Von Sydow was brought up as a Lutheran and later became an agnostic. His mother, Baroness Greta (née Rappe), was a school teacher. His father, Carl Wilhelm von Sydow, was an ethnologist and professor of Irish, Scandinavian and comparative folklore at the University of Lund. Von Sydow was born Carl Adolf von Sydow to a wealthy family in Lund, Skåne, Sweden. Some of his most memorable film roles include knight Antonius Block in Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal (the first of his eleven films with Bergman and the film that includes the iconic shot of his career in the scene where he plays chess with Death), Jesus in George Stevens's The Greatest Story Ever Told, Father Merrin in Friedkin's The Exorcist, Joubert the assassin in Three Days of the Condor, and Ming the Merciless in the 1980 version of Flash Gordon. He has performed in movies filmed in many languages, including Swedish, Norwegian, English, Italian, German, Danish, French and Spanish. The Virgin Spring (1960) (Movie Clip) She Lay Dead Max Von Sydow as stern feudal farmer Tor awaits his daughter, late from delivering candles to their church, not knowing she’s been raped and murdered by the nastiest of three goat-herders (Tore Isedal, with Axel Dberg and young Ove Porath) whom he barely offers shelter, Birgitta Valberg his wife, in Ingmar Bergman’s bitter The. He has starred in many movies and had supporting roles in dozens more. He has also held French citizenship since 2002.
Abrams’ 2015 film “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” as well as the Three-Eyed Raven in the sixth season of “Game of Thrones.Max von Sydow ( /vɒn ˈsiːdoʊ/ Swedish: born 10 April 1929) is a Swedish actor. He appeared as an ally of the resistance in the opening scenes of J.J. Swedish actor Max von Sydows long career included two super-highlights: his roles as the knight who plays chess with Death in Ingmar Bergmans The Seventh. Von Sydow continued working well into his 80s. He had a memorable role as a tortured man of the cloth in 1973’s “The Exorcist” as well as key performances in 1975’s “Three Days of the Condor,” 1982’s “Conan the Barbarian,” Woody Allen’s 1986 drama “Hannah and Her Sisters,” 1990’s “Awakenings” and Steven Spielberg’s 2002 blockbuster “Minority Report.”
The two collaborated in theater before embarking on a series of influential films that increased in reputation worldwide, beginning with “The Seventh Seal” and then “The Magician,” “The Virgin Spring” and “Wild Strawberries.”Īlso Read: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2020 (Photos)Īfter making his Hollywood debut playing Jesus Christ in George Stevens’ 1965 biblical epic “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” he became a fixture in American cinema. Max von Sydow, the prolific Swedish actor who first made his name in Ingmar Bergman films like 1957’s “The Seventh Seal” before progressing to international renown in hits like “The Exorcist” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” died Sunday at age 90.ĭuring his decades-long career, he earned two Oscar nominations, for his lead role as a picked-on Swedish immigrant to a Danish farming community in Bille August’s 1987 drama “Pelle the Conqueror” and then as a mute old man in Stephen Daldry’s post-9/11 drama “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.”īorn into a wealthy family on the Swedish coast, von Sydow studied at the national drama school before meeting Bergman in 1955.