Nils Asther

Nils Anton Alfhild Asther was a Swedish actor active in Hollywood from 1926 to the mid1950s, known for his beautiful face and often called the male Greta Garbo. Between 1916 and 1963 he appeared in over 70 feature films,of which were produced in the silent era. He didnt seek publicity, choosing, instead, to be alone. Unfortunately, he is mainly remembered for two films he made with his fellow Swede, Greta Garbo and the precode Interracial love affair in The Bitter Tea of General Yen.

Born in Denmark in Sankt Matteus parish, Copenhagen, son of Swedish couple Anton Asther and Hilda kerlund. Nils spent his first year as a fosterchild in Limhamn, Sweden, because his biological parents were unmarried. That is also the reason Nils was born in Denmark. At that time unwed mothers went to Copenhagen for a discrete birthing. After their marriage in 1898 Nils moved in with them in Malm, where he grew up. As a young man he moved to Stockholm, where he received acting lessons from Actress Augusta Lindberg, and through her he received his first theatrical engagement at Lorensbergsteatern in Gothenburg, and in 1916 Mauritz Stiller cast him in The Wings , a gaythemed Swedish silent film from 1916, directed by Mauritz Stiller, based on Herman Bangs 1902 novel Mikal. In Copenhagen, one of Swedens best known actors, Aage Hertel of the Royal Danish Theatre, took Nils under his wing. This soon lead to a number of film roles in Sweden, Denmark and Germany between 1918 and 1926.

Source: Wikipedia