Ingmar Bergman's Women
Actresses who have starred in more than three Ingmar Bergman movies
List activity
1.1K views
• 22 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
34 people
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Her artistic dreams came early in life and were further supported by her older sister Gerd Andersson who became a ballet dancer at the Royal Opera and made her acting debut in 1951. Bibi, on the other side, had to make do with bit parts and commercials. She debuted in Dum-Bom (1953), playing against Nils Poppe. Eventually, she was able to start at the Royal Dramatic Theatre's acting school in 1954. A brief relationship with Ingmar Bergman made her quit school and follow him to the Malmö city theatre, where he was a director, performing in plays by August Strindberg and Hjalmar Bergman. Bergman also gave her a small part in his comedy Smiles of a Summer Night (1955), and larger roles in his Wild Strawberries (1957) and The Seventh Seal (1957). From the the 1960s she got offers from abroad, with best result in I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977). During the civil war in Yugoslavia she has worked with several initiatives to give the people of Sarajevo theatre and other forms of culture.Did 13 movies for Ingmar Bergman- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Liv Ullmann's father was a Norwegian engineer who used to work abroad, so as a child she lived in Tokyo, Canada, New York and Oslo. In the mid-1950s she made her stage debut and in 1957 made her film debut. She really became successful, however, when she began to work for Swedish director Ingmar Bergman in such films as Persona (1966), The Passion of Anna (1969) and Face to Face (1976). She also had a successful film career away from Bergman (The Abdication (1974), Dangerous Moves (1984).Did 11 movies for Ingmar Bergman- Actress
- Soundtrack
Discovered at age 20 by celebrated director Ingmar Bergman, she became part of Bergman's regular stable of performers; in fact, he wrote Summer with Monika (1953) especially for her breakthrough. Extraordinary and versatile as an actress, her roles have ranged from the naive young wife in Sawdust and Tinsel (1953) to the mad visionary in Through a Glass Darkly (1961). Andersson also appeared in Fanny and Alexander (1982), Bergman's last film. After that she has appeared in a number of feature films and TV series in Sweden. Her autobiography was published in 2005.Did 10 movies for Ingmar Bergman- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Ingrid trained as a ballet dancer and attended Stockholm's Royal Dramatic Theatre. She came to fame thanks to Bergman's "Wild Strawberries". She acted in 9 Ingmar Bergman's films. Her fame allowed her to act in Luchino Visconti's "The Damned" in 1969. Ingrid Thulin lived in Rome since the 1960's. She came back to Sweden for her health treatment recently.Did 9 movies for Ingmar Bergman- Actress
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Eva Dahlbeck was born on 8 March 1920 in Saltsjö-Duvnäs, Stockholms län, Sweden. She was an actress and writer, known for Smiles of a Summer Night (1955), Brink of Life (1958) and A Lesson in Love (1954). She was married to Sven Lampell. She died on 8 February 2008 in Hässelby, Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden.Did 8 movies for Ingmar Bergman- Actress
- Director
- Writer
After acting studies at the Gothenburg City Theatre from 1950-52, she made her breakthrough debut in Gustaf Molander's Kärlek (1952). When Ingmar Bergman became head of the Malmö City Theatre he asked her to join him there and with him as a director she played the role of Margareta in Goethe's 'Faust'. Bergman also gave her supporting roles in his movies, most notably the mute woman in The Seventh Seal (1957). She followed up on a few offers from abroad but the roles wasted her screen presence. Bergman once again gave her an offer she couldn't refuse, to direct a movie. Paradistorg (1977) received a lot of praise from all over the world. Time Magazine considered it one of the four best non-US movies of 1978. Her appearances in movies has been rare but she gave a wonderful appearance in the children's TV show Kaspar i Nudådalen (2001). Lindblom has for many years worked for The Royal Dramatic Theatre, appearing in plays by August Strindberg or William Shakespeare. In 2002 she received a Guldbagge award for her lifetime achievements in movies.Did 7 movies for Ingmar Bergman- Inga Landgré was born on 6 August 1927 in Stockholm, Sweden. She was an actress, known for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), The Seventh Seal (1957) and Crisis (1946). She was married to Roger Björnstjerna and Nils Poppe. She died on 31 July 2023 in Norberg, Västmanlands län, Sweden.Did 7 movies for Ingmar Bergman
