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Kaj Gynt | |
---|---|
Born | Karin Sophia Cederstrand October 24, 1885 Stockholm |
Died | June 6, 1956 | (aged 70) (DOD approx)
Citizenship | Swedish |
Notable works | Rang Tang |
Spouse | Harold Gustav Frederic Matthiessen (1883–1940) |
Children | Arthur Frans Fredrick Matthiessen (1908–2004) |
Kaj (Kay) Gynt (pseudonym of Karin Sophia Matthiessen; née Karin Sophia Cederstrand; 24 October 1885 – 1956) was a Swedish-turned-American actress and, for one notable 1927 Broadway musical, a book writer.
Actress
Before emigrating to New York, Gynt performed three years with the
Royal Dramatic Theatre in
Stockholm. In America, she played Kate in the 1917 film
The Eternal Mother
[A] and was a skating party guest in the 1917 film, The Last Sentence, directed by
Ben Turbett. In 1921, Gynt played Clorinda in
Henry Bataille's 3-act romantic comedy, Don Juan, at the
Garrick Theatre, New York.
[B]
Author
She authored the book for the 1927
Broadway musical
revue,
Rang Tang.
[C] She also co-authored, in 1936 with
Langston Hughes, a proposed production, Cock o' the World, music by
Duke Ellington, Wilbur Hughes Strickland, MD (1903–1987), and
Billy Strayhorn. The work was never performed.
[1]
Gynt grew-up in Stockholm and was friends with Greta Garbo. [D] [E] At age 22, she and Harold Gustav Frederic Matthiessen (1883–1940) arrived at Ellis Island, New York, December 21, 1907, aboard the SS Kaiserin Auguste Victoria from Cuxhaven. [Genealogy 1] That same day, they married each other at the Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church, [Genealogy 2] 155 East 22nd Street (between Lexington and Third Avenues). Their marriage was officiated by Rev. Dr. Johan Gustaf Mauritz Stolpe (1858–1938), son of composer Gustav Stolpe (1833–1901). In 1917, Harold and Karin both became United States naturalized citizens.[ citation needed]
Gynt's husband, Harold Mattiessen, was a graduate of Swedish Royal University.[ citation needed] Gynt's brother, Sölve Cederstrand (1900–1954), was a Swedish journalist, screenwriter, and film director. Another brother, Ragnar Cederstrand (1891–1935), was a Swedish film critic.[ citation needed]