
Acting
Nov 12, 1909
Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden
Gunnar Björnstrand
Acting
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Gunnar Björnstrand (November 13, 1909 – May 26, 1986) was a Swedish actor known for his frequent work with writer/director Ingmar Bergman. He was born in Stockholm. He appeared in over 120 films. Björnstrand at first had trouble finding work but got an engagement in Helsinki with his wife 1936-1938. Back in Stockholm he met Ingmar Bergman, at that time a mostly unknown theatre director. In the 1940s he got his first major film roles, making a breakthrough with the 1946 movie Kristin kommenderar. He was a versatile actor who could play tough and tender as well as comedy and tragedy. His daughter Veronica Björnstrand is also an actress. One of his most famous roles was as the worldly squire who makes such a contrast to his austere and spiritual master in Bergman's most famous film The Seventh Seal. Description above from the Wikipedia article Gunnar Björnstrand, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
Feature Films (135)

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 Seventh Seal

Crotchety retired doctor Isak Borg travels from Stockholm to Lund, Sweden, with his 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.
Wild Strawberries

A young nurse, Alma, is put in charge of Elisabeth Vogler: an actress who is seemingly healthy in all respects, but will not talk. As they spend time together, Alma speaks to Elisabeth constantly, never receiving any answer.
Persona

Doctor Henck is having bad day, and borrows a fur from a friend. It gives him new confidence, and his day immediately gets better. Hjalmar Söderberg's rejected 1911 movie script, filmed in 1966 for TV as a silent film with a piano soundtrack, to match the time in which it was written for.
Pälsen

As children in the loving Ekdahl family, Fanny and Alexander enjoy a happy life with their parents, who run a theater company. After their father dies unexpectedly, however, the siblings end up in a joyless home when their mother, Emilie, marries a stern bishop. The bleak situation gradually grows worse as the bishop becomes more controlling, but dedicated relatives make a valiant attempt to aid Emilie, Fanny and Alexander.
Fanny and Alexander

Johansson has managed to stay away from the military service for several years. But now his time has come.
Livat på luckan

Early in the 20th century, middle-aged lawyer Fredrik Egerman and his young wife, Anne, have still not consummated their marriage, while Fredrik's son finds himself increasingly attracted to his new stepmother. To make matters worse, Fredrik's old flame Desiree makes a public bet that she can seduce him at a romantic weekend retreat where four couples convene, swapping partners and pairing off in unexpected ways.
Smiles of a Summer Night

Filmed during the first ever Guldbaggen (golden scarab) awards, it was edited and developed that night and shown for the first time to the guests at the after party.
Dance Around the Guldbaggen

Karin hopes to recover from her recent stay at a mental hospital by spending the summer at her family's cottage on a tiny island. Her husband, Martin, cares for her but is frustrated by her physical withdrawal. Her younger brother, Minus, is confused by Karin's vulnerability and his own budding sexuality. Their father, David, cannot overcome his haughty remoteness. Beset by visions, Karin descends further into madness.
Through a Glass Darkly

In the midst of a civil war, a pair of former violinists in a tempestuous marriage oversee a farm on a rural island. In spite of their best efforts to escape their homeland, the war impinges on every aspect of their lives.
Shame

A working class teenager comes of age in 1910s rural Sweden, moving through a series of jobs and romances that gradually shape his future.
Here Is Your Life

After a seven-year absence, Charlotte Andergast travels to Sweden to reunite with her daughter Eva. The pair have a troubled relationship: Charlotte sacrificed the responsibilities of motherhood for a career as a classical pianist. Over an emotional night, the pair reopen the wounds of the past. Charlotte gets another shock when she finds out that her mentally impaired daughter, Helena, is out of the asylum and living with Eva.
Autumn Sonata
Television & Series (7)

Bertil "Engeln" Engelbrecht is tired of working for his half-brother's detective agency. After being released from prison his girlfriend Maggie begs him to find another job. But leaving his prior work is harder than Bertil thought.
Engeln

A psychiatrist temporarily separated from her family begins to experience severe psychological distress while working at a mental hospital and returning to her childhood home. As her professional responsibilities and personal relationships intersect, she undergoes a breakdown that forces her to confront long-suppressed memories and fears. (Note: This entry refers to the 1976 four-part Swedish television miniseries. A condensed theatrical feature edited from the same material was released separately in 1976.)
Face to Face

In the end of 1939, the Soviet Union attacks Finland. In Sweden, 100.000 men are quickly drafted to guard the northeastern border. Men, who have almost no military training, are suddenly expected to behave as full-fledged soldiers. In one of the units we find 107 Andersson, 111 Loffe and a bunch of men with nicknames as Morsgrisen and Stora Norrland. After some months, the war in Finland is over, but World War II continues and the unit moves to the western border of Sweden, where the men have to stay for many years to come. Sweden is not at war, but some of the men are frightened that the Nazis will one day attack this country.




