Prospects'' (Swedish:''Den ljusnande framtid'') is a 1941 Swedish drama film directed by Gustaf Molander and starring Signe Hasso, Ernst Eklund and Erik 'Bullen' Berglund.Larsson & Marklund p.118 The film's art direction was by Arne � ...

'', 1941) - Birgit Norén * '' Assignment in Brittany'' (1943) - Elise * '' Heaven Can Wait'' (1943) - Mademoiselle * ''

The Story of Dr. Wassell ''The Story of Dr. Wassell'' is a 1944 American World War II film set in the Dutch East Indies, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, and starring Gary Cooper, Laraine Day, Signe Hasso and Dennis O'Keefe. The film was based on a book of the same name by ...

'' (1944) - Bettina * ''

'' (1944) - Toni * '' Dangerous Partners'' (1945) - Carola Ballister * ''

'' (1945) - Elsa Gebhardt * '' Johnny Angel'' (1945) - Paulette Girard * ''

Strange Triangle ''Strange Triangle'' is a 1946 American crime film noir directed by Ray McCarey and starring Signe Hasso, Preston Foster and Anabel Shaw.. Premise A bank examiner becomes involved with a couple planning embezzlement, which leads them to murder. ...

'' (1946) - Francine Huber * ''

'' (1946) - Therese De Pierremont * ''

Where There's Life ''Where There's Life'' is a 1947 American thriller comedy film directed by Sidney Lanfield.''Harrison's Reports'' film review; October 11, 1947, page 162. The film's title derives from a line in ''Don Quixote'' ("Where there's life, there's hope" ...

'' (1947) - Gen. Katrina Grimovitch * '' A Double Life'' (1947) - Brita Kaurin * ''

To the Ends of the Earth ''To the Ends of the Earth'' is the title given to a trilogy of nautical, relational novels—''Rites of Passage'' (1980), ''Close Quarters'' (1987), and ''Fire Down Below'' (1989)—by British author William Golding. Set on a former British ...

'' (1948) - Ann Grant * '' Outside the Wall'' (1950) - Celia Bentner * ''

Crisis A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...

'' (1950) - Senora Isabel Farrago * ''

This Can't Happen Here ''This Can't Happen Here'' ( sv, Sånt händer inte här, also released as ''High Tension'' in English) is a 1950 Swedish film directed by Ingmar Bergman and produced by Helge Hagerman. Cast * Signe Hasso as Vera * Alf Kjellin as Almkvist * Ul ...

'' (1950) - Vera Irmelin * ''Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales'' (1952 short) * '' The Sun of St. Moritz'' (1954) - Gerti Selle *'' Taxi 13'' (1954) - Agneta * '' The Magnificent Lie'' (1955) - Joséphine de Merret * ''

Picture Mommy Dead ''Picture Mommy Dead'' is a 1966 American horror film directed by Bert I. Gordon and starring Don Ameche, Martha Hyer, Susan Gordon and Zsa Zsa Gabor. Plot Heiress Susan Shelley thinks her father, Edward, killed her mother, Jessica, years ago. N ...

'' (1966) - Sister René * '' Code Name: Heraclitus'' (1967 TV movie) - Lydia Constantine * ''

A Reflection of Fear ''A Reflection of Fear'' is a 1972 American thriller film directed by William A. Fraker with a screenplay by Edward Hume and Lewis John Carlino and starring Sondra Locke, Robert Shaw, Mary Ure, Signe Hasso, Gordon Devol and Sally Kellerman. It ...

'' (1972) - Julia * ''Shell Game'' (1975 TV movie) - Countess * '' The Black Bird'' (1975) - Dr. Crippen * ''

Sherlock Holmes in New York ''Sherlock Holmes in New York'' is a 1976 American made-for-television mystery film about Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, played by Roger Moore and Patrick Macnee respectively. Despite the film's title the production was shot entirely in So ...

'' (1976 TV movie) - Fraulein Reichenbach * '' I Never Promised You a Rose Garden'' (1977) - Helene * ''Winner Take All'' (1977 TV movie) * ''Evita Peron'' (1981 TV movie) - Fedora * ''Pappa är död'' (1982 TV movie) - Sonja Bengtsson * ''Mirrors'' (1985 TV movie) - Madame Eugenia * ''One Hell of a Guy'' (1998) - Aunt Vivian

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hasso, Signe 1915 births 2002 deaths Actresses from Stockholm American Lutherans American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from pneumonia in California Knights First Class of the Order of Vasa Swedish emigrants to the United States Swedish film actresses Swedish stage actresses Swedish Lutherans Burials at Norra begravningsplatsen 20th-century American actresses 20th-century Lutherans 20th-century Swedish women

Biography

Death

Awards

Selected bibliography

Complete filmography

References

Further reading

External links