Nils Olaf Chrisander (born Waldemar Olaf Chrisander, 14 February 1884 – 5 June 1947) was a Swedish actor and film director in the early part of the twentieth century.

Biography

Chrisander's first screen appearances as an actor were in German and Swedish silent films in the mid-1910s. His first motion picture role was in the 1915 Carl Schönfeld-directed German

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

drama ''Um ein Weib''. As an actor, Chrisander is possibly best recalled for starring as "Erik the Phantom" in the now lost 1916 Ernst Matray-directed German adaptation '' Das Phantom der Oper'', based on

Gaston Leroux Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux (; 6 May 186815 April 1927) was a French journalist and author of detective fiction. In the English-speaking world, he is best known for writing the novel ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (, 1909), which has been made int ...

's novel ''

The Phantom of the Opera The Phantom of the Opera may refer to: Novel * The Phantom of the Opera (novel), ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (novel), 1910 novel by Gaston Leroux Characters * Erik (The Phantom of the Opera), Erik (''The Phantom of the Opera''), the title char ...

'' opposite Norwegian actress

Aud Egede-Nissen Aud Egede-Nissen (30 May 1893 – 15 November 1974) was a Norwegians, Norwegian actress, director and producer. She appeared in many early 20th-century German silent films. Early life Born in Bergen, Norway in 1893, Egede-Nissen was a daughter ...

. Matray's version is the first film adaptation of Leroux's 1909–1910 serialized novel. In 1917, he appeared opposite the popular Polish film actress

Pola Negri Pola Negri (; born Barbara Apolonia Chałupiec ; 3 January 1897 – 1 August 1987) was a Polish stage and film actress and singer. She achieved worldwide fame during the silent and golden eras of Hollywood and European film for her tragedienn ...

in her first role in a German production, ''Nicht lange täuschte mich das Glück''. In 1919, he co-directed the German silent film ''Alraune und der Golem'' with actor and director

Paul Wegener Paul Wegener (11 December 1874 – 13 September 1948) was a German actor, writer, and film director known for his pioneering role in German expressionist cinema. Acting career At the age of 20, Wegener decided to end his law studies and conce ...

. After performing in a film serial for director Karl Gerhardt opposite actress

Lil Dagover Lil Dagover (; born Marie Antonia Siegelinde Martha Seubert; 30 September 1887 – 23 January 1980) was a German actress whose film career spanned between 1913 and 1979. She was one of the most popular and recognized film actresses in the Weimar ...

from 1920 to 1921, Chrisander began his career in Germany as a director. In total, he directed three films in Germany, before relocating to the United States where he directed two dramatic films: 1927's '' Fighting Love'', starring Jetta Goudal,

Victor Varconi Victor Varconi (born Mihály Várkonyi; March 31, 1891 – June 6, 1976) was a Hungarian actor who initially found success in his native country, as well as in Germany and Austria, in silent films, before relocating to the United States, where ...

and Henry B. Walthall for Cecil B. DeMille Pictures, and that same year, '' The Heart Thief'', starring

Joseph Schildkraut Joseph Schildkraut (22 March 1896 – 21 January 1964) was an Austrian-American actor. He won an Oscar for his performance as Captain Alfred Dreyfus in the film '' The Life of Emile Zola'' (1937). He was nominated for a Golden Globe for his per ...

and

Lya De Putti Lya de Putti (born Amália Helena Mária Róza Putti; , 10 January 1896 – 27 November 1931) was a Hungarian film actress during the silent film, silent era. She was noted for her portrayals of vamp (woman), vamp characters. Early life and care ...

. By 1930, he was living at S. Gramercy Place in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

.Movieland Directory - United States Census, 1930
/ref> He died in 1947 in

Skurup Skurup is a locality and the seat of Skurup Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to ...

, Sweden.

Selected filmography

Actor

* '' Das Phantom der Oper'' (1916) * '' The White Roses of Ravensberg'' (1919) * '' The Hunt for Death'' (1920)

Director

* '' Alraune und der Golem'' (1919, co-director) * '' The White Roses of Ravensberg'' (1919) * '' Death the Victor'' (1920) * '' Fighting Love'' (1927) * '' The Heart Thief'' (1927)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chrisander, Nils Olaf 1884 births 1947 deaths Swedish male film actors Swedish male silent film actors Swedish film directors Male actors from Stockholm 20th-century Swedish male actors