John Aasen

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John Aasen

John Aasen in Why Worry? (1923)
Born March 5, 1890(1890-03-05)
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Died August 1, 1938 (aged 48)
Mendocino, California
Other name(s) Johan Aasen
Johnny Aasen

John Aasen (March 5, 1890 - August 1, 1938) was an American silent film actor who was one of the tallest actors in history.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Aasen's mother, Kristi Danielsen, was an extremely tall Norwegian woman of around 2.20 m (almost 7 ft 3 inches) in height. It is not certain who his father was, because his mother kept it a secret for her entire life. According to some sources, his father was Nils Janson Bokke, a Swedish man of around 2.44 m (8 feet) tall. When he was ten years old, Aasen and his mother moved from Ridgeway, Iowa to Sheyenne, North Dakota with his two younger siblings.

When in Sheyenne, Aasen's mother operated a restaurant. He attended school and helped out in the family business. In 1902, Aasen's mother passed away. He was taken in to many homes and families . When a family he was staying with started to operate a hotel in Leeds, North Dakota, he moved with them there. Aasen's growth started slowly. When he was confirmed in the Lutheran faith in Grandfield Lutheran Church near Sheyenne, North Dakota, he was the shortest in his class. According to some sources, Aasen was around 2.73 m (which, if true, would make him taller than even Robert Wadlow).

[edit] Career

In 1922, Aasen was offered an acting job in a film called Why Worry? (produced by Hal Roach and released in 1923) alongside the superstar comedian Harold Lloyd. Later, he acted in several other films like Bengal Tiger, Charlie Chan at the Circus, Growing Pains, Should Married Men Go Home?, Legionnaires in Paris, Two Flaming Youths, The Sting of Stings, and Long Fliv the King.

[edit] Death

Aasen died in August of 1938 in Mendocino, California.

[edit] Trivia

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  • Aasen was a Freemason. He raised to the degree of Master Mason at Highland Park Lodge No. 382, Los Angeles on July 14, 1924.[citation needed]

[edit] References

  • Our Heritage A History of the Sheyenne Area from 1883-1980 ISBN No. 088925-204-1

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME Aasen, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Aasen, Johan; Aasen, Johnny
SHORT DESCRIPTION Actor
DATE OF BIRTH March 5, 1890
PLACE OF BIRTH Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
DATE OF DEATH August 1, 1938
PLACE OF DEATH Mendocino, California
Languages