Born Astrid Vilhelmine Rasmussen in Sønder Bjerge Sogn, Sorø Municipality, Zealand, she was the daughter of hotelier Hans Peter Rasmussen and his wife Maren Sofie Rasmussen (née Larsen). She studied at the Royal Danish Ballet, but left in 1910 to pursue a career as a stage actress. During the World War I years, she performed at Det Ny Teater in the capital city of Copenhagen. During the early 1920s, she was engaged at the Royal Danish Theatre for four seasons by request of theater director Johannes Poulsen. From 19