- Actress
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Raised by a single mother, she grew up in a poor home at Fleminggatan in Stockholm. She was working extra in a small shop for sewing materials and the owner encouraged her acting dreams. In 1905 she was accepted to accompany the Anna Lundberg travelling theatre company around Sweden. This led to small roles at theatres both in Helsinki and Stockholm. In 1910 she became a student for the famous song teacher Raymond von zur Mühlen in London. During the years before and under WWI her fame grew and she got major roles in operettas by Emmerich Kálmán and Franz Lehár. Until the mid 1920s she was the queen of the operettas, performing in Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo. But finally she had had enough and was vying for more dramatic parts. Finding work was not so easy though and she spent a lot of time in England, performing for smaller audiences with singing and guitar playing. Her dramatic breakthrough did not come until 1937 when she met director Per Lindberg who gives her the chance to tour around Sweden with Bertolt Brecht's The Three-penny-opera. When Bertolt Brecht escaped from The Third Reich and moved to Sweden, he wrote Mother Courage for her. In 1948 she starred in 'Me and My Gal' with Nils Poppe at Södra Teatern in Stockholm. During the 1950s she was employed by Malmö Stadsteater together with Ingmar Bergman. Bergman also gave her some minor but good roles in his movies, most notably as the old Mrs. Armfelt in Smiles of a Summer Night (1955) and as Granny Vogler in The Magician (1958).Did 7 movies for Ingmar Bergman- Actress
- Soundtrack
Sif Ruud was born in an well-off family, but when her stepfather had spent all of her mother's money, conditions for the family became more modest. A friend of her mother's was told about young Sif's interest in acting and gave her acting lessons. In 1934 she began her studies at the Royal Dramatic Theatre's acting school in Stockholm. One of her fellow students was Gunn Wållgren and one of the teachers was Hilda Borgström. After graduation, she worked in different theatres around Sweden. Her career at the movies has mainly been in smaller parts. Best known is perhaps her performance as aunt Olga who dominates the breakfast table and rules it as her empire in Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries (1957). She was praised for her role as Madam Flod in "Hemsöborna" (1966) (mini).Did 7 movies for Ingmar Bergman- Anita Björk is able to use simple means to give depth and character to a role. She has a way of expressing any emotion just by raising an eyebrow or twitching her lips. This was something she used to a large extent in her best movie, Alf Sjöberg's Miss Julie (1951) where she played the young lady at a country manor, planning to elope with Jean the butler.
She was bitten by the acting bug in her teens and went to Stockholm. She started her acting studies at the Royal Dramatic Theater in 1942 and quickly got major roles. Her breakthrough came 1948 in Jean Genet's 'The Maids', followed by such roles as Agnes in 'Henrik Ibsen's 'Brand', Julie in William Shakespeare's 'Romeo & Juliet', Eliza in George Bernard Shaw's 'Pygmalion' and Tintomara in 'Carl Jonas Love Almqvist''s 'Drottningens juvelsmycke'.
She met and fell in love with the writer Stig Dagerman and in 1951 she gave birth to a daughter. The three of them went to Hollywood for Anita to negotiate a role in Alfred Hitchcock's I Confess (1953). But when word came out that Anita wasn't married to Stig, Hollywood lost interest. His divorce from his ex-wife wasn't final until 1953 and apparently it wasn't acceptable to Hollywood for a contract player to live with someone married to somebody else.
In West Germany she played against Gregory Peck in Night People (1954) but when the movie failed at the box office, so did her career abroad. Also, her husband killed himself and Anita decided to stick to the Royal Dramatic Theater where she has appeared in more than 80 roles through the years. In movies, she has appeared mainly in supporting roles.
