Signe Eleonora Cecilia Hasso ( Larsson; 15 August 1915 – 7 June 2002) was a Swedish actress.

Early life

Hasso was born in the Kungsholmen parish of

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

in 1915. Her father and grandfather died when she was four, and her mother, grandmother, two siblings, and she shared a single room. Her mother, a former aspiring actress herself, worked as a waffle cook. Hasso attended Matteusskolan, Kungsholms elementarskola för flickor (elementary school for girls) and Norrmalms enskilda läroverk.

Career

Hasso's acting career began by accident. When a young actress fell ill, her mother was asked if she knew of any little girl who could act. Hasso later recalled, "I was 12 then and didn't want to go and neither did my sister, so my mother flipped a coin. I lost." Her audition for a

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...

play was successful, and she started earning money as an actress. She performed in

Royal Dramatic Theatre The Royal Dramatic Theatre (, colloquially ''Dramaten'') is Sweden's national stage for "spoken drama", founded in 1788. Around one thousand shows are put on annually on the theatre's five running stages. The theatre has been at its present lo ...

productions, beginning in 1927 at the age of 12, and enrolled as the youngest acting student in its history at the age of 16. Hasso performed on stage and in film in Sweden. In 1933, she made her first film, ''Tystnadens hus'', with German cinematographer/director Harry Hasso, whom she married the same year. In Sweden, Signe was approached by Hollywood's

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American Aerospace engineering, aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, and investor. He was The World's Billionaires, one of the richest and most influential peo ...

to move to the United States, where she signed a contract with

RKO Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the major film studios, "Big Five" film studios of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood's Clas ...

(which he would later control), and she was promoted as the next

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's Silent film, silent and early Classical Hollywood cinema, golden eras. Regarded as one of the g ...

. With only a few RKO roles forthcoming, she turned to the stage to make a living. According to the

Internet Broadway Database The Internet Broadway Database (IBDB) is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It was conceived and created by Karen Hauser in 1996 and is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade asso ...

, she appeared in five Broadway productions, beginning with ''Golden Wings'' (1941). In the mid-1940s, she signed with

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

. Her first role of note was in '' Heaven Can Wait'' (1943). During the 1940s, she appeared in '' The Seventh Cross'' (1944), '' Johnny Angel'' (1945), ''

The House on 92nd Street ''The House on 92nd Street'' is a 1945 black-and-white American spy film directed by Henry Hathaway. The movie, shot mostly in New York City, was released shortly after the end of World War II. ''The House on 92nd Street'' was made with the full ...

'' (1945), '' A Scandal in Paris'' (1946), and '' Where There's Life'' (1947). Her favorite role was as the ex-wife of an actor driven mad, played by

Ronald Colman Ronald Charles Colman (9 February 1891 – 19 May 1958) was an English-born actor who started his career in theatre and silent film in his native country, then emigrated to the United States where he had a highly successful Cinema of the United ...

, in '' A Double Life'' (1947). Signe Hasso in The Story of Dr

By the 1950s, Hasso's Hollywood career had stalled. From then on, she divided her time between making films in Sweden and acting on stage in New York City until she returned to Hollywood in the 1960s. She also acted on television, making guest appearances in several popular TV series, including '' Route 66'', ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

'', '' The Outer Limits'', ''

The Green Hornet The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell (director), James Jewell. Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas i ...

'', ''Hawkins'', ''

Cannon A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during th ...

'', ''

Starsky and Hutch ''Starsky & Hutch'' is an American action television series, which consisted of a 72-minute pilot movie (originally aired as a '' Movie of the Week'' entry) and 92 episodes of 50 minutes each. The show was created by William Blinn (inspired ...

'', ''

The Streets of San Francisco ''The Streets of San Francisco'' is an American television crime drama filmed on location in San Francisco and produced by Quinn Martin, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros. Television (QM produced the show on its ow ...

'', ''

Ellery Queen Ellery Queen is a pseudonym created in 1928 by the American detective fiction writers Frederic Dannay (1905–1982) and Manfred Bennington Lee (1905–1971). It is also the name of their main fictional detective, a mystery writer in New York City ...

'', '' Quincy, M.E.'', '' Magnum, P.I.'', '' Trapper John, M.D.'', '' Hart to Hart'', and '' The Fall Guy''. She was also a frequent television guest on

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

's NBC TV (Burbank) prime-time series. Hasso worked as a composer, lyricist, songwriter and author. She also translated Swedish

folk songs Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has be ...

into English. Her debut novel, ''Momo'' (1977), depicts her childhood in interwar Stockholm. Her album ''Where the Sun Meets the Moon'' (1979) consists of her own versions of Swedish folk tunes. In a 1995 interview, she stated she wanted to be remembered for her writing, not her acting. She continued to act until late in her life, her last film being ''One Hell of a Guy'' (1998).

Personal life and death

Hasso adhered to

Lutheranism Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

. Her first husband was cinematographer/director Harry Hasso, whom she married in 1933. They had a son by the time she was 19, and divorced in 1942. In 1957, her son was killed in a car accident. In the seventies, she relocated to Park La Brea, Los Angeles where she remained until her death. Hasso died of pneumonia and cancer at

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a non-profit, Tertiary referral hospital, tertiary, 915-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science centre, academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars ...

in Los Angeles in 2002, aged 86.

