MAX VON SYDOW
Name: Max Carl Adolf von Sydow
Born: 10 April 1929 Lund, Skåne, Sweden
Max Carl Adolf von Sydow (born April 10, 1929) is an Academy Award-nominated
Swedish actor, known in particular for his collaboration with filmmaker Ingmar
Bergman.
Von Sydow was born Carl Adolf von Sydow to a wealthy family in Lund, Skåne,
Sweden. His father, Carl Wilhelm von Sydow, was an ethnologist and professor of
Irish, Scandinavian, and comparative folklore at the University of Lund. His
mother, Friherrinnan (Baroness) Greta (née Rappe), was a school teacher.
Little material is available on his childhood, except that he was apparently a
shy, quiet child with no siblings.
He attended the Cathedral School of Lund, and learned German and English
starting at the age of nine. At school, he and some friends founded an amateur
theatre company, where his acting career began. He completed National Service
before going on to study at The Royal Dramatic Theatre ("Dramaten") in Stockholm,
where he trained between 1948 and 1951 with the likes of Lars Ekborg, Margaretha
Krook and Ingrid Thulin. During his time at Dramaten, he made his screen debut
in Alf Sjöberg's films Only a Mother (Bara en Mor, 1949), and Miss Julie (Fröken
Julie, 1951), a screen version of Swedish playwright August Strindberg's well
known play.
In 1955, Von Sydow moved to Malmö, where he met his mentor Ingmar Bergman. His
first work with Bergman occurred on stage at the Malmö Municipal Theatre. Von
Sydow later would work with Bergman on films such as The Seventh Seal (Det
Sjunde inseglet, 1957), Wild Strawberries (Smultronstället, 1957) and The Virgin
Spring (Jungfrukällan, 1960). In The Seventh Seal, von Sydow is the knight who
plays a chess game with Death to buy time for his companions -- a scene and a
film which were both breakthroughs for the director.
It was in these films that von Sydow perfected his craft, beginning to display
the great talent that enabled a 53 year screen career. Von Sydow came to
dominate the screen as he did on stage, becoming an idol of the international
arthouse. Critical recognition came as early as 1954 when he was awarded the
Royal Foundation Culture Award. Von Sydow worked profusely on stage and screen
in Scandinavia and resisted increasing calls from the United States to go to
Hollywood. After being seen in Bergman's Academy Award-winning films and having
been first choice for the title role of Dr. No, Von Sydow finally went to
America after agreeing to star in the film which was to lead to much greater
recognition, in the role of Jesus in George Stevens' grandly titled, all-star
epic The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965). Because his talents were soon in
demand in other American productions, von Sydow and his family eventually moved
to Los Angeles.
From 1965, von Sydow became a regular on the American screen while maintaining a
presence in his native Sweden. Though perhaps typecast as a villain, he was
rewarded in the United States with two Golden Globe nominations for Hawaii and
The Exorcist in 1973. In the mid 1970s, von Sydow moved to Rome and appeared in
a number of Italian films, becoming friendly with another screen legend,
Marcello Mastroianni. In the U.S., he played a memorably professional Alsatian
assassin in Three Days of the Condor (1975). In the late 1970s and early 1980s,
von Sydow appeared in both serious films, such as Woody Allen's Hannah and Her
Sisters (1986) and David Lynch's Dune (1984), and less serious ones, like Flash
Gordon (1980) and Strange Brew (1983).
Von Sydow has since won The Australian Film Institute Best Actor Award for his
title role in Father (1989), the Guldbagge Best Director Award for his only
directorial foray Katinka (Ved vejen, 1988), based on a novel by Herman Bang,
and the Best Actor Award at The Tokyo International Film Festival for The Silent
Touch (Dotknięcie ręki, 1993).
He received international acclaim for his performance as Nobel Prize-winning
novelist Knut Hamsun in Jan Troell's biopic Hamsun . He received his third
Swedish Guldbagge and his second Danish Bodil for his depiction of a character
often described as his King Lear. In 1996, von Sydow starred in Liv Ullmann's
Private Confessions (Enskilda samtal). Back in Hollywood, he appeared in What
Dreams May Come in a role which was something of a tip of the hat to his
performance in The Exorcist.
He was acclaimed for his role as an elderly lawyer in Scott Hicks' Snow Falling
on Cedars. In 2002, von Sydow had one of his largest commercial successes, co-starring
with Tom Cruise in Steven Spielberg's widely popular sci-fi thriller Minority
Report. In 2003, he played mentor character Eyvind in the European TV adaptation
of the "Ring of the Nibelungs" saga. The show set ratings records and was
released in the USA as Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King. In 2007, Von Sydow starred
in the box-office hit Rush Hour 3. He followed that with Julian Schnabel's award-winning
foreign film The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, based on the memoir by Jean-Dominique
Bauby.
Von Sydow will next star in Truth & Treason, opposite Haley Joel Osment. The
film will be based on Helmuth Hübener's life during World War II. He has also
been recently casted as Josiah Kane in Soloman Kane, based on the story and
characters by Robert E. Howard. In February of 2008, Von Sydow was casted in
Martin Scorsese's film adaptation of Shutter Island.
