Beautiful blonde Anny Nelsen (1942) was best known in France as Miss Angora. She also appeared in a dozen French films, including the Nouvelle Vague classic Jules et Jim (1962).
French postcard by Editions P.I., Paris, no. 1041, offered by Les Carbones Korès 'Carboplane'. Photo: Studio Vallois.
French postcard by Editions P.I., Paris, no. 1042, offered by Les Carbones Korès 'Carboplane'. Photo: Studio Vallois.
Anny or Annie Nelsen was born, possibly as Anny Nielsen, in 1942 in Sweden. She made her first film appearance with an uncredited bit part in the German-French romantic comedy Ein Engel auf Erden / An Angel on Wheels (Géza von Radványi, 1959) starring Romy Schneider. She also appeared in the action thriller Ça va être ta fête / It's Your Birthday (Pierre Montazel, 1960) starring hard-boiled Eddie Constantine, and in the short film Rupture (Jean-Claude Carrière, Pierre Étaix, 1962) starring the 'forgotten' French comic Pierre Étaix. This little film of only 11 minutes won an award at the Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival and the First Prize at the International Short Film Festival, Oberhausen.
Her next film would turn out to be her most successful one. She played the supporting part of Lucie in the classic love triangle Jules et Jim / Jules and Jim (François Truffaut, 1962) with Jeanne Moreau and Oskar Werner. James Travers at French Films: “Jules et Jim, François Truffaut’s undisputed masterpiece, was one of the high points of the French New Wave, a film which, with its uninhibited portrayal of free love and male friendship, instantly caught the Zeitgeist and became a worldwide success.”
However, Anny Nelsen was better known as a glamour model and sexy dancer than as an actress. Her main claim to fame was her election as Miss Angora, which was mentioned on the backside of the postcard pictures above. Alamy contains an AP picture of her dancing the Twist at the promenade in Cannes: "Backed by a Rock’n’Roll group, Swedish mannequin Anny Nielsen, known as 'Miss Angora', attracts a crowd of onlookers as she lets go with the twist on the sea-front at Cannes in France on May 17, 1962, where the annual film festival is in progress. Anny lives in France."
After Jules et Jim, Nelsen did not appear in films for five years. In 1967, she returned to the screen with a small part in the comedy Le grand bidule / The Large Contraption (Raoul André, 1967). The following year, she appeared in three films: Les jeunes loups / Young Wolves (Marcel Carné, 1968) with Yves Beneyton, the historical drama Mayerling (Terence Young, 1968) starring Omar Sharif and Catherine Deneuve, and the thriller La main noire / The Black Hand (Max Pécas, 1968).
Five years later, she made her final film, Lo Païs (Gérard Guérin, 1973), the first feature film in Breton. We could not find more information about Anny Nelsen, Annie Nelson, or Anny Nielsen. What was her real name? Was she Swedish? What happened to her? Does she still live? If you know more about her, please share.
French postcard by E.D.U.G., no. 207. Photo: Sam Lévin / Philips.
French postcard by Editions P.I., Paris, no. 1038, offered by Les Carbones Korès 'Carboplane'. Photo: Studio Vallois.
Sources: James Travers (French Films), Mario Gauci (IMDb), Alamy and IMDb.
This post was last updated on 14 December 2025.
French postcard by Editions P.I., Paris, no. 1041, offered by Les Carbones Korès 'Carboplane'. Photo: Studio Vallois.
French postcard by Editions P.I., Paris, no. 1042, offered by Les Carbones Korès 'Carboplane'. Photo: Studio Vallois.
Forgotten comic
Anny or Annie Nelsen was born, possibly as Anny Nielsen, in 1942 in Sweden. She made her first film appearance with an uncredited bit part in the German-French romantic comedy Ein Engel auf Erden / An Angel on Wheels (Géza von Radványi, 1959) starring Romy Schneider. She also appeared in the action thriller Ça va être ta fête / It's Your Birthday (Pierre Montazel, 1960) starring hard-boiled Eddie Constantine, and in the short film Rupture (Jean-Claude Carrière, Pierre Étaix, 1962) starring the 'forgotten' French comic Pierre Étaix. This little film of only 11 minutes won an award at the Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival and the First Prize at the International Short Film Festival, Oberhausen.
Her next film would turn out to be her most successful one. She played the supporting part of Lucie in the classic love triangle Jules et Jim / Jules and Jim (François Truffaut, 1962) with Jeanne Moreau and Oskar Werner. James Travers at French Films: “Jules et Jim, François Truffaut’s undisputed masterpiece, was one of the high points of the French New Wave, a film which, with its uninhibited portrayal of free love and male friendship, instantly caught the Zeitgeist and became a worldwide success.”
However, Anny Nelsen was better known as a glamour model and sexy dancer than as an actress. Her main claim to fame was her election as Miss Angora, which was mentioned on the backside of the postcard pictures above. Alamy contains an AP picture of her dancing the Twist at the promenade in Cannes: "Backed by a Rock’n’Roll group, Swedish mannequin Anny Nielsen, known as 'Miss Angora', attracts a crowd of onlookers as she lets go with the twist on the sea-front at Cannes in France on May 17, 1962, where the annual film festival is in progress. Anny lives in France."
After Jules et Jim, Nelsen did not appear in films for five years. In 1967, she returned to the screen with a small part in the comedy Le grand bidule / The Large Contraption (Raoul André, 1967). The following year, she appeared in three films: Les jeunes loups / Young Wolves (Marcel Carné, 1968) with Yves Beneyton, the historical drama Mayerling (Terence Young, 1968) starring Omar Sharif and Catherine Deneuve, and the thriller La main noire / The Black Hand (Max Pécas, 1968).
Five years later, she made her final film, Lo Païs (Gérard Guérin, 1973), the first feature film in Breton. We could not find more information about Anny Nelsen, Annie Nelson, or Anny Nielsen. What was her real name? Was she Swedish? What happened to her? Does she still live? If you know more about her, please share.
French postcard by E.D.U.G., no. 207. Photo: Sam Lévin / Philips.
French postcard by Editions P.I., Paris, no. 1038, offered by Les Carbones Korès 'Carboplane'. Photo: Studio Vallois.
Sources: James Travers (French Films), Mario Gauci (IMDb), Alamy and IMDb.
This post was last updated on 14 December 2025.
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