death_date death_place birth_place imagesize birth_date yearsactive birthname image article_title name occupation
5 june 1947 los angeles , california , united states of america stockholm , sweden 200px 14 february 1884 1914 -- 1927 waldemar olaf chrisander nicola perscheid - nils chrisander.jpg nils olaf chrisander
 nils olaf chrisander film director , actor
nils olaf chrisander

nils olaf chrisander -lrb- 14 february 1884 -- 5 june 1947 -rrb- was a swedish actor and film director in the early part of the twentieth-century .
born waldemar olaf chrisander in stockholm , sweden , chrisander 's first screen appearances as an actor were in german and swedish silent films in the mid-1910s .
his first motion picture role was in the 1915 carl schönfeld-directed german silent film drama `` um ein weib '' .
as an actor , chrisander is possibly best recalled for starring as `` erik the phantom '' in the now lost 1916 ernst matray-directed german adaptation `` das phantom der oper '' , based on gaston leroux 's novel `` the phantom of the opera '' opposite norwegian actress aud egede-nissen .
matray 's version is the first film adaptation of leroux 's 1909-1910 serialized novel .
in 1917 , he appeared opposite the popular polish film actress pola negri in her first role in a german production , `` nicht lange täuschte mich das glück '' .
in 1919 , he co-directed the german silent film `` alraune und der golem '' with actor and director paul wegener .
after performing in a film serial for director karl gerhardt opposite actress lil dagover from 1920 to 1921 , chrisander began his career in germany as a director .
in total , he directed three films in germany , before relocating to the united states where he directed two dramatic films : 1927 's `` fighting love '' , starring jetta goudal , victor varconi and henry b. walthall for cecil b. demille pictures , and that same year , `` the heart thief '' , starring joseph schildkraut and lya de putti .
by 1930 , he was living at s. gramercy place in los angeles , california .
he died in 1947 .