Of her movies, the most interesting are Miss Julie (1951), På dessa skuldror (1948) and Mannekäng i rött (1958).Did 6 movies for Ingmar Bergman - Actress
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Birgitta Valberg was born on 16 December 1916 in Stockholm, Sweden. She was an actress and assistant director, known for The Virgin Spring (1960), Paradistorg (1977) and A Time in the Sun (1966). She died on 29 March 2014 in Sweden.Did 6 movies for Ingmar Bergman- Gertrud Fridh was born on 26 November 1921 in Gothenburg, Västra Götalands län, Sweden. She was an actress, known for Wild Strawberries (1957), The Magician (1958) and The Devil's Eye (1960). She died on 11 October 1984 in Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden.Did 6 movies for Ingmar Bergman
- Irma Christenson was born on 14 January 1915 in Hunnebostrand, Västra Götalands län, Sweden. She was an actress, known for Flickan är ett fynd (1943), Doktor Glas (1942) and Den osynliga muren (1944). She was married to Per Erik Rundquist. She died on 21 February 1993 in Stockholm, Sweden.Did 5 movies for Ingmar Bergman
- Barbro Hiort af Ornäs was born on 28 August 1921 in Gothenburg, Västra Götalands län, Sweden. She was an actress, known for Brink of Life (1958), All These Women (1964) and Den ofrivillige golfaren (1991). She died on 27 November 2015 in Stockholm, Sweden.Did 5 movies for Ingmar Bergman
- Kristina Adolphson was born on 2 September 1937 in Stockholm, Sweden. She is an actress, known for Fanny and Alexander (1982), The Devil's Eye (1960) and The Wizard of Speed and Time (1988).Did 5 movies for Ingmar Bergman
- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Lena Endre was born on 8 July 1955 in Härnösand, Västernorrlands län, Sweden. She is an actress and writer, known for Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017), The Master (2012) and The Girl Who Played with Fire (2009). She was previously married to Richard Hobert, Thomas Hanzon, Vjeko Benzon and Malte Ekblom.Did 4 movies for Ingmar Bergman- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Pernilla August started acting as a child, performing in plays at Vår teater and at school. In 1979 she was accepted at the Statens scenskola to study acting professionally. Director Ingmar Bergman took note of her early and cast her as a nanny in his Fanny and Alexander (1982).
In 1982 she got married to author Klas Östergren and started work at the Folkteatern in Gävle, appearing in August Strindberg's A Dreamplay and Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters. She returned a few years later to the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm for roles in William Shakespeare's Hamlet and Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House (as Nora).
Until then she hadn't had any bigger experience of television or movies but Ingmar Bergman specifically asked for her to play his mother in the biographical The Best Intentions (1992) By then her marriage was over and she started a relationship with director Bille August whom she married in 1991 - and had her name changed for the second time. He offered her a role in his The House of the Spirits (1993), but due to her pregnancy the role went to Winona Ryder instead.
She has admirably managed an international career despite having three daughters. She is best known for her appearances in films like Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) or I Am Dina (2002).Did 4 movies for Ingmar Bergman- Actress
- Soundtrack
When Hjördis Petterson was twelve years old, the local movie theatre in Visby needed somebody who could play the piano, so they gave her the opportunity. She also played the piano for the local amateur theatre, Visby Amatörsällskap, and eventually she got her first part. She became interested and got herself a tutor, the actor Emil Hillberg. When she was 18, she moved to Stockholm in 1926 to become an actor, and in 1927 she became a pupil at the Royal Theatre of Dramatic Art. This led to a professional career, first in bit parts but later in greater roles. Her first movie was Kanske en diktare (1933). She mainly worked in the theatre, only making small roles in front of the camera. Notable appearances are Lille Fridolf och jag (1956) and Hemsöborna (1955). She is the Swedish actress who has made the most number of movies. Her last acting performance was in 1985.Did 4 movies for Ingmar Bergman- Actress
- Soundtrack
Marianne Löfgren was born on 24 February 1910 in Stockholm, Sweden. She was an actress, known for June Night (1940), Only One Night (1939) and En förtjusande fröken (1945). She was married to Bergvall, Tycho. She died on 4 September 1957 in Solna, Stockholms län, Sweden.Did 4 movies for Ingmar Bergman- Actress
- Soundtrack
Gudrun Brost was born on 6 April 1910 in Malmö, Skåne län, Sweden. She was an actress, known for The Virgin Spring (1960), Hour of the Wolf (1968) and June Night (1940). She was married to Sven Forssell. She died on 28 June 1993 in Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden.Did 4 movies for Ingmar Bergman- Mona Malm got her breakthrough at the Royal Dramatic Theater in 1957 as "Tintomara" in Almqvist's 'Drottningens juvelsmycke', directed by Alf Sjöberg. She played "Martha" in Edward Albee's 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' (1985) and the title role in Hjalmar Bergman's 'Chefen fru Ingeborg' (1993). She appeared in such films as Fanny and Alexander (1982) (as Jarl Kulle's tolerant wife) and The Best Intentions (1992).Did 4 movies for Ingmar Bergman
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Marie Richardson was born on 6 June 1959 in Ljusdal, Gävleborgs län, Sweden. She is an actress, known for Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Daybreak (2003) and Evil (2003). She has been married to Jakob Eklund since 12 August 2008. They have two children.Did 4 movies for Ingmar Bergman- Actress
- Soundtrack
Rare indeed to spot a dark-haired Swede on film but the delicately beautiful Maj-Britt Nilsson was certainly one of them, along with Harriet Andersson, who went on to captivate film audiences in the bleak films of Ingmar Bergman.
