Max von Sydow

Born:10. dubna 1929

Place of Birth:Lund, Skåne län, Sweden

Died:8. března 2020

Known For:Acting

Biography

Max von Sydow, born Carl Adolf von Sydow on April 10, 1929, was a versatile Swedish actor who graced the screens with his remarkable presence. His acting prowess transcended boundaries as he held French citizenship from 2002 onwards, reflecting his international appeal. Von Sydow's illustrious career spanned various languages, showcasing his ability to immerse himself in diverse cinematic cultures, from Swedish and English to French and Spanish.

One of von Sydow's most iconic portrayals was as the knight Antonius Block in Ingmar Bergman's masterpiece, "The Seventh Seal." This role marked the beginning of his prolific collaboration with Bergman, defining him as a cinematic legend. His haunting depiction of Jesus in George Stevens's "The Greatest Story Ever Told" further solidified his reputation as a versatile actor capable of embodying complex characters with depth and authenticity.

In William Friedkin's horror classic, "The Exorcist," von Sydow delivered a chilling performance as Father Merrin, showcasing his ability to captivate audiences with his commanding presence. His portrayal of Joubert, the enigmatic assassin in "Three Days of the Condor," and the villainous Ming the Merciless in "Flash Gordon" demonstrated his range as an actor, seamlessly transitioning between different genres and characters.

Throughout his career, von Sydow garnered critical acclaim for his exceptional performances, earning two Academy Award nominations. His poignant portrayal in "Pelle the Conqueror" earned him a nomination for Best Leading Actor, showcasing his ability to bring emotional depth to his characters. In "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," he received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor, further highlighting his versatility and talent as an actor.

Beyond his accolades and nominations, von Sydow's legacy endures through his unforgettable contributions to cinema. His magnetic on-screen presence and ability to breathe life into diverse roles left an indelible mark on the film industry. Max von Sydow's remarkable career serves as a testament to his enduring talent and passion for the craft of acting, solidifying his status as a cinematic icon whose influence will continue to resonate for generations to come.

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Filmografie

Herectví

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Lor San Tekka

2015

Thirty years after defeating the Galactic Empire, Han Solo and his allies face a new threat from the evil Kylo Ren and his army of Stormtroopers.

The Exorcist

Father Lankester Merrin

1973

When a charming 12-year-old girl takes on the characteristics and voices of others, doctors say there is nothing they can do. As people begin to die, the girl's mother realizes her daughter has been possessed by the Devil. Her daughter's only possible hope lies with two priests and the ancient rite of demonic exorcism.

Rush Hour 3

Varden Reynard

2007

After a botched assassination attempt, the mismatched duo finds themselves in Paris, struggling to retrieve a precious list of names, as the murderous crime syndicate's henchmen try their best to stop them. Once more, Lee and Carter must fight their way through dangerous gangsters; however, this time, the past has come back to haunt Lee. Will the boys get the job done once and for all?

Never Say Never Again

Ernst Stavro Blofeld

1983

James Bond returns as the secret agent 007 to battle the evil organization SPECTRE. Bond must defeat Largo, who has stolen two atomic warheads for nuclear blackmail. But Bond has an ally in Largo's girlfriend, the willowy Domino, who falls for Bond and seeks revenge.

Minority Report

Director Lamar Burgess

2002

John Anderton is a top 'Precrime' cop in the late-21st century, when technology can predict crimes before they're committed. But Anderton becomes the quarry when another investigator targets him for a murder charge.

Dune

Doctor Kynes

1984

In the year 10,191, the most precious substance in the universe is the spice Melange. The spice extends life. The spice expands consciousness. The spice is vital to space travel. The spice exists on only one planet in the entire universe, the vast desert planet Arrakis, also known as Dune. Its native inhabitants, the Fremen, have long held a prophecy that a man would come, a messiah who would lead them to true freedom.

