asta nielsen (11 september 1881 – 24 may 1972) was a danish silent movie actress. she was very popular in the 1910s. she was one of the first international movie stars. nielsen was in 74 movies. 70 were in germany where she was known simply as "die asta" ("the asta"). she had large dark eyes, a face like a mask and a figure like a boy. nielsen most often played strong and passionate women trapped by tragic lives. her performances were erotic so nielsen's movies were heavily censored in the united states. therefore, she was not very famous there. nielsen started her own movie studio in berlin in the 1920s. she went back to denmark in 1937 after nazism became a problem. later in life, nielsen became a collage artist and an author.