From Wikipedia
Born Grethe Rüzt-Nissen in Oslo, Norway, Nissen was
originally a dancer. She debuted as a solo ballerina on the National Theatre in
1922. She toured in Norway and participated in several Danish films.
Nissen made her Broadway debut as a ballerina in 1924. She
had studied ballet with Mikhail Fokine. In early 1924, she came as a member of
a Danish ballet troupe to New York, where she was soon hired to do a larger
dance numbers for George S. Kaufman in the musical Beggar on Horseback.[2]
Greta was discovered by film producer Jesse L. Lasky of Paramount Pictures, and
would appear in more than twenty films.
She appeared in The Wanderer (1925, director Raoul Walsh).
Among her other films were A Wife, The King on Main Street, The Love Thief,
Ambassador Bill, The Lucky Lady, and Honours Easy. In 1932, she played in The
Silent Witness with Weldon Heyburn, who became her first husband. Her film
career ended in the mid-1930s after she had appeared in a few British films.
A 1925 New York Times review of the silent film A Norwegian
Actress described Greta:
She was graceful
in her movements and expressions, with a constantly changing gaze. The actress
was attractive rather than beautiful. Her chin and nose were both somewhat
pronounced. Greta's personality was delightful and she never showed an
awareness to the audience that she was conscious of being on camera. Her skin
was fair and she possessed blonde hair. At different times her coiffure had a
somewhat "wild" appearance.
The reviewer believed her hair was more effective when it
was brushed down rather than when it was concealed by a small hat. As for her
eyes, there was a close affinity in their appearance to those of Sarah
Bernhardt. Mordaunt Hall commented on her acting, saying, "Miss Nissen
gives a sincere and earnest portrayal, always obtaining excellent results with
an originality rarely beheld on the screen".
Greta was the original choice for leading lady in Hell's
Angels (1930), an epic film made by Howard Hughes. She lost the part due to her
strong Norwegian accent when the movie was remade to include sound. In 1933 she
moved to England. In 1937 she retired from movie acting altogether.
In the autumn of 1941, she married industrialist Stuart D.
Eckert. Nissen died at home in Montecito, California of Parkinson's disease on
May 15, 1988] Greta was 82. Her husband said she still received fan letters.
Greta had one son, Tor Bruce Nissen Eckert, who in 2005 gave his large
collection of Greta Nissen Memorabilia to the Norwegian Emigrant Museum which
is located in Ottestad, county of Hedmark, Norway.
