ANNA Q. NILSSON

'Anna Quirentia Nilsson' (March 30, 1888 – February 11, 1974) was a Swedish born actress who achieved success in American silent movies.

Contents

Early Life and Career

'Talkies'

References

Early Life and Career

She was born in Ystad, Skåne län, Sweden. In 1905, she emigrated to the USA through Ellis Island. In the new country, the Swedish teenager started working as a nursemaid and learned English quickly. Soon she started working as a model. Nilsson's modeling led her to getting a role in the 1911 film ''Molly Pitcher''.
She stayed at the Kalem studio for several years, ranked behind their top star Alice Joyce. In the twenties she freelanced successfully for Paramount, First National and many other studios and reached a peak of popularity just before the advent of talkies, despite a serious horse-riding accident which kept her from filming for almost two years. In 1923, she portrayed "Cherry Malotte" in the second movie based upon Rex Beach's ''The Spoilers'', a role that would be played in later versions by Betty Compson (1930), Marlene Dietrich (1942), and Anne Baxter (1955).

'Talkies'

With the introduction of sound films, Nilsson's career went into a sharp decline, although she continued to play small, often uncredited parts in films into the 1950s. Her best known performance in a sound film is arguably her turn as "herself", referred to as one of the "waxworks" in Swanson's ''Sunset Boulevard'' (1950), where she does not have a line.
Her middle name, "Quirentia," is derived from Saint Quirinius' Day, March 30, her date of birth.
Nilsson has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to motion pictures at 6150 Hollywood Boulevard. She died in Hemet, California.

References

★

★ Swanson, Gloria : ''Swanson on Swanson, The Making of a Hollywood Legend''. Hamlyn, 1981. ISBN 0-600-20496-0