Axel Anderson
Encyclopedia
Axel Anderson is a German
-born Puerto Rican
actor
.
, Germany
. In 1936 Anderson's family escaped the Holocaust by emigrating to Paraguay
. Due to political instability in Paraguay, Anderson's family soon moved to Argentina
. Anderson started acting as a teenager, working at the Teatro Alemán Independiente, a small theater troupe mainly composed of German expatriates who performed in German
.
During the 1950s, Anderson moved his young family to Bogotá, Colombia where he worked in theater. The family later moved to the Dominican Republic
. During his time in the Dominican Republic, Anderson reportedly clashed with the politics of the Rafael Leónidas Trujillo
regime, being forced to emigrate one more time. He and his family settled in Puerto Rico
where they have remained ever since.
with a sitcom named Qué Pareja a local version of I Love Lucy
. He also performed in theater and other short television productions. The actor quickly established himself as a leading man, landing several leading roles in local novelas or soap operas. Early in his career, he starred in a novela titled Cuando los hijos condenan in which Anderson and co-star Marta Romero
shared the first on-screen kiss in the history of Puerto Rican television.
Anderson also starred in one of the first major motion pictures produced in Puerto Rico, Maruja
. His film career continued with roles in Spanish and U.S. films, including Bananas
(1971) and Battle of the Bulge
(1965).
During the last 20 years, Anderson has remained one of the top leading actors in Puerto Rico and has continually acted in major local and international productions, including a small role as the bank director in the Sylvester Stallone
thriller Assassins
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-born Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Early life
Anderson was born Axel Levy to a Jewish family in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. In 1936 Anderson's family escaped the Holocaust by emigrating to Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
. Due to political instability in Paraguay, Anderson's family soon moved to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. Anderson started acting as a teenager, working at the Teatro Alemán Independiente, a small theater troupe mainly composed of German expatriates who performed in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
.
During the 1950s, Anderson moved his young family to Bogotá, Colombia where he worked in theater. The family later moved to the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
. During his time in the Dominican Republic, Anderson reportedly clashed with the politics of the Rafael Leónidas Trujillo
Rafael Leónidas Trujillo
Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina , nicknamed El Jefe , ruled the Dominican Republic from 1930 until his assassination in 1961. He officially served as president from 1930 to 1938 and again from 1942 to 1952, otherwise ruling as an unelected military strongman...
regime, being forced to emigrate one more time. He and his family settled in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
where they have remained ever since.
Career
Anderson made his debut in Puerto Rican televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
with a sitcom named Qué Pareja a local version of I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
. He also performed in theater and other short television productions. The actor quickly established himself as a leading man, landing several leading roles in local novelas or soap operas. Early in his career, he starred in a novela titled Cuando los hijos condenan in which Anderson and co-star Marta Romero
Marta Romero
Marta Romero is an actress and singer, who was one of the pioneers in Puerto Rican television.-Early years:Romero was born in barrio Machuelo Abajo of the city of Ponce, on the south coast of Puerto Rico. She is considered by many as a "natural performer" because she never took singing or acting...
shared the first on-screen kiss in the history of Puerto Rican television.
Anderson also starred in one of the first major motion pictures produced in Puerto Rico, Maruja
Maruja
Maruja is a Filipino comic book character created by Mars Ravelo.It is about an immortal love story about two people whose love for each other transcended a century...
. His film career continued with roles in Spanish and U.S. films, including Bananas
Bananas (film)
Bananas is a 1971 comedy film written by Mickey Rose and Woody Allen, directed by Allen, and starring himself and Louise Lasser. Parts of the plot were based on the book Don Quixote, U.S.A. by Richard P. Powell. It was filmed on location in New York City, Lima , and various locations in Puerto...
(1971) and Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
(1965).
During the last 20 years, Anderson has remained one of the top leading actors in Puerto Rico and has continually acted in major local and international productions, including a small role as the bank director in the Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
thriller Assassins
Assassins (film)
Assassins is a 1995 American action film written by the Wachowskis and Brian Helgeland, directed by Richard Donner, and starring Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Banderas and Julianne Moore.-Plot:...
.
Filmography
- DVD Maruja
- DVD El Otro Camino
- Judíos en el espacio o ¿Por qué es differente esta noche a las demás noches? - (2005) - as Mauricio
- Paradise LostParadise LostParadise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. It was originally published in 1667 in ten books, with a total of over ten thousand individual lines of verse...
- (1999) - Manhattan Merengue - (1997) as Super
- AssassinsAssassins (film)Assassins is a 1995 American action film written by the Wachowskis and Brian Helgeland, directed by Richard Donner, and starring Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Banderas and Julianne Moore.-Plot:...
- (1995) - as Bank President - BananasBananas (film)Bananas is a 1971 comedy film written by Mickey Rose and Woody Allen, directed by Allen, and starring himself and Louise Lasser. Parts of the plot were based on the book Don Quixote, U.S.A. by Richard P. Powell. It was filmed on location in New York City, Lima , and various locations in Puerto...
- (1971) - as tortured man - Finger On the Trigger - (1965) -as McNamara
- Battle of the BulgeBattle of the Bulge (film)Battle of the Bulge is a widescreen war film produced in Spain that was released in 1965. It was directed by Ken Annakin. It starred Henry Fonda, Robert Shaw, Telly Savalas, Robert Ryan, Dana Andrews and Charles Bronson...
(1965) - Thunder Island - (1963)
- Doctor Shivago
OPUS 1
- Martes 2 de la Tarde
- Letra de Axel Anderson
- Por Eso Que Llaman Amor
- Emigrante
- Ahora Sé
- Inventario
- El Pasado Ya Pasó
- Para Elisa
- Mis Cinco Sentidos
- A Que No Sabes A Quien Ví
- El Coro
See also
- List of famous Puerto Ricans