Max von Sydow, the Swedish actor who made his name in a series of landmark films with Ingmar Bergman before progressing to international stardom, has died. He was 90.
Sydow’s most iconic role was in Bergman’s The Seventh Seal (1957), in which he plays chess with Death. He also appeared as Jesus Christ The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), as a doomed priest in William Friedkin‘s The Exorcist and a petulant artist in Woody Allen‘s Hannah and Her Sisters (1986).
More recently he appeared in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and on Game of Thrones as the mystical Three-Eyed Raven.
Born into a wealthy family in Lund, on the Swedish coast, von Sydow studied at the country’s national drama school before meeting Bergman in 1955.
The pair initially worked together on theatrical productions, but rapidly made a series of cinematic landmarks which cemented both men’s careers.
The Seventh Seal was made in the same year as Wild Strawberries; Brink of Life, Rabies and The Magician followed in 1958. Other key collaborations included The Virgin Spring (1980) and Winter Light (1963).
The Greatest Story Ever Told was Bergman’s first large-scale US production but it was 1973’s The Exorcist – riffing off a lifetime playing wracked men of God – which catapulted von Sydow to international acclaim.
The actor’s wackier side was showcased as Ming the Merciless in 1980’s Flash Gordon; his second foray into Hollywood fantasy was 1982’s Conan the Barbarian.
He worked with David Lynch on 1984’s Dune, and picked up considerable acclaim for a moving role in Woody Allen’s Hannah and Her Sisters (1986).
Von Sydow continued to work through his 70s and 80s, combining substantial roles in Europe – including as the father in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – with chewy supporting work in Hollywood productions such as Minority Report (2002), Shutter Island, Robin Hood and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (all 2011).
source https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/mar/09/max-von-sydow-star-of-the-exorcist-and-the-seventh-seal-dies-aged-90
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