Model and actress Greta Thyssen was known for her voluptuous body and enticing features. She crowned Miss Denmark in 1952. Thyssen moved to Hollywood in the mid-1950s. In those days, Marilyn Monroe was an international symbol of sex, and Hollywood hopefuls tried to imitate her every way they could. She attempted to follow in the footsteps of Marlin Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren. Greta had a stunning and perfect pin-up figure, and she soon became the best piece of Danish pastry in town.
Acting Career
Thyssen made her acting debut as Monroe’s double in the movie ‘Bus Stop’ in 1956. During the 1950s, she also appeared in two crime drama films, ‘Accused of Murder (1956)’ and ‘Terror is a Man (1959). In the 1960s, she appeared in two B-movies ‘Three Blondes in His Life (1961), opposite Jock Mahoney; and an enticing pin-up beauty on Uranus in Journey to the Seventh Planet (1962), shot in her native Denmark. She played the role of the wife of a scientist in the movie ‘Mystery Island’. Thyssen starred in three Stooges shorts with Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Joe Besser. She mainly starred in B-movies during her short film career. In 1967, Cottonpickin’ Chickenpickers was her last film appearance.
In the early 1970s, she appeared in a few wink-wink stage comedies such as “Pajama Tops”. After retiring from acting, she moved to New York City and became a successful painter, combining representational nude figures with surrealistic allegories.
Personal Life
Greta Thyssen was married four times in her life. First to Al Trilla from 1952 to 1953, then businessmen Ralph Padula (1953 to 1955). After the divorce from Padula, Thyssen married actor George Ronald Starr in 1959, and this marriage lasted only for two years. In 1963, she married mining engineer, Theodore Roy with whom she had a daughter, Genevieve Juliette Guenther. They remained married until he died in 2001. Thyssen died of pneumonia at the age of 90 in Manhattan on 6 January 2018. Her son-in-law and grandchild survived her.
Below are some glamorous photos of Greta Thyssen from her acting and modeling career.