Inger Nilsson

Swedish actress Inger Nilsson may forever be remembered for a single role, that of the internationally recognized young girl with pigtails, Pippi Longstocking. In 1969, Nilsson portrayed Pippi on a Swedish produced television series of the same name. The show was later redubbed into English and released as four feature films in the United States, from 1969 to 1970. Because child actors weren't allowed to be paid more than once in Sweden, Nilsson never became rich from playing the now iconic character, and she tried desperately to land additional roles. However, she was often the victim of typecasting, and took a decade's hiatus from acting. To make ends meet, Nilsson took a job as a doctor's secretary in Stockholm, while occasionally appearing in a Swedish-produced short film or TV series. In 2000 she appeared in director Xavier Koller's romantic drama "Gripsholm" and in 2006 landed a recurring role as a forensic pathologist on the German crime series "The Commissioner and the Sea." She also appeared as a contestant on the Swedish version of the American game show "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!"