Linda Geiser
Nude

Linda Geiser could be considered an icon on Mr. Skin. Born in Switzerland, and predominantly an actress in German and Swiss films, she had one poignant role in an American production: Linda played Ruth Nazerman in the Sidney Lumet-helmed, Academy Award-nominated adaptation of Edward Lewis Wallant’s novel The Pawnbroker (1964). The soundtrack was by Quincy Jones; it was Morgan Freeman’s first appearance in a film, as an uncredited man on the street; and the release was halted by a controversy over Linda’s bare breasts in the film. The story is about a concentration camp survivor, played by Rod Steiger, who now fronts a numbers-running outfit in his Harlem pawnshop. He has flashbacks to the bad old days of being a Nazi prisoner, and those include being forced to see his wife naked in the camps with him—his wife played by Linda. Eventually, the censors ruled the nudity wasn’t gratuitous, it wasn’t titillating, and the seriousness of the subject matter negated the lewd factor. In essence, Linda’s bare breasts helped pave the way for future nudity—and for that, Mr. Skin bows deeply and gracefully in her presence. Away from the Hollywood scene, she’s known for her role as Princess Elisabeth “Sissi” von Bayern in Germany’s Waltz King (1955), and as Sophie Kummer in Switzerland’s The Six Kummerbuben (1968), one of four titles she appeared in directed by Franz Schnyder. She relocated to New York, and in 2003, was awarded the “Swiss abroad of the year” prize for her work in promoting Swiss artists and art in the United States.