Nielsen, Asta
Nielsen, Asta
Born Sept. 11, 1881, in Copenhagen; died there May 25, 1972. Danish actress.
Nielsen began performing in the theaters of Copenhagen and other cities in 1901 and in films in 1910. From 1911 she lived and worked in Germany. She created the well-known character of the “demonic,” doomed woman, which long remained a standard character in films. Among her best roles were Nastas’ia Filippovna in The Idiot (1921, based on Dostoevsky’s novel), Miss Julie in Strindberg’s play of the same name (1921), Hedda Gabler in Ibsen’s play of the same name (1924), and Mitzi in The Joyless Street (1925). After Hitler came to power (1933), Nielsen returned to her homeland, where she worked in the theater until the end of the 1930’s. She is the author of memoirs.