Conan the Barbarian

King Osric

1982

A horde of rampaging warriors massacre the parents of young Conan and enslave the young child for years on The Wheel of Pain. As the sole survivor of the childhood massacre, Conan is released from slavery and taught the ancient arts of fighting. Transforming himself into a killing machine, Conan travels into the wilderness to seek vengeance on Thulsa Doom, the man responsible for killing his family. In the wilderness, Conan takes up with the thieves Valeria and Subotai. The group comes upon King Osric, who wants the trio of warriors to help rescue his daughter who has joined Doom in the hills.

Robin Hood

Sir Walter Loxley

2010

When soldier Robin happens upon the dying Robert of Loxley, he promises to return the man's sword to his family in Nottingham. There, he assumes Robert's identity; romances his widow, Marion; and draws the ire of the town's sheriff and King John's henchman, Godfrey.

Judge Dredd

Chief Justice Fargo

1995

In a dystopian future, Dredd, the most famous judge (a cop with instant field judiciary powers) is convicted for a crime he did not commit while his murderous counterpart escapes.

Ghostbusters II

Vigo (voice) (uncredited)

1989

Having lost their status and credibility five years after covering New York City with gooey roasted marshmallows in Ghostbusters (1984), the city's former heroes and once-popular spirit-hunters struggle to keep afloat, forced to work odd jobs. However, when Dana and her baby have yet another terrifying encounter with the paranormal, it is up to Peter Venkman and his fearless team of supernatural crime fighters to step up and save the day. Once more, humankind is in danger, as rivers of slimy psycho-reactive ectoplasm, paired with the dreadful manifestation of evil sixteenth-century tyrant Vigo the Carpathian, threaten to plunge the entire city into darkness. Is the world ready to believe? Can the Ghostbusters save us for the second time?

The Wolfman

Passenger on Train (Director's Cut) (uncredited)

2010

Lawrence Talbot, an American man on a visit to Victorian London to make amends with his estranged father, gets bitten by a werewolf and, after a moonlight transformation, leaves him with a savage hunger for flesh.

Awakenings

Peter Ingham

1990

Dr. Malcolm Sayer, a shy research physician, uses an experimental drug to "awaken" the catatonic victims of a rare disease. Leonard is the first patient to receive the controversial treatment. His awakening, filled with awe and enthusiasm, proves a rebirth for Sayer too, as the exuberant patient reveals life's simple but unutterably sweet pleasures to the introverted doctor.

The Seventh Seal

Antonius Block

1957

When disillusioned Swedish knight Antonius Block returns home from the Crusades to find his country in the grips of the Black Death, he challenges Death to a chess match for his life. Tormented by the belief that God does not exist, Block sets off on a journey, meeting up with traveling players Jof and his wife, Mia, and becoming determined to evade Death long enough to commit one redemptive act while he still lives.

The Greatest Story Ever Told

Jesus

1965

From his birth in Bethlehem to his death and eventual resurrection, the life of Jesus Christ is given the all-star treatment in this epic retelling. Major aspects of Christ's life are touched upon, including the execution of all the newborn males in Egypt by King Herod; Christ's baptism by John the Baptist; and the betrayal by Judas after the Last Supper that eventually leads to Christ's crucifixion and miraculous return.

Solomon Kane

Josiah Kane

2009

A nomadic 16th century warrior, condemned to hell for his brutal past, seeks redemption by renouncing violence, but finds some things are worth burning for as he fights to free a young Puritan woman from the grip of evil.

Flash Gordon

The Emperor Ming

1980

A football player and his mates travel to the planet Mongo and find themselves fighting the tyranny of Ming the Merciless to save Earth.

Three Days of the Condor

G. Joubert

1975

When bookish CIA researcher Joe Turner finds all his co-workers dead, he, together with a woman he has kidnapped, must work together to outwit those responsible until he determines who he can really trust.

