Actor
Max von Sydow
Born April 10, 1929 in Lund, Skåne län, SwedenDied March 8, 2020134 films
Max von Sydow (born Carl Adolf von Sydow; April 10, 1929 – March 8, 2020) was a Swedish actor. He also held French citizenship since 2002. He starred in many films and had supporting roles in dozens more. He performed in films filmed in many languages, including Swedish, Norwegian, English, Italian, German, Danish, French and Spanish.
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Some of his most memorable film roles include knight Antonius Block in Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal (the first of his eleven films with Bergman and the film that includes the iconic shot of his career in the scene where he plays chess with Death), Jesus in George Stevens's The Greatest Story Ever Told, Father Merrin in Friedkin's The Exorcist, Joubert the assassin in Three Days of the Condor, and Ming the Merciless in the 1980 version of Flash Gordon.
He was twice nominated for the Academy Award - Best Leading Actor for Pelle the Conqueror (1988) and Best Supporting Actor for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011).
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The best way into Max von Sydow's work
First watchShutter Island20108.2as Dr. NaehringWorld War II soldier-turned-U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels investigates the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane, but his efforts are compromised by troubling…View filmEssential films
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Filmography
134 films as actor- 2021Echoes of the PastNikolas Andreou (Aged)
- 2018KurskAdmiral Vladimir Petrenko
- 2016The First, the LastLe croque-mort
- 2015Star Wars: The Force AwakensLor San Tekka
- 2014The LettersCeleste van Exem
- 2013Dragons: Real Myths and Unreal CreaturesDr. Alistair Conis
- 2012BrandedMarketing Guru
- 2011Extremely Loud & Incredibly CloseThe Renter
- 2010The Last Norwegian TrollThe Last Norweigian Troll (voice)
- 2010Robin HoodSir Walter Loxley
- 2010Shutter IslandDr. Naehring
- 2009Solomon KaneJosiah Kane
- 2009Oscar and the Lady in PinkLe docteur Dusseldorf
- 2009A Man and His DogLe commandant
- 2008Emotional ArithmeticJakob Bronski
- 2007Rush Hour 3Varden Reynard
- 2007The Diving Bell and the ButterflyPapinou
- 2007The Final InquiryTiberius
- 2005HeidiUncle Alp
- 2004Ring of the NibelungsEyvind
- 2004Hidden ChildrenValobra
- 2002Minority ReportDirector Lamar Burgess
- 2001IntactoSamuel
- 2001DruidsGuttuart
- 2001SleeplessMoretti
- 2000The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: The Perils of CupidFreud
- 1999Snow Falling on CedarsNels Gudmundsson
- 1998What Dreams May ComeThe Tracker
- 1997SolomonDavide
- 1997The Princess and the PauperEpos
- 1997Hostile WatersAdmiral Chernavin
- 1996Private ConfessionsJacob
- 1996JerusalemVicar
- 1996HamsunKnut Hamsun
- 1995Judge DreddChief Justice Fargo
- 1995Citizen XDr. Alexandr Bukhanovsky
- 1995Depth SolitudeNarrator (voice)
- 1994Onkel VanjaThe Professor
- 1994Time is MoneyJoe Kaufman
- 1993Needful ThingsLeland Gaunt
- 1993Morfars resaSimon S.L. Fromm
- 1993Och ge oss skuggornaEugene O'Neill
- 1992The Silent TouchHenry Kesdi
- 1992The Best IntentionsJohan Åkerblom
- 1991The OxVicar
- 1991Until the End of the WorldHenry Farber
- 1991East of the Sun, West of the MoonNarrator (voice)
- 1991EuropaNarrator (voice)
- 1991A Kiss Before DyingThor Carlsson
- 1990AwakeningsPeter Ingham
- 1990FatherJoe Mueller
- 1990Hiroshima: Out of the AshesFather Siemes
- 1990Cellini: A Violent LifePope Clement VII
- 1990The BachelorVon Schleheim
- 1989Red King, White KnightSzaz
- 1989Ghostbusters IIVigo (voice) (uncredited)
- 1987Pelle the ConquerorLasse Karlsson - Farmhand
- 1987The Second VictoryDr. Huber
- 1986Duet for OneDr. Louis Feldman
- 1986The Wolf at the DoorAugust Strindberg
- 1986Hannah and Her SistersFrederick
- 1985The RepenterSpinola
- 1985Code Name: EmeraldJürgen Brausch
- 1985Kojak: The Belarus FilePeter Barak
- 1984DuneDoctor Kynes
- 1984The Soldier's TaleThe Devil (voice)
- 1984Le dernier civilGérard Bauerle
- 1984DreamscapePaul Novotny
- 1984Samson and DelilahSidka
- 1983Never Say Never AgainErnst Stavro Blofeld
- 1983Strange BrewBrewmeister Smith
- 1983Circle of PassionsCarlo di Vilalfratti
- 1982Target EagleCoronel O'Donnell
- 1982The Flight of the EagleSalomon August Andrée
- 1982Conan the BarbarianKing Osric
- 1981Venetian LiesMarcello Herrighe
- 1981Escape to VictoryMajor Karl von Steiner
- 1981She Dances AloneNijinsky (voice)
- 1980Flash GordonThe Emperor Ming
- 1980Death WatchGerald Mortenhoe
- 1979HurricaneDr. Danielsson
- 1978Brass TargetShelley Martin Webber
- 1977Black JournalLisa Carpi / Carabinieri Marshal
- 1977March or DieFrançois Marneau
- 1977Exorcist II: The HereticFather Lankester Merrin
- 1976Voyage of the DamnedCaptain Schroeder
- 1976The Desert of the TartarsCap. Ortiz
- 1976FoxtrotLarsen
- 1976Illustrious CorpsesSupreme Court President
- 1976Heart of a DogProfessor Filipp Filippovich Preobrazenski
- 1975The Ultimate WarriorBaron
- 1975Three Days of the CondorG. Joubert
- 1975The Broken MirrorMatthew Lawrence
- 1975Egg! Egg! A Hardboiled StoryThe Father
- 1974SteppenwolfHarry Haller
- 1973The ExorcistFather Lankester Merrin
- 1972EmbassyGorenko
- 1972The New LandKarl Oskar
- 1971The Apple WarRoy Lindberg
- 1971The TouchAndreas Vergerus
- 1971The EmigrantsKarl Oskar
- 1971The Night VisitorSalem
- 1970The Kremlin LetterColonel Kosnov
- 1969The Passion of AnnaAndreas Winkelman
- 1969Made in SwedenMagnus Rud
- 1968ShameJan Rosenberg
- 1968Black Palm TreesGustav Olofsson
- 1968Hour of the WolfJohan Borg
- 1967The Diary of Anne FrankOtto Frank
- 1966Here Is Your LifeSmålands-Pelle
- 1966The Quiller MemorandumOktober
- 1966HawaiiAbner Hale
- 1965The RewardScott Swenson
- 1965The Greatest Story Ever ToldJesus
- 19654 x 4Kvist
- 1965Interlude in the MarshlandAlex Kvist
- 1963Winter LightJonas Persson
- 1962Wonderful Adventures of NilsThe Father
- 1962The MistressThe Man
- 1961Through a Glass DarklyMartin