More Max von Sydow Bios & Profiles
The most recent Max von Sydow biography is published on the main page.
Biography #2 (for Intacto)
Max von Sydow became best known playing tormented protagonists in a number of director Ingmar Bergman's best-known features, including The Seventh Seal (1957). He was cast as Christ in George Stevens' biblical epic The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) and has enjoyed international star status ever since.A classically trained actor who studied at Stockholm's Royal Dramatic Theater School, Von Sydow won his first film role in Only A Mother (1949) but spent the first half of the 1950s perfecting his craft on stage. He appeared in a number of Bergman films in the late 1950s and 1960s, including Wild Strawberries, The Magician, Brink Of Life, The Virgin Spring, Through A Glass Darkly, Hour Of The Wolf, Shame, The Passion Of Anna and The Touch.
From 1966, von Sydow was cast to appear in many American and English-language films including The Quiller Memorandum, Hawaii, Steppenwolf, Three Days Of The Condor and Hurricane.
He starred in Jan Troell's epic two-part feature The Emigrants and The New Land and in 1973 made a vivid impression as Father Merrin, the title character in the Exorcist, also appearing in Exorcist II, The Heretic.
During the 1980's he worked almost constantly on a wide variety of projects from high, wrenching dramas like Pelle The Conqueror (for which he earned an Oscar nomination for his characterization of the father), to the hallucinatory comedy Strange Brew, and in 1988 he made his directorial debut with Katinka (which earned him a Guldbagge Award for Best Director).
Recent films include Wim Wender's Until The End Of The World and Best Intentions, (as Ingmar Bergman's grandfather). In 1993 he played the Devil in the Stephen King saga Needful Things making him the only actor in memory to have played Lucifer, an exorcist, and Jesus Christ.
Bio courtesy Lionsgate Films for "Intacto" (07-Oct-2002)
Buy more detailed movie star biographies in the Movie Star Bookstore.