Max von Sydow
Born
April 10, 1929
Died
March 8, 2020 (90 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
Lund, Skåne län, Sweden
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.
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).
Known For
Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist
Self (archive footage)
2023
Echoes of the Past
Nikolas Andreou (Aged)
2021
Kursk
Admiral Vladimir Petrenko
2018
Tuschinski's Dream
2017
Max von Sydow
Self (archive footage)
2017
The First, the Last
Le croque-mort
2016
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Lor San Tekka
2015
The Letters
Celeste van Exem
2014
Dragons: Real Myths and Unreal Creatures
Dr. Alistair Conis
2013
Starring Sigmund Freud
2012
Palme
2012
Branded
Marketing Guru
2012
Max Von Sydow: Dialogues with The Renter
Self
2012
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Renter
2011
Belmondo, il était une fois le beau monde
Self
2011
Game of Thrones
Three-Eyed Raven · (3 episodes)
2011
The Last Norwegian Troll
The Last Norweigian Troll (voice)
2010
Robin Hood
Sir Walter Loxley
2010
Shutter Island
Dr. Naehring
2010
The Wolfman
Passenger on Train (Director's Cut) (uncredited)
2010
Behind the Moomins
Narrator (voice)
2010
Oscar and the Lady in Pink
Le docteur Dusseldorf
2009
Solomon Kane
Josiah Kane
2009
A Man and His Dog
Le commandant
2009
Emotional Arithmetic
Jakob Bronski
2008
Rush Hour 3
Varden Reynard
2007
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Papinou
2007
The Final Inquiry
Tiberius
2007
L'inchiesta - Anno Domini XXXIII
Tiberio · (2 episodes)
2007
The Tudors
Cardinal Von Waldburg · (8 episodes)
2007
Heidi
Uncle Alp
2005
Ring of the Nibelungs
Eyvind · (2 episodes)
2004
Ring of the Nibelungs
Eyvind
2004
Hidden Children
Valobra
2004
Minority Report
Director Lamar Burgess
2002
Intact
Samuel
2001
Druids
Guttuart
2001
Sleepless
Moretti
2001
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: The Perils of Cupid
Freud
2000
Light Keeps Me Company
Self
2000
Nuremberg
Samuel Rosenman · (1 episode)
2000
Conan Unchained: The Making of 'Conan'
Self
2000
Snow Falling on Cedars
Nels Gudmundsson
1999
What Dreams May Come
The Tracker
1998
The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist
Self - Father Merrin
1998
Professione fantasma
Psicoanalista dell’aldilà · (11 episodes)
1998
Solomon
Davide
1997
Solomon
David · (2 episodes)
1997
The Princess and the Pauper
Epos
1997
La principessa e il povero
Epos · (2 episodes)
1997
Hostile Waters
Admiral Chernavin
1997
Their Frozen Dream
S.A. Andrée (voice)
1997
Private Confessions
Jacob
1996
Samson and Delilah
Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
1996
Jerusalem
Vicar
1996
Hamsun
Knut Hamsun
1996
Delblanc
Narrator (voice)
1996
Radetzky March
Baron Franz von Trotta und Sipolje · (3 episodes)
1995
Captured: Meet Robert A. Robinson Photographer
Narrator (voice)
1995
Stjärnbilder
(archive footage)
1995
Judge Dredd
Chief Justice Fargo
1995
The Atlantic
Narrator (voice)
1995
Citizen X
Dr. Alexandr Bukhanovsky
1995
Depth Solitude
Narrator (voice)
1995
Onkel Vanja
The Professor
1994
A che punto è la notte
Arcivescovo di Torino · (2 episodes)
1994
Time is Money
Joe Kaufman
1994
Minns ni?
(archive footage)
1993
Needful Things
Leland Gaunt
1993
Morfars resa
Simon S.L. Fromm
1993
Och ge oss skuggorna
Eugene O'Neill
1993
The Silent Touch
Henry Kesdi
1992
The Best Intentions
Johan Åkerblom
1992
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
Sigmund Freud · (1 episode)
1992
The Ox
Vicar
1991
Until the End of the World
Henry Farber
1991
East of the Sun, West of the Moon
Narrator (voice)
1991
Europa
Narrator (voice)
1991
A Kiss Before Dying
Thor Carlsson
1991
Awakenings
Peter Ingham
1990
Father
Joe Mueller
1990
Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes
Father Siemes
1990
Cellini: A Violent Life
Papa Clemente VII
1990
The Bachelor
Von Schleheim
1990
The Simpsons
Klaus Ziegler (voice) · (1 episode)
1989
Red King, White Knight
Szaz
1989
Ghostbusters II
Vigo (voice) (uncredited)
1989
Foreign Filmmakers in Hollywood
Self
1989
Ingmar Bergman: The Magic Lantern
Voice
1988
The Human Factor
1988
Pelle the Conqueror
Lasse Karlsson - Farmhand
1987
The Second Victory
Dr. Huber
1987
Duet for One
Dr. Louis Feldman
1986
The Wolf at the Door
August Strindberg
1986
Gösta Berlings saga
Melchior Sinclaire · (6 episodes)
1986
Hannah and Her Sisters
Frederick
1986
The Repenter
Spinola
1985
Code Name: Emerald
Jürgen Brausch
1985
Christopher Columbus
Re Giovanni del Portogallo · (4 episodes)
1985
George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey
Self
1985
Quo Vadis?
