Signe Hasso was born in Stockholm, Sweden; her mother had been an aspiring actress. At age 16, Signe was the youngest actress ever enrolled at the Royal Dramatic Theater. At age 23, Signe made her movie debut in "Tystnadens hus" (1933). For the next 7 years, Signe performed on stage and appeared in movies. Also during this time, she got married to Harry Hasso in 1936; they had a son. Signe and her husband went to Hollywood in 1940; they divorced in 1944.
Signe signed contracts with both MGM and RKO. She appeared in about a dozen movies in the 1940s, including "Johnny
… More Angel" (1945) with George Raft, and a few movies in the 1950s, including "Crisis" (1950) with Cary Grant. The whole time, Signe was active performing in live theatre in New York. During this time, Signe remarried, her 2nd husband was William Langford; they stayed together until his death on July 20, 1955.
Signe appeared in only a couple of movies after 1955, but she made about a dozen TV-movies and had over 2 dozen TV guest star appearances. Signe kept working in live theatre; in New York she had a great stage career on Broadway, and also toured around the U.S. Signe also performed in London.
Signe helped start a national repertory theater in Sweden. In 1989, the Vasa Order of America named her Swedish-American of the Year. Although all her fans remember Signe for her great acting, in a 1995 interview, she said she wanted to be remembered for her prose and poetry.
