Max von Sydow
After his training at Stockholm's Royal Dramatic Theatre School, actor Max von Sydow became recognized as his native Sweden's foremost film star, thanks to his long-running collaboration with acclaimed director Ingmar Bergman. Both von Sydow and Bergman triumphantly emerged onto the international film scene with "The Seventh Seal" (1957), an existential meditation on death that was long after considered to be one of the greatest foreign films ever made. The actor and director continued their collaboration for the next several years, churning out complicated and often surreal films like "The Magician" (1958) and "The Virgin Spring" (1960) that earned international accolades and awards. When von Sydow crossed the Atlantic to appear in Hollywood films, however, he was initially consigned to playing stern, unsympathetic characters. He finally had a breakthrough playing the titular role in "The Exorcist" (1973), playing the immortal Father Merrin in a film that forever cemented von Sydow into cinema history. Following this, he was able to branch out and explore a variety of compelling roles, which culminated in an Academy Award nomination for his performance in "Pelle the Conqueror" (1988), which only confirmed the notion of von Sydow being Sweden's modern-day Laurence Olivier. His career spanned long after that triumph, including films ranging from medical drama "Awakenings" (1990) to science fiction thriller "Minority Report" (2002) to indie character study "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (2007). He showed no signs of slowing down even into his 80s, appearing in Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island" (2010), an episode of "The Simpsons" (Fox 1990- ), and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (2015). Max Von Sydow died in his adopted home of Provence, France on March 8, 2020 at the age of 90.
Photos
Max von Sydow
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
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No Score Yet |
|
Echoes of the Past | Nikolas Andreou (Aged) (Character) | - | 2021 |
72% |
|
The Command | Amiral Petrenko (Character) | - | 2018 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Les premiers, les derniers | Le croque-mort (Character) | - | 2016 |
93% |
|
Star Wars: The Force Awakens | Lor San Tekka (Character) | $123 | 2015 |
30% |
|
The Letters | Father Celeste van Exem (Character) | $1.6M | 2014 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Dragons: Real Myths and Unreal Creatures | Dr. Alistair Conis (Character) | - | 2013 |
93% |
|
Liv & Ingmar | Unknown (Character) | $5.5K | 2012 |
9% |
|
Branded | Marketing Guru (Character) | $342.8K | 2012 |
44% |
|
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close | The Renter (Character) | $31.8M | 2011 |
No Score Yet |
|
Moomins and the Comet Chase | Narrator | - | 2010 |
43% |
|
Robin Hood | Sir Walter Loxley (Character) | $105.2M | 2010 |
69% |
|
Shutter Island | Dr. Naehring (Character) | $128.0M | 2010 |
70% |
|
Solomon Kane | Josiah Kane (Character) | - | 2009 |
33% |
|
Oscar and the Lady in Pink | Dr. Düsseldorf (Character) | - | 2009 |
94% |
|
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly | Papinou (Character) | $6.0M | 2007 |
17% |
|
Rush Hour 3 | Jules Reynard (Character) | $140.1M | 2007 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Inquiry | Tiberius (Character) | - | 2006 |
No Score Yet |
|
Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King | Unknown (Character) | - | 2006 |
No Score Yet |
|
Heidi | Uncle Alp (Character) | - | 2005 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Sword of Xanten | Eyvind (Character) | - | 2004 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Hidden Children | Unknown (Character) | - | 2004 |
89% |
|
Minority Report | Pre-Crime Director Lamar Burgess (Character) | $132.0M | 2002 |
73% |
|
Intact | Samuel (Character) | $302.7K | 2001 |
No Score Yet |
|
Druids | Guttuart (Character) | - | 2001 |
55% |
|
Sleepless | Moretti (Character) | - | 2001 |
88% |
|
Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen | Unknown (Character) | - | 2000 |
39% |
|
Snow Falling on Cedars | Nels Gudmundsson (Character) | $14.4M | 1999 |
52% |
|
What Dreams May Come | The Tracker (Character) | $55.5M | 1998 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Their Frozen Dream | S.A. Andrée (Voice) | - | 1998 |
No Score Yet |
|
Hostile Waters | Admiral Chernavin (Character) | - | 1997 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | La principessa e il povero | Unknown (Character) | - | 1997 |
100% |
|
Hamsun | Knut Hamsun (Character) | $39.9K | 1996 |
80% |
|
Jerusalem | Vicar (Character) | $10.0K | 1996 |
82% |
|
Private Confessions | Jacob (Character) | - | 1996 |
86% |
|
Citizen X | Dr. Alexandr Bukhanovsky (Character) | - | 1995 |
22% |
|
Judge Dredd | Chief Justice Fargo (Character) | $34.7M | 1995 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | A Che Punto e la Notte | Arcivescovo di Torino (Character) | - | 1994 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Rosamunde Pilchner: Two Sisters | Director | - | 1994 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Time Is Money | Joe Kaufman (Character) | - | 1994 |
33% |
|
Needful Things | Leland Gaunt (Character) | $15.1M | 1993 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Silent Touch | Henry Kesdi (Character) | $1.4K | 1993 |
81% |
|
The Best Intentions | Johan Åkerblom (Character) | $1.2M | 1992 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Ox | Vicar (Character) | - | 1991 |
82% |
|
Europa | Narrator | $21.4K | 1991 |
31% |
|
A Kiss Before Dying | Thor Carlsson (Character) | $14.7M | 1991 |
89% |
|
Until the End of the World | Henry Farber (Character) | $662.2K | 1991 |
No Score Yet |
|
Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes | Father Siemes (Character) | - | 1990 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Father | Joe Mueller (Character) | - | 1990 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Bachelor | Von Schleheim (Character) | - | 1990 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Red King, White Knight | Szaz (Character) | - | 1989 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Katinka | Director | - | 1988 |
84% |
|
Pelle the Conqueror | Lassefar (Character) | $8.7K | 1987 |
No Score Yet |
|
Wolf at the Door | August Strindberg (Character) | $39.0K | 1986 |
91% |
|
Hannah and Her Sisters | Frederick (Character) | $37.3M | 1986 |
80% |
|
Duet for One | Dr. Louis Feldman (Character) | - | 1986 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Second Victory | Dr. Huber (Character) | - | 1986 |
No Score Yet |
|
Kojak: The Belarus File | Peter Barak (Character) | - | 1985 |
No Score Yet |
|
Code Name: Emerald | Jurgen Brausch (Character) | $515.0K | 1985 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Il pentito | Spinola (Character) | - | 1985 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Samson and Delilah | Sidka (Character) | - | 1984 |
79% |
|
Dreamscape | Doctor Paul Novotny (Character) | - | 1984 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Soldier's Tale | The Devil (Voice) | - | 1984 |
71% |
|
Never Say Never Again | Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Character) | - | 1983 |
75% |
|
Strange Brew | Brewmeister Smith (Character) | - | 1983 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Target Eagle | Colonel O'Donnell (Character) | - | 1982 |
67% |
|
Conan the Barbarian | King Osric (Character) | - | 1982 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Flight of the Eagle | Salomon August Andrée (Character) | - | 1982 |
70% |
|
Victory | Major Karl Von Steiner (Character) | - | 1981 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | She Dances Alone |
Himself/ |
- | 1981 |
79% |
|
Death Watch | Gerald Mortenhoe (Character) | - | 1980 |
83% |
|
Flash Gordon |
The Emperor Ming/ |
- | 1980 |
38% |
|
Hurricane | Dr. Danielsson (Character) | - | 1979 |
No Score Yet |
|
Brass Target | Shelley Martin Webber (Character) | - | 1978 |
No Score Yet |
|
March or Die | François Marneau (Character) | - | 1977 |
11% |
|
Exorcist II: The Heretic | Father Merrin (Character) | - | 1977 |
No Score Yet |
|
Black Journal |
Lisa Carpi / |
- | 1977 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Foxtrot | Larsen (Character) | - | 1976 |
83% |
|
Voyage of the Damned | Captain Schroeder (Character) | - | 1976 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Cuore di cane | Professor Filipp Filippovich Preobrazenski (Character) | - | 1976 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Desert of the Tartars | Hortiz (Character) | - | 1976 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Illustrious Corpses | Supreme Court's president (Character) | - | 1976 |
87% |
|
Three Days of the Condor | G. Joubert (Character) | - | 1975 |
33% |
|
The Ultimate Warrior | Baron (Character) | - | 1975 |
No Score Yet |
|
Steppenwolf | Harry Haller (Character) | - | 1975 |
78% |
|
The Exorcist | Father Lankester Merrin (Character) | $441.4M | 1973 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Embassy | Gorenko (Character) | - | 1972 |
100% |
|
The New Land | Karl-Oskar (Character) | - | 1972 |
94% |
|
The Emigrants | Karl Oskar (Character) | - | 1971 |
64% |
|
The Touch | Andreas Vergerus (Character) | - | 1971 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Kremlin Letter | Col. Kosnov (Character) | - | 1970 |
13% |
|
The Night Visitor | Salem (Character) | - | 1970 |
100% |
|
The Passion of Anna | Andreas Winkelman (Character) | - | 1969 |
65% |
|
Shame | Jan Rosenberg (Character) | - | 1968 |
92% |
|
Hour of the Wolf | Johan Borg (Character) | - | 1968 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Black Palm Trees | Gustav Olofsson (Character) | - | 1968 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Diary of Anne Frank | Otto Frank (Character) | - | 1967 |
70% |
|
Hawaii | Rev. Abner Hale (Character) | - | 1966 |
57% |
|
The Quiller Memorandum | Oktober (Character) | - | 1966 |
42% |
|
The Greatest Story Ever Told | Jesus (Character) | - | 1965 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Reward | Scott Swenson (Character) | - | 1965 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Interlude in the Marshland | Alex Kvist (Character) | - | 1964 |
77% |
|
Winter Light | Jonas Persson (Character) | - | 1962 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Swedish Mistress | The Man (Character) | - | 1962 |
100% |
|
Through a Glass Darkly |
Martin/ |
- | 1961 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Revolt of the Tartars | Joubert (Character) | - | 1960 |
88% |
|
The Virgin Spring | Töre (Character) | - | 1959 |
100% |
|
The Magician | Albert Emanuel Vogler (Character) | - | 1958 |
50% |
|
Brink of Life | Anders Ellius (Character) | - | 1957 |
93% |
|
The Seventh Seal | Antonius Block (Character) | - | 1957 |
No Score Yet |
|
Miss Julie | stalldräng (Character) | - | 1951 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Only a Mother | Nils (Character) | - | 1949 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
89% | 85% | Game of Thrones | Three-Eyed Raven (Guest Star) | 2016 |
85% | 76% | The Simpsons | Klaus Ziegler (Guest Voice) | 2014 |
69% | 84% | The Tudors | Cardinal Von Waldburg (Character) | 2010 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Nuremberg | Samuel Rosenman (Character) | 2000 |
78% | 85% | The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1993 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Christopher Columbus | King John of Portugal (Character) | 1985 |