Max von Sydow (1929-2020)
The Swedish-born actor Max von Sydow died at the ripe old age of 90 on March 8th, 2020. He was famous in Sweden in 11 movies directed by Ingmar Bergman, such as "The Seventh Seal", and internationally in films like "The Exorcist", "Flash Gordon", "Dune", "Hannah and Her Sisters", "Awakenings", "Minority Report" and "Shutter Island".
Max was a seasoned veteran, and his career had spanned almost seven decades, starting in 1949 when he made his screen debut. In the mid-1950s, Max got approached by filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, who, at the time, was the chief director of Malmö City Theatre. The first film they made together in 1957 was "The Seventh Seal", in which von Sydow portrays a disillusioned knight from the 14th century who has returned to Sweden after fighting in the Crusades. The film has an iconic scene when he plays a chess game with Death. Von Sydow's acting profile was rising, working extensively in his homeland of Sweden. Several times, he got approached for international roles in "Dr. No" and "The Sound of Music" but turned them down. It wasn't until 1965 that Sydow played the biblical figure, Jesus Christ, in the epic movie "The Greatest Story Ever Told". While the film marked his international debut, it was not an instant success at the box office. In 1973, Sydow gained worldwide success for portraying Father Lankester Merrin in William Friedkin's terrifying horror feature "The Exorcist". He later repeated his role in the sequel "Exorcist II: The Heretic".
In 1989, von Sydow received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his performance in "Pelle the Conqueror" and in 2012 for Best Supporting Actor in "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close". Max had other notable film roles in his profile, including playing a crop-dusting pilot in "The Reward", a reverend in "Hawaii", as well as Ming the Merciless in the cult sci-fi movie "Flash Gordon". He also appeared in numerous other films such as "Conan the Barbarian", "Dune", "Hannah and Her Sisters", "Ghostbusters II", "Awakenings", "Minority Report", "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly","Shutter Island" and "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens". Outside of his movie appearances, Von Sydow has appeared on television. Including a guest voice in "The Simpsons" and portraying the Three-Eyed Raven in "Game of Thrones", the latter had him nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. He even lent his voice to video gaming, portraying Esbern in "Skyrim".
My condolences go to his family and friends.
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