Gunn Wållgren

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Gunnel Margareta Wållgren (born November 16, 1913 in Gothenburg , † June 4, 1983 in Stockholm ) was a Swedish theater actress . She is considered one of the great Swedish actresses of the 20th century.

life and career

Gunn Wållgren was the daughter of the factory owner Harald Wållgren and his wife Greta. Against her parents' wishes she studied at the Dramatens elevskola from 1934 to 1937 and played practically her entire professional life at the Royal Dramatic Theater , which was naturally the main stage for the modern Scandinavian classics. She was considered the leading interpreter of the works of Ibsen , Strindberg and Chekhov on the Swedish stages. She had particular success at various private stages under the direction of her future husband Per-Axel Branne .

Wållgren made her film debut in 1943 as a criminal youth in the film The Pastor of the Derailed , directed by Olof Molander . In the 1940s she was a popular leading actress in Swedish films, for example directed by Gustaf Molander or Hampe Faustman . Outside of Sweden, however, she is better known for her late film roles: In the 1977 Astrid Lindgren film adaptation, Die Brüder Löwenherz , she played Sofia; and in 1982 Wållgren starred as the loving grandmother Helena in Ingmar Bergman's drama Fanny and Alexander . For the latter role she received excellent reviews again. Shortly after filming Fanny and Alexander , Wållgren was diagnosed with cancer, from which she died in June 1983.

Gunnel Wållgren was married from 1941 to 1949 to director Hampe Faustman , with whom she directed The Virgin and the Devil . Her second marriage was Per-Axel Branne in 1954, with whom she remained married until his death in 1975. She has two daughters.

Awards

  • 1959: O'Neill Fellowship
  • 1962: Prize of the Swedish Section of the International Association of Theater Critics (AICT)
  • 1981: Guldbagge for Best Supporting Actress for Sally and Freedom

Filmography (selection)

  • 1943: The pastor of the derailed (Kvinnor i fångenskap)
  • 1943: The Virgin and the Devil (Sonja)
  • 1943: Ordet
  • 1944: Kejsarn av Portugal
  • 1945: bread too tight
  • 1946: The Rebel Captain (Harald Handfeste)
  • 1947: Woman without a face (Kvinna utan anskten)
  • 1953: Glasberget
  • 1964: The dress (Klännigen)
  • 1974: Rulle på Rullseröd (TV series, 19 episodes)
  • 1976: Förvandlingen
  • 1977: The Lionheart Brothers (Bröderna Lejonhjärta)
  • 1981: Sally and Freedom (Sally och friheten)
  • 1982: Fanny and Alexander (Fanny och Alexander)

Web links

Commons : Gunn Wållgren  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Wållgren, Gunn
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wållgren, Gunnel Margareta (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swedish stage actress
DATE OF BIRTH November 16, 1913
PLACE OF BIRTH Gothenburg
DATE OF DEATH June 4th 1983
Place of death Stockholm