Awards

In 1935, Hasso received the Theatre League's De Wahl-stipendium and in 1939 the first Nordic nordiska Gösta Ekmanpriset. In 1972, King

Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden Gustaf VI Adolf (Oscar Fredrik Wilhelm Olaf Gustaf Adolf; 11 November 1882 – 15 September 1973) was King of Sweden from 29 October 1950 until his death in 1973. He was the eldest son of Gustaf V and his wife, Victoria of Baden. Before Gustaf A ...

named her Member 1st Class of the Royal Order of Vasa. In 1989, the Vasa Order of America named her Swedish-American of the Year. Hasso has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

for her contribution to motion pictures, at 7080 Hollywood Boulevard.

Filmography

* ''Tystnadens hus'' (''House of Silence'', 1933) – Susanna Braun * '' Witches' Night'' (1937) – Majken Celsing * ''

Career A career is an individual's metaphorical "journey" through learning, work (human activity), work and other aspects of personal life, life. There are a number of ways to define career and the term is used in a variety of ways. Definitions The ...

'' (1938) – Monika Hall * ''Geld fällt vom Himmel'' (1938) – Hannelore * ''Pengar från skyn'' (1938) – Hanne * '' The Two of Us'' (1939) – Kristina – hans hustru * ''

Emilie Högquist Emilie Sophie Högquist or Högqvist (29 April 1812 – 18 December 1846) was a Sweden, Swedish stage actress. She was a star of the Royal Dramatic Theatre and has been referred to as the first celebrity within Swedish drama and known as the ...

'' (1939) – Emelie Högqvist * '' Bastard'' (1940) – Aitanga, nomadepike * ''Stål'' (1940) – Margit * ''Än en gång Gösta Ekman'' (1940 short) – Birgit Steen * '' With Open Arms'' (1940) – Eva Richert * '' The Three of Us'' (1940) – Kristina, hans hustru * ''Den ljusnande framtid'' ('' Bright Prospects'', 1941) – Birgit Norén * ''

Assignment in Brittany ''Assignment in Brittany'' is a 1943 war film directed by Jack Conway and starring French actor Jean-Pierre Aumont and Swedish actress Signe Hasso, both in their American film debuts, and American actress Susan Peters. The film was adapted f ...

'' (1943) – Elise * '' Heaven Can Wait'' (1943) – Mademoiselle * '' The Story of Dr. Wassell'' (1944) – Bettina * '' The Seventh Cross'' (1944) – Toni * '' Dangerous Partners'' (1945) – Carola Ballister * ''

'' (1945) – Elsa Gebhardt * '' Johnny Angel'' (1945) – Paulette Girard * '' Strange Triangle'' (1946) – Francine Huber * '' A Scandal in Paris'' (1946) – Therese De Pierremont * '' Where There's Life'' (1947) – Gen. Katrina Grimovitch * '' A Double Life'' (1947) – Brita Kaurin * '' To the Ends of the Earth'' (1948) – Ann Grant * '' Outside the Wall'' (1950) – Celia Bentner * ''

Crisis A crisis (: crises; : critical) is any event or period that will lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affairs, especially when ...

'' (1950) – Senora Isabel Farrago * '' This Can't Happen Here'' (1950) – Vera Irmelin * ''Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales'' (1952 short) * '' The Sun of St. Moritz'' (1954) – Gerti Selle *''

Taxi 13 ''Taxi 13'' is a 1928 sound part-talkie film comedy produced and distributed by Film Booking Offices of America and directed by Marshall Neilan. In addition to sequences with audible dialogue or talking sequences, the film features a synchroni ...

'' (1954) – Agneta * '' The Magnificent Lie'' (1955) – Joséphine de Merret * '' Picture Mommy Dead'' (1966) – Sister René * '' Code Name: Heraclitus'' (1967 TV movie) – Lydia Constantine * '' A Reflection of Fear'' (1972) – Julia * ''Shell Game'' (1975 TV movie) – Countess * ''

The Black Bird ''The Black Bird'' is a 1975 comedy film written and directed by David Giler and starring George Segal and Stéphane Audran. It is a comedic sequel to the John Huston film version of The Maltese Falcon (1941 film), ''The Maltese Falcon'' (1941) ...

'' (1975) – Dr. Crippen * '' Sherlock Holmes in New York'' (1976 TV movie) – Fraulein Reichenbach * '' I Never Promised You a Rose Garden'' (1977) – Helene * ''Winner Take All'' (1977 TV movie) * ''Evita Peron'' (1981 TV movie) – Fedora * ''Pappa är död'' (1982 TV movie) – Sonja Bengtsson * ''Mirrors'' (1985 TV movie) – Madame Eugenia * ''One Hell of a Guy'' (1998) – Aunt Vivian

Selected bibliography

* ''Momo'' (1977) * ''Kom slott'' (1978) * ''Inte än'' (1988) * ''Om igen'' (1989) * ''Tidens vän'' (1990)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hasso, Signe 1915 births 2002 deaths Actresses from Stockholm American Lutherans American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from pneumonia in California Knights First Class of the Order of Vasa Swedish emigrants to the United States Swedish film actresses Swedish stage actresses Swedish Lutherans Burials at Norra begravningsplatsen 20th-century American actresses 20th-century Lutherans 20th-century Swedish women RKO Pictures contract players Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players

Early life

Career

Personal life and death

Awards

Filmography

Selected bibliography

References

Further reading

External links