Kaj Gynt

Kaj (Kay) Gynt (pseudonym of Karin Sophia Matthiessen; née Karin Sophia Cederstrand; 24 October 1885 – 1956) was a Swedish-turned-American actress and, for one albeit notable 1927 Broadway musical, a book writer.

Kaj Gynt
BornKarin Sophia Cederstrand
(1885-10-24)October 24, 1885
Stockholm
DiedJune 6, 1956(1956-06-06) (aged 70) (DOD approx)
CitizenshipSwedish
Notable worksRang Tang
SpouseHarold Gustav Frederic Matthiessen (1883–1940)
ChildrenArthur Frans Fredrick Matthiessen (1908–2004)

Career

Actress
Before emigrating to New York, Gynt performed three years with the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. In America, she played Kate in the 1917 film The Eternal Mother[upper-alpha 1] and was a skating party guest in the 1917 film, The Last Sentence, directed by Ben Turbett. In 1921, Gynt played Clorinda in Henry Bataille's 3-act romantic comedy, Don Juan, at the Garrick Theatre, New York.[upper-alpha 2]

Author
She authored the book for the 1927 Broadway musical revue, Rang Tang. She also co-authored, in 1936 with Langston Hughes, a proposed production, Cock o' the World, music by Duke Ellington, Wilbur Hughes Strickland, MD (1903–1987), and Billy Strayhorn. The work was never performed.[1]

Growing up, emigration, marriage, and family

Gynt grew-up in Stockholm and was friends with Greta Garbo.[upper-alpha 3][upper-alpha 4] At age 22, she and Harold Gustav Frederic Matthiessen (1883–1940) arrived at Ellis Island, New York, December 21, 1907, aboard the SS Kaiserin Auguste Victoria from Cuxhaven.[Genealogy 1] That same day, they married each other at the Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church,[Genealogy 2] 155 East 22nd Street (between Lexington and Third Avenues). Their marriage was officiated by Rev. Dr. Johan Gustaf Mauritz Stolpe (1858–1938), son of composer Gustav Stolpe (1833–1901). In 1917, Harold and Karin both became United States naturalized citizens.

Family

Gynt's husband, Harold Mattiessen, was a graduate of Swedish Royal University. He was a mechanical engineer, who, in 1918, was Chief Engineer for the Typhoon Fan Company, Inc., in Manhattan at 281 Lexington Avenue. Typhoon Fan, among other things, designed cooling systems for theaters. The president of Typhoon Fan, Ernst Samuel Glantzberg (1871–1936), also a graduate of the Swedish Royal University,[upper-alpha 5] was a brother of Swedish fashion designer, textile artist, and school founder Elisabeth Glantzberg (sv) (1873–1951).

Gynt's brother, Sölve Cederstrand (sv) (1900–1954), was a Swedish journalist, screenwriter, and film director. Another brother, Ragnar Cederstrand (1891–1935), was a Swedish film critic.

References

Genealogical records
  1. "New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924" (re: "Cederstrand, Karin S." & "Matthiessen, Harold," December 21, 1907), database with images, FamilySearch, GS Film No. 1399746 (GS = Genealogical Society of Utah), Digital Folder No. 007658589, Image No. 00789
  2. Archives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Elk Grove Village, Illinois; Swedish American Baptisms, Marriages, Deaths, and Burials; Parish: Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church (re: "Harold Gustaf F. Matthiesson" and "Karin Sofia Cederstrand," December 21, 1907, New York, New York); ELCA Film No. S190(3); SSIRC Film No. S-190 (accessible via Ancestry.com; subscription required)

Inline
  1. The Life of Langston Hughes (Vol. 1 of 2: 1901–1941) (2nd ed.), by Arnold Rampersad, Oxford University Press (2002), pps. 220, 234, 235, 328, 329; OCLC 634908124

Historic newspapers, magazines, and journals
  1. "Swedish Actress Makes American Bow," Motography, Vol. 19, No. 5, February 2, 1918, p. 226
  2. "Mr. Hornblow Goes to the Play" (re: "Garrick, Don Juan,") by Arthur Hornblow Sr. (1865–1942) (see Arthur Hornblow Jr.), Theatre Magazine, Vol. 34, Whole No. 248, November 1921, p. 340 (article is on pps. 313–316, 340, 344)
  3. "An Unknown Chapter in Greta Garbo's Life," by Kaj Gynt (as told by Adela Rogers St. Johns), Liberty Magazine; OCLC 793521530
    (Part 1 of 2), Vol. 11, No. 33, August 18, 1934, p. 5
    (Part 2 of 2), Vol. 11, No. 34, August 25, 1934, p. 28
    Republished: "The Shy, Sad Little Girl Who Became a Star," San Francisco Chronicle, November 16, 1982, p. 48 (accessible via GenealogyBank.com; subscription required)
  4. "The Vikings Come Again" (photo of Kaj Gynt included), by Walter Bodin (né Walter Beliveau Bodin; 1889–1968), Pantomime, Vol. 2, No. 4, January 28, 1922, p. 8
  5. "New Innovation at Isis Theatre During Summer," Pensacola News Journal, March 31, 1918, p. 7 (accessible via Newspapers.com; subscription required)
  6. "Svensk Negerrevy På Broadway – ett litet Amerikabrev från en svensk skådespelerska" (Kaj Gynt, cover photo), by Rosa Tillman, Scenen, Tidskrift för teater, musik och film (official publication of the Swedish Theater Association) , Issue N° 1, January 1928, cover & p. 15 (courtesy of Project Runeberg); OCLC 236088058, 1084249228
    Note: The author, Rosa Tillman (sv) (1895–1975), was a Swedish actress.
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