Name: Max Carl Adolf von Sydow
Born: 10 April 1929 Lund, Skåne, Sweden
Max Carl Adolf von Sydow (born April 10, 1929) is an Academy Award-nominated
Swedish actor, known in particular for his collaboration with filmmaker Ingmar
Bergman.
Von Sydow was born Carl Adolf von Sydow to a wealthy family in Lund, Skåne,
Sweden. His father, Carl Wilhelm von Sydow, was an ethnologist and professor of
Irish, Scandinavian, and comparative folklore at the University of Lund. His
mother, Friherrinnan (Baroness) Greta (née Rappe), was a school teacher.
Little material is available on his childhood, except that he was apparently a
shy, quiet child with no siblings.
He attended the Cathedral School of Lund, and learned German and English
starting at the age of nine. At school, he and some friends founded an amateur
theatre company, where his acting career began. He completed National Service
before going on to study at The Royal Dramatic Theatre ("Dramaten") in Stockholm,
where he trained between 1948 and 1951 with the likes of Lars Ekborg, Margaretha
Krook and Ingrid Thulin. During his time at Dramaten, he made his screen debut
in Alf Sjöberg's films Only a Mother (Bara en Mor, 1949), and Miss Julie (Fröken
Julie, 1951), a screen version of Swedish playwright August Strindberg's well
known play.
In 1955, Von Sydow moved to Malmö, where he met his mentor Ingmar Bergman. His
first work with Bergman occurred on stage at the Malmö Municipal Theatre. Von
Sydow later would work with Bergman on films such as The Seventh Seal (Det
Sjunde inseglet, 1957), Wild Strawberries (Smultronstället, 1957) and The Virgin
Spring (Jungfrukällan, 1960). In The Seventh Seal, von Sydow is the knight who
plays a chess game with Death to buy time for his companions -- a scene and a
film which were both breakthroughs for the director.
It was in these films that von Sydow perfected his craft, beginning to display
the great talent that enabled a 53 year screen career. Von Sydow came to
dominate the screen as he did on stage, becoming an idol of the international
arthouse. Critical recognition came as early as 1954 when he was awarded the
Royal Foundation Culture Award. Von Sydow worked profusely on stage and screen
in Scandinavia and resisted increasing calls from the United States to go to
Hollywood. After being seen in Bergman's Academy Award-winning films and having
been first choice for the title role of Dr. No, Von Sydow finally went to
America after agreeing to star in the film which was to lead to much greater
recognition, in the role of Jesus in George Stevens' grandly titled, all-star
epic The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965). Because his talents were soon in
demand in other American productions, von Sydow and his family eventually moved
to Los Angeles.
From 1965, von Sydow became a regular on the American screen while maintaining a
presence in his native Sweden. Though perhaps typecast as a villain, he was
rewarded in the United States with two Golden Globe nominations for Hawaii and
The Exorcist in 1973. In the mid 1970s, von Sydow moved to Rome and appeared in
a number of Italian films, becoming friendly with another screen legend,
Marcello Mastroianni. In the U.S., he played a memorably professional Alsatian
assassin in Three Days of the Condor (1975). In the late 1970s and early 1980s,
von Sydow appeared in both serious films, such as Woody Allen's Hannah and Her
Sisters (1986) and David Lynch's Dune (1984), and less serious ones, like Flash
Gordon (1980) and Strange Brew (1983).
Von Sydow has since won The Australian Film Institute Best Actor Award for his
title role in Father (1989), the Guldbagge Best Director Award for his only
directorial foray Katinka (Ved vejen, 1988), based on a novel by Herman Bang,
and the Best Actor Award at The Tokyo International Film Festival for The Silent
Touch (Dotknięcie ręki, 1993).
He received international acclaim for his performance as Nobel Prize-winning
novelist Knut Hamsun in Jan Troell's biopic Hamsun . He received his third
Swedish Guldbagge and his second Danish Bodil for his depiction of a character
often described as his King Lear. In 1996, von Sydow starred in Liv Ullmann's
Private Confessions (Enskilda samtal). Back in Hollywood, he appeared in What
Dreams May Come in a role which was something of a tip of the hat to his
performance in The Exorcist.
He was acclaimed for his role as an elderly lawyer in Scott Hicks' Snow Falling
on Cedars. In 2002, von Sydow had one of his largest commercial successes, co-starring
with Tom Cruise in Steven Spielberg's widely popular sci-fi thriller Minority
Report. In 2003, he played mentor character Eyvind in the European TV adaptation
of the "Ring of the Nibelungs" saga. The show set ratings records and was
released in the USA as Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King. In 2007, Von Sydow starred
in the box-office hit Rush Hour 3. He followed that with Julian Schnabel's award-winning
foreign film The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, based on the memoir by Jean-Dominique
Bauby.
Von Sydow will next star in Truth & Treason, opposite Haley Joel Osment. The
film will be based on Helmuth Hübener's life during World War II. He has also
been recently casted as Josiah Kane in Soloman Kane, based on the story and
characters by Robert E. Howard. In February of 2008, Von Sydow was casted in
Martin Scorsese's film adaptation of Shutter Island.