Gwili Andre (born Gurli Ingeborg Elna Andresen; 4 February 1907 – 5 February 1959) was a Danish model and actress who had a brief career in Hollywood films.

Early years

Born in Frederiksberg, Andre had two sisters. Her parents were Carl Axel Andresen and Emma Marie Ellen Sørensen Bruun, married in 1904. Her parents divorced, and her father remarried in 1917.

She was signed to RKO Studio, and in 1932 appeared in Roar of the Dragon and Secrets of the French Police. While her striking looks were likened to that of Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich, her acting garnered poor reviews. One newspaper columnist called her a "stiff, colorless and completely talentless performer." Despite the poor reviews of her acting, RKO began using her glamorous looks to promote her career. A widespread publicity campaign ensured that her name and face became well known to the American public, but her next role in No Other Woman (1933), opposite Irene Dunne, was not the success the studio expected. Over the next few years, she was relegated to supporting roles which included a role in the Joan Crawford picture A Woman's Face (1941).

Personal life

Andre was married twice. She was married to prize-winning chess master and realtor Stanisław (Stasch) Mlotkowski in 1929. They separated in 1930 and divorced in 1935. Andre then married engineer William Dallas Cross Jr. in 1943. where she lived alone. The cause of the fire never was determined. and her ashes sent for burial at Søndermark Cemetery in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Filmography

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! Year

! Title

! Role

! Director

|-

| rowspan=2| 1932

| Roar of the Dragon

| Natascha

| Wesley Ruggles

|-

| Secrets of the French Police

| Eugenie Dorain

| A. Edward Sutherland

|-

| 1933

| No Other Woman

| Margot Van Deering

| J. Walter Ruben

|-

| rowspan=2| 1937

| Meet the Boyfriend

| Vilma Vlare

| Ralph Staub

|-

| The Girl Said No

| Gretchen Holman

| Andrew L. Stone

|-

| 1941

| A Woman's Face

| Gusta

| George Cukor

|-

| 1942

| The Falcon's Brother

| Diane Medford

| Stanley Logan

|-

|}

References

  • Gwili Andre Article at Bellaonline.com
  • County of Copenhagen, Sokkelund, Frederiksberg, 1904-1909 birth record Gwili # 33, bottom of the page.