Born in Stockholm on December 11, 1924, the lovely Nilsson was initially trained at the Royal Dramatic Theater. She began her film career inauspiciously playing a young schoolgirl in Tänk, om jag gifter mig med prästen (1941) [If I Should Marry the Minister] starring Viveca Lindfors. Gaining experience in such films as Alf Sjöberg's Resan bort (1945), she played the title role in the dramatic Maria (1947) and moved swiftly into leading roles. A stage triumph in Jean Genet's "The Maids" in 1948 led to her association with Ingmar Bergman who spotlighted her in three of his finest early works: To Joy (1950) [To Joy], in which she plays wife to an adulterous orchestra player; Summer Interlude (1951) [Summer Interlude], in which she portrays a ballerina recalling a tragic summer romance; and Secrets of Women (1952) [Secrets of Women] as one of four sisters-in-law reflecting on their respective wifedoms while waiting for their husbands to arrive at a summer hideaway. Receiving rave reviews for her work, it was expected that she would become a main staple of Bergman's prestigious company of players. Surprisingly she never made another film for him. The roles in her later celluloid work went on to pale in comparison.
Nilsson seldom strayed outside her homeland when it came to filming outside the rare occasion of a German/Austrian movie or two. A brief marriage to singer and composer Anders Börje led to a long and fulfilling one with theater director Per Gerhard in 1951. She subsequently left the Royal Dramatic Theater to work alongside him at Stockholm's Vasa Theater. The couple would stay there for the next three decades. One of her stage roles was that of Maggie the Cat in a Swedish-language version of Tennessee Williams's "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof". She made two brief and minor film comebacks in the 1970s, the second of which, the Swedish-made Bluff Stop (1977), being her last. She retired completely in 1985. Some time during the 1980s the couple took up residence on the French Riviera. Ms. Nilsson died on December 19, 2006 in Cannes, France at age 82.Did 3 movies for Ingmar Bergman- Swedish-born Lena Olin already had a successful career as an actress before she came to Hollywood. She acted at the Royal Theatre in Stockholm and was directed by Ingmar Bergman. She was born in Stockholm, to actors Britta Holmberg and Stig Olin, who appeared in six of Bergman's films. Lena also belongs to the Bergman "family". As a young actress, she played in the great classics of William Shakespeare, Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg. She made her international debut as a movie actress in After the Rehearsal (1984) (aka "After the Rehearsal"), directed by Bergman. In western Europe, she became well-known in the political movie The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988) as "Sabina", in a story about the Prague spring (1968). After coming to the US, she played mostly distinguished, exotic temptresses, intelligent women and crude vamps. Bergman had developed Lena's artistic gift to play different human emotions and express them in a subtle way. Sydney Pollack, director of Out of Africa (1985), rewrote the screenplay for Havana (1990) especially for her. This explains why this film recalls associations with the classic Casablanca (1942), starring Ingrid Bergman, also from Sweden. Olin received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Enemies, A Love Story (1989). She went on to have a choice role in Chocolat (2000), which received a Best Picture Oscar nomination, and received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. She made a move to the smaller screen and played the role for one season as the deliciously evil "Irina Derevko", the mother to Jennifer Garner's "Sydney Bristow" in the series Alias (2001). Olin received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.Did 3 movies for Ingmar Bergman
- Jullan Kindahl was born on 12 April 1885 in Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden. She was an actress, known for Wild Strawberries (1957), Smiles of a Summer Night (1955) and Arvtagerskan (1962). She died on 18 April 1979 in Malmö, Skåne län, Sweden.Did 3 movies for Ingmar Bergman