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Truus van Aalten
Geertruida Everdina Wilhelmina van Aalten (August 2, 1910 – June 27, 1999) was a Dutch actress who appeared in many German films in the 1920s and 1930s.
Van Aalten was born on August 2, 1910, in Arnhem in family of a pharmacist. van Aalten found a job with a milliner after school, then trained as a salesgirl at a fashion store in Amsterdam.[unreliable source?] She passionately wanted to be a movie actress, but very few films were made in the Netherlands at the time.
In 1926, van Aalten entered a beauty competition in a Dutch magazine, which would give her the chance to audition for a part in a real movie in Berlin if she won. Not long after, she was summoned to the German capital for an audition - along with two hundred other girls. Van Aalten had never had an acting lesson in her life, and she was the youngest entrant, so she didn't expect to win, but when the director saw her screen tests, van Aalten's good humor shone through, and she got the job.[unreliable source?]
Like its counterparts in California, Rome and New York, Ufa was run like a factory, where scripts were written, scenes were shot in big, barn-like studios, and editors assembled printed footage in cutting rooms. There were plasterers' workshops, carpentry shops, prop stores, hair and wardrobe departments, and publicity offices planning the release of completed movies (Ufa ran 3,000 cinemas, admitting nearly a million people a day).[unreliable source?] Van Aalten met the other members of the cast - her six "sisters" (including English actress Betty Balfour) and Willy Fritsch as Count Horkay., and she soon fell in love with Fritsch.
While van Aalten's German was wobbly at best, she was sparkly and funny and camera-friendly, so Ufa offered to train van Aalten and put her in more films, and presented her father with a contract, which he signed, so van Aalten moved to Berlin. At Ufa, van Aalten was introduced to a major figure in her life, highly respected actress Olga Chekhova, who became her unofficial mentor and mother-figure in the industry. van Aalten adored Chekhova, later citing her as a major influence both personally and professionally. Nicknaming her "Trulala", Chekhova taught her the disciplines of movie work and encouraged her to approach her work more seriously. She also pressured van Aalten to lose weight, begging "Have you done any exercises yet today, Trulala? Which ones? For how long? Go get a copy of 'Eat Well And Stay Healthy' - we can't use fat girls in films!"
Ufa cast van Aalten in the film His Late Excellency in 1927. It starred Willy Fritsch, Max Hansen and Olga Chekhova, and was directed by William Thiele.
While van Aalten had a dress made in preparation for the premiere of A Sister of Six, she was distraught to find that the film had been edited severely to get it to length, and her scenes had been shortened or cut altogether. Despite this, she decided to stay in Berlin and make a career as an actress, and Ufa continued to employ her for the following year, after which she worked for various other film companies.[unreliable source?]
Van Aalten's stardom meant that she was asked to appear in advertisements, and earned a surprising amount of money endorsing Bubisan hair products and Marylan face cream. Van Aalten had a distinctive look, with a mixture of boyish yet feminine energy which was characteristic of the 1920s. Her sharply bobbed hair and uninhibited style owed a lot to American comic actress Colleen Moore, who'd appeared in her first film in 1916.
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Truus van Aalten
Geertruida Everdina Wilhelmina van Aalten (August 2, 1910 – June 27, 1999) was a Dutch actress who appeared in many German films in the 1920s and 1930s.
Van Aalten was born on August 2, 1910, in Arnhem in family of a pharmacist. van Aalten found a job with a milliner after school, then trained as a salesgirl at a fashion store in Amsterdam.[unreliable source?] She passionately wanted to be a movie actress, but very few films were made in the Netherlands at the time.
In 1926, van Aalten entered a beauty competition in a Dutch magazine, which would give her the chance to audition for a part in a real movie in Berlin if she won. Not long after, she was summoned to the German capital for an audition - along with two hundred other girls. Van Aalten had never had an acting lesson in her life, and she was the youngest entrant, so she didn't expect to win, but when the director saw her screen tests, van Aalten's good humor shone through, and she got the job.[unreliable source?]
Like its counterparts in California, Rome and New York, Ufa was run like a factory, where scripts were written, scenes were shot in big, barn-like studios, and editors assembled printed footage in cutting rooms. There were plasterers' workshops, carpentry shops, prop stores, hair and wardrobe departments, and publicity offices planning the release of completed movies (Ufa ran 3,000 cinemas, admitting nearly a million people a day).[unreliable source?] Van Aalten met the other members of the cast - her six "sisters" (including English actress Betty Balfour) and Willy Fritsch as Count Horkay., and she soon fell in love with Fritsch.
While van Aalten's German was wobbly at best, she was sparkly and funny and camera-friendly, so Ufa offered to train van Aalten and put her in more films, and presented her father with a contract, which he signed, so van Aalten moved to Berlin. At Ufa, van Aalten was introduced to a major figure in her life, highly respected actress Olga Chekhova, who became her unofficial mentor and mother-figure in the industry. van Aalten adored Chekhova, later citing her as a major influence both personally and professionally. Nicknaming her "Trulala", Chekhova taught her the disciplines of movie work and encouraged her to approach her work more seriously. She also pressured van Aalten to lose weight, begging "Have you done any exercises yet today, Trulala? Which ones? For how long? Go get a copy of 'Eat Well And Stay Healthy' - we can't use fat girls in films!"
Ufa cast van Aalten in the film His Late Excellency in 1927. It starred Willy Fritsch, Max Hansen and Olga Chekhova, and was directed by William Thiele.
While van Aalten had a dress made in preparation for the premiere of A Sister of Six, she was distraught to find that the film had been edited severely to get it to length, and her scenes had been shortened or cut altogether. Despite this, she decided to stay in Berlin and make a career as an actress, and Ufa continued to employ her for the following year, after which she worked for various other film companies.[unreliable source?]
Van Aalten's stardom meant that she was asked to appear in advertisements, and earned a surprising amount of money endorsing Bubisan hair products and Marylan face cream. Van Aalten had a distinctive look, with a mixture of boyish yet feminine energy which was characteristic of the 1920s. Her sharply bobbed hair and uninhibited style owed a lot to American comic actress Colleen Moore, who'd appeared in her first film in 1916.