Moshe "Mauritz" Stiller, born July 17, 1883, in Helsinki, Finland, was a director, writer and actor. He began his artistic activity in the theatre, as an actor at 16. Mauritz Stiller portrayed 87 roles from 1899-1916 and directed 16 productions 1911-28. Together with Viktor Sjöström are three cornerstones of Swedish film production. In "Gösta Berlings saga" Greta Garbo, 18 years old, made her first major role. Greta Garbo and Mauritz Stiller came to be best friends and allies forever. Stiller introduced Garbo to the German audience in 1925, before the two sailed of to the USA to make "The Temptress" for Paramount/Irving Thalberg in 1926. Mauritz Stiller directed 51 feature films and appeared as an actor in seven productions from 1912-1927. At 1:05 am Nov 8, 1928, Mauritz Stiller died in Stockholm, after undergoing numerous surgeries, an abscess of a lung ended a great artist's life.
Was Greta Garbos mentor, and brought her to Hollywood. He was abruptly fired from directing her second MGM Hollywood film, "The Temptress", after repeated arguments with MGM execs and was soon let go. Unable to hold a job in Hollywood, he returned to Sweden in 1928 and died shortly after at the age of 45. Garbo was devastated.
Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume One, 1890-1945". Pages 1063-1069. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1987.
His Hollywood Walk of Fame star was originally listed under the erroneous name "Maurice Diller".
One of the primary directors of early Swedish film, rivaled only by Victor Sjstrm. Main works include Herr Arnes pengar (1919) , Erotikon and Gsta Berlings saga , the latter starring Greta Garbo.
Was an actor of the Swedish Theatre of Helsinki in his youth.
The son of Polish-Russian parents, he escaped to Sweden via Finland in order to avoid being conscripted into the Tsarist Army.
Started as an actor with the Svenska Bio company in 1911. Graduated to writing and directing the following year.
His directing style was entirely autocratic, in that he demanded total control over all facets of his production -- something he could never have hoped to achieve in Hollywood, and which contributed significantly to his failure there.
In 1924 Mauritz Stiller planned to shoot a film in Turkey titled "The Odalisque from Smyrna" and had hired Conrad Veidt and Einar Hanson as stars. Stiller, along with Hansen and protg Garbo, left for Istanbul but the promised financing vanished. Stiller reportedly returned to Berlin to raise backing, but failed. Garbo remained in Turkey sulking, not even communicating with fellow Swede Hanson. Eventually she returned to Berlin.
