Osa Massen

Osa Massen (born Aase Madsen Iversen, 13 January 1914^[1] – 2 January 2006) was a Danish actress who became a successful movie actress in Hollywood. She became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1941.^[2]

Osa Massen
in The Master Race (1944)
Born	Aase Madsen Iversen (1914-01-13)13 January 1914 Copenhagen, Denmark
Died	2 January 2006(2006-01-02) (aged 91) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1935–1981
Spouse(s)	Allan Hersholt (1938–1945) Harvey R. Cummins (1947–1951) Dr. Stanley Vogel (1953–1962?)

Background and early career

Born in Copenhagen, Denmark,^[3] she began her career as a newspaper photographer, then became an actress. She first came to the United States in 1937. She was recorded as Aase Madsen-Iversen, Danish actress, aged 23, on the manifest of the S/S Normandie, which sailed from Southampton, England, on 18 December 1937, and arrived at the Port of New York on 23 December 1937.^{[citation needed]}

Massen's first film was Kidnapped (1935).^[4] She notably appeared as Melvyn Douglas' unfaithful wife dealing with blackmailer Joan Crawford in A Woman's Face (1941). She also appeared as a mysterious woman with something to hide in Deadline at Dawn (1946). She also starred with Lloyd Bridges in the movie Rocketship X-M (1950), the first space adventure of the post-World War II era.^{[citation needed]}

Later in her career, Massen appeared in guest roles on many television programs. She made three guest appearances on Perry Mason. In 1958, she played Lisa Bannister in "The Case of the Desperate Daughter", where she was reunited with her "Master Race" daughter Gigi Perreau, and in 1959, she played Sarah Werner in "The Case of the Shattered Dream". Her last television role was in 1962 when she played Lisa Pedersen in "The Case of the Tarnished Trademark".^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

She was married three times, each with a relatively short duration, including once to Allan Hersholt, the son of Jean Hersholt, on 15 December 1938.^[1]: 229

Death

Massen died on 2 January 2006, 11 days before her 92nd birthday, following unspecified surgery in Hollywood, California.^{[5][note 1][6]} Her remains are buried at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California^[3] with a plaque that lists her name as Osa Massen Vogel.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1935	Kidnapped	Grethe
	Bag Københavns kulisser	Eva Lindemann
1939	Honeymoon in Bali	Noel Van Ness
1941	Honeymoon for Three	Julie Wilson
	A Woman's Face	Vera Segert
	Accent on Love	Osa
	You'll Never Get Rich	Sonya
	The Devil Pays Off	Valeria DeBrock
1942	Iceland	Helga Jonsdottir
1943	Background to Danger	Ana Remzi
	Jack London	Freda Maloof
	Undercover	Sailor's Girlfriend	uncredited
1944	The Black Parachute	Marya Orloff
	Cry of the Werewolf	Elsa Chauvet
	The Master Race	Helena
1946	Tokyo Rose	Greta Norburg
	Deadline at Dawn	Helen Robinson
	The Gentleman Misbehaves	Chincilla
	Strange Journey	Christine Jenner
1948	Million Dollar Weekend	Cynthia Strong
1949	Night Unto Night	Lisa
1950	Rocketship X-M	Dr. Lisa Van Horn
1955	Wiegenlied	Ernestine Schumann-Heink
1958	Outcasts of the City	Leda Mueller

Notes

1. The book Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2006: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture says Massen "... died of complications from surgery in a Santa Monica, California, convalescent home ...".

References

1. Hans J. Wollstein (1994). Strangers in Hollywood: the history of Scandinavian actors in American films from 1910 to World War II. Scarecrow Press. p. 227. ISBN 978-0-8108-2938-1. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
2. Copy of Petition for Naturalization #90276, filed in Los Angeles, California under the name 'Aase Madsen Iversen Hersholt, Ancestry.com; accessed 30 September 2015.
3. Wilson, Scott (17 August 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. ISBN 9780786479924. Retrieved 8 June 2019 – via Google Books.
4. "Osa Massen, 91; 1940s Danish-Born Actress Famous as Femme Fatale". Los Angeles Times. 14 February 2006. Archived from the original on 13 September 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
5. Willis, John; Monush, Barry (1 May 2010). Screen World 2007. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 9781557837295. Retrieved 8 June 2019 – via Google Books.
6. Lentz, Harris M. III (2007). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2006: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland. pp. 230–231. ISBN 9780786452118. Retrieved 13 September 2017.

External links

• Biography portal

• Osa Massen at IMDb
• Osa Massen at Find a Grave