11 Facts About Mauritz Stiller

Moshe Mauritz Stiller was born on 17 July 1883 in Helsinki.

Mauritz Stiller's family was of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, having lived in Russia and Poland before settling in Finland, these countries being ruled by the Russian Empire at that time.

Mauritz Stiller's talents did not go unnoticed, and soon Stiller was offered the opportunity to practise and display his acting skills in the theatres of Helsinki and Turku in Finland.

Mauritz Stiller began by writing scripts, acting and directing in short films but within a few years gave up acting to devote his time to writing and directing.

Mauritz Stiller was directing feature-length productions, and his 1918 work Thomas Graals basta barn, starring Karin Molander, and with Victor Sjostrom in the leading role, received much acclaim.

Mauritz Stiller directed The Blizzard starring a young Einar Hanson and based on the Selma Lagerlof novel En herrgardssagen.

In Hollywood, Mauritz Stiller was assigned to direct The Temptress, Garbo's second film with MGM, but he could not deal with the studio structure.

Mauritz Stiller immediately was hired by Paramount Pictures, where he made three successful films, but he was let go a second time while directing his fourth film because of his continuing disagreements with studio bosses.

Mauritz Stiller returned to Sweden in 1927 and died on 8 November 1928 from pleurisy at the age of 45.

Mauritz Stiller was interred in the Norra begravningsplatsen in Stockholm.

When Fright admits he doesn't know who he is, Kitty replies that Mauritz Stiller discovered Garbo and shows him a newspaper clipping of the photo of Garbo and Mauritz Stiller posing on the deck of the SS Drottningholm.