What Dreams May Come

The Tracker

1998

Chris Nielsen dies to find himself in a heaven more amazing than he could have ever dreamed of. There is one thing missing: his wife. After he dies, his wife Annie killed herself and went to hell. Chris decides to risk eternity in Hades for the small chance that he will be able to bring her back to heaven.

Wild Strawberries

Åkerman

1957

Crotchety retired doctor Isak Borg travels from Stockholm to Lund, Sweden, with his pregnant and unhappy daughter-in-law, Marianne, in order to receive an honorary degree from his alma mater. Along the way, they encounter a series of hitchhikers, each of whom causes the elderly doctor to muse upon the pleasures and failures of his own life. These include the vivacious young Sara, a dead ringer for the doctor's own first love.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

The Renter

2011

A year after his father's death, Oskar, a troubled young boy, discovers a mysterious key he believes was left for him by his father and embarks on a scavenger hunt to find the matching lock.

Escape to Victory

Major Karl von Steiner

1981

A group of POWs in a German prison camp during World War II play the German National Soccer Team in this powerful film depicting the role of prisoners during wartime.

Exorcist II: The Heretic

Father Lankester Merrin

1977

Bizarre nightmares plague Regan MacNeil four years after her possession and exorcism. Has the demon returned? And if so, can the combined faith and knowledge of a Vatican investigator and a research specialist free her from its grasp?

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Papinou

2007

The true story of Elle France editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, who, in 1995 at the age of 43, suffered a stroke that paralyzed his entire body, except his left eye. Using that eye to blink out his memoir, Bauby eloquently described the aspects of his interior world, from the psychological torment of being trapped inside his body to his imagined stories from lands he'd only visited in his mind.

Kursk

Admiral Vladimir Petrenko

2018

Barents Sea, August 12th, 2000. During a Russian naval exercise, and after suffering a serious accident, the K-141 Kursk submarine sinks with 118 crew members on board. While the few sailors who are still alive barely manage to survive, their families push for accurate information and a British officer struggles to obtain from the Russian government a permit to attempt a rescue before it is late. But general incompetence are against all their efforts.

Hannah and Her Sisters

Frederick

1986

Between two Thanksgivings, Hannah's husband falls in love with her sister Lee, while her hypochondriac ex-husband rekindles his relationship with her sister Holly.

Voyage of the Damned

Captain Schroeder

1976

A luxury liner carries Jewish refugees from Hitler's Germany in a desperate fight for survival.

A Kiss Before Dying

Thor Carlsson

1991

Infatuated with the idea of becoming rich, college student Jonathan Corliss secretly dates Dorothy Carlsson to gain the approval of her wealthy father. When Dorothy tells Jonathan that she is pregnant and that her father will deny her inheritance if he finds out, Jonathan murders her, but he stages her death as a suicide. As Jonathan works his way onto Mr. Carlsson's payroll, Dorothy's twin sister, Ellen, investigates the apparent suicide.

Europa

Narrator (voice)

1991

A young, idealist American gets a job as a train conductor for the Zentropa railway network in postwar, US-occupied Frankfurt. As various people try to take advantage of him, he soon finds his position politically sensitive, and gets caught up in a whirlpool of conspiracies and Nazi sympathisers.

Needful Things

Leland Gaunt

1993

A mysterious new shop opens in a small town which always seems to stock the deepest desires of each shopper, with a price far heavier than expected.

Winter Light

Jonas Persson

1963

A Swedish pastor fails a loving woman, a suicidal fisherman and God.

The Virgin Spring

Töre

1960

Devout Christians Töre and Märeta send their only daughter, the virginal Karin, and their foster daughter, the unrepentant Ingeri, to deliver candles to a distant church. On their way through the woods, the girls encounter a group of savage goat herders who brutally rape and murder Karin as Ingeri remains hidden. When the killers unwittingly seek refuge in the farmhouse of Töre and Märeta, Töre plots a fitting revenge.