You can help expand this article with text translated from
the corresponding article in Swedish. (July 2016) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
View a machine-translated version of the Swedish article.
Machine translation, like
DeepL or
Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia.
Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article.
You must provide
copyright attribution in the
edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an
interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Swedish Wikipedia article at [[:sv:Gunnar Björnstrand]]; see its history for attribution.
You may also add the template {{Translated|sv|Gunnar Björnstrand}} to the
talk page.
Knut Gunnar Johanson (13 November 1909 – 24 May 1986[1]) was a
Swedish actor known for his frequent work with writer and director
Ingmar Bergman.
Biography
Björnstrand was born Knut Gunnar Johanson in
Stockholm as son of actor Oscar Johanson and Ella Mauléon. After his education at the
Royal Dramatic Theatre's acting school, he made several appearances in theatre, film and radio. Björnstrand's first collaboration with Ingmar Bergman was the 1941 theatre production of
August Strindberg's The Ghost Sonata. His first major film role was in
Hampe Faustman's Natt i hamn in 1943. After signing a contract with
Svensk Filmindustri, he was offered mainly parts in comedies, including Bergman's Smiles of a Summer Night (1955). In 1957, however, he appeared in two dramatic roles for Bergman, in The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries and, notably, Winter Light (1962). He regularly starred in other films by Bergman until 1968, when his work for the director became infrequent. He also played major roles at the
Stockholm City Theatre and in private theaters. In later years, due to the consequences of a stroke, Björnstrand avoided long-term contracts, and focused on theatre and television work. His last film was Bergman's Fanny and Alexander (1982): since he was suffering from memory loss at the time, the production was a difficult one for him. Björnstrand died in Stockholm in 1986.
Björnstrand was married to actress and writer Lillie Björnstrand. They had three daughters, Kristina, Gabrielle and Veronica Björnstrand. Veronica has also acted on stage and TV. Björnstrand was also politically active and participated in protests against the
Vietnam War.[3] He was a
Roman Catholic and is buried in the
Northern Cemetery of Solna.