Petrus · (6 episodes)
1985
The Last Place on Earth
Fridtjof Nansen · (7 episodes)
1985
Kojak The Belarus File
Peter Barak
1985
The Fascination
1985
Dune
Doctor Kynes
1984
Le dernier civil
Gérard Bauerle
1984
Dreamscape
Paul Novotny
1984
Samson and Delilah
Sidka
1984
The Soldier's Tale
The Devil (voice)
1984
Never Say Never Again
Ernst Stavro Blofeld
1983
Strange Brew
Brewmeister Smith
1983
Circle of Passions
Carlo di Vilalfratti
1983
Destination Dune
Self
1983
Target Eagle
Coronel O'Donnell
1982
The Flight of the Eagle
Salomon August Andrée
1982
The Cinema of Carl Th. Dreyer
1982
Conan the Barbarian
King Osric
1982
Let Poland Be Poland
Self - Co-Host
1982
The Guldbagge Awards
Self - Best Director winner · (1 episode)
1981
The Guldbagge Awards
Self - Host · (1 episode)
1981
The Guldbagge Awards
Self - Best Actor winner · (2 episodes)
1981
She Dances Alone
Nijinsky's voice
1981
Venetian Lies
Marcello Herrighe
1981
Escape to Victory
Major Karl von Steiner
1981
Flash Gordon
The Emperor Ming
1980
Death Watch
Gerald Mortenhoe
1980
Hurricane
Dr. Danielsson
1979
A Look at Liv
Self
1979
Brass Target
Shelley Martin Webber
1978
Black Journal
Lisa Carpi / Carabinieri Marshal
1977
March or Die
François Marneau
1977
Exorcist II: The Heretic
Father Lankester Merrin
1977
Voyage of the Damned
Captain Schroeder
1976
The Desert of the Tartars
Cap. Ortiz
1976
Foxtrot
Larsen
1976
Illustrious Corpses
Supreme Court President
1976
Heart of a Dog
Professor Filipp Filippovich Preobrazenski
1976
The Ultimate Warrior
Baron
1975
Three Days of the Condor
G. Joubert
1975
The Broken Mirror
Matthew Lawrence
1975
Egg! Egg! A Hardboiled Story
The Father
1975
Steppenwolf
Harry Haller
1974
The Emigrants
Karl Oskar · (8 episodes)
1974
The Horror Hall of Fame: A Monster Salute
Self (archive footage)
1974
The Exorcist
Father Lankester Merrin
1973
Ingmar Bergman
Self
1972
Embassy
Gorenko
1972
The New Land
Karl Oskar
1972
The Apple War
Roy Lindberg
1971
The Touch
Andreas Vergerus
1971
The Emigrants
Karl Oskar
1971
The Night Visitor
Salem
1971
The Kremlin Letter
Colonel Kosnov
1970
The Passion of Anna
Andreas Winkelman
1969
Made in Sweden
Magnus Rud
1969
Shame
Jan Rosenberg
1968
Black Palm Trees
Gustav Olofsson
1968
An Introduction to Ingmar Bergman
Self
1968
Hour of the Wolf
Johan Borg
1968
The Diary of Anne Frank
Otto Frank
1967
Here Is Your Life
Smålands-Pelle
1966
The Quiller Memorandum
Oktober
1966
Hawaii
Abner Hale
1966
The Reward
Scott Swenson
1965
The Greatest Story Ever Told
Jesus
1965
4 x 4
Kvist
1965
Interlude in the Marshland
Alex Kvist
1965
Dance Around the Guldbaggen
Self
1964
Grimme Awards Ceremony
Self · (1 episode)
1964
Winter Light
Jonas Persson
1963
Wonderful Adventures of Nils
The Father
1962
The Mistress
The Man
1962
Through a Glass Darkly
Martin
1961
The Wedding Day
Anders Frost
1960
The Virgin Spring
Töre
1960
The Magician
Albert Emanuel Vogler
1958
Rabies
Bo Stensson Svenningson
1958
Spion 503
Horst, Gestapo-mand
1958
Brink of Life
Harry Andersson
1958
The Minister of Uddarbo
Gustaf Ömark
1957
Wild Strawberries
Åkerman
1957
Mr. Sleeman Is Coming
Hunter
1957
The Seventh Seal
Antonius Block
1957
The Right to Love
Bergman
1956
Ingen mans kvinna
Olof
1953
Miss Julie
Groom
1951
Only a Mother
Nils
1949
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Nominee/Presenter · (1 episode)
1944