Max von Sydow Net Worth
Jessica Wood What was Max von Sydow’s Net Worth?
Max von Sydow, the Swedish-French actor, passed away at his home in France at the age of 90. He had a net worth of $16 million at the time of his death.
Over a career spanning 70 years in film, television, and theatre, von Sydow rose to international fame for his role in Ingmar Bergman’s “The Seventh Seal” in 1957. He continued to appear in many of Bergman’s later films, as well as other notable works such as “The Exorcist,” “Pelle the Conqueror,” “Flash Gordon,” “Hannah and Her Sisters,” and the television series “Game of Thrones.”
Early Life and Career
Max von Sydow was born in Lund, Sweden in 1929 to a professor and a schoolteacher. He became interested in acting after seeing a production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and later formed an amateur theater group with friends. After serving in the Swedish military, he studied at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm and made his stage debut in a production of “Egmont” by Goethe.
Von Sydow’s Early Career
Max von Sydow made his feature film debut in 1949 in Alf Sjöberg’s “Only a Mother.” He then appeared in Sjöberg’s adaptation of August Strindberg’s “Miss Julie.” Von Sydow joined the Norrköping-Linköping Municipal Theatre in 1951 and later moved to Hälsingborg’s City Theatre in 1953. He was honored with the Royal Foundation of Sweden’s Cultural Award for his achievements. In 1955, von Sydow joined the Malmö City Theatre, where he worked under Ingmar Bergman. The following year, he appeared in Mimi Pollak’s film “Rätten att älska.”
Max von Sydow’s Breakthrough Role in “The Seventh Seal”
Max von Sydow had his breakthrough role in 1957 when he starred in his first film directed by Ingmar Bergman, “The Seventh Seal.” He played Antonius Block, a medieval knight who challenges Death to a game of chess in a plague-ridden Sweden. The film was a major success, launching both Bergman and von Sydow to global fame and significantly influencing the trajectory and cultural cachet of international arthouse cinema.
Von Sydow went on to appear in 11 more films for Bergman over the subsequent decades, including “Wild Strawberries,” “Brink of Life,” “Rabies,” “The Magician,” “The Virgin Spring,” “Through a Glass Darkly,” “Winter Light,” “Hour of the Wolf,” “Shame,” and “The Passion of Anna.” Von Sydow’s final Bergman film was 1971’s “The Touch,” the director’s first in English.
Max von Sydow’s Career Highlights
Max von Sydow made his international film debut in 1965 with “The Greatest Story Ever Told.” He went on to appear in many films, including “Hawaii,” “The Exorcist,” “Flash Gordon,” “Never Say Never Again,” “Pelle the Conqueror,” “Minority Report,” and “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,” for which he received his second Academy Award nomination. He also appeared in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “The First, the Last,” and “Kursk” toward the end of his career.
Max von Sydow’s Television Career
Max von Sydow made his television debut in 1957 in the Swedish television film “Mr. Sleeman is Coming.” He went on to portray Otto Frank in the television film “The Diary of Anne Frank” ten years later. After a hiatus from television in the 70s, von Sydow returned to the small screen in the 80s, appearing in various television films and miniseries.
In the 90s, Von Sydow continued to work on television, with credits including “Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes,” “Uncle Vanya,” and “Citizen X.” He also portrayed the Biblical David in the miniseries “Solomon.” In the 00s, von Sydow had roles in the miniseries “Nuremberg” and the television film “Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King.” He had a recurring role as Cardinal von Walburg on “The Tudors” in 2009 and his final television role was playing the Three-eyed Raven on “Game of Thrones” in 2016, for which he earned an Emmy Award nomination.
Max von Sydow’s Personal Life and Death
In 1951, Max von Sydow married actress Christina Inga Britta Olin, and they had two sons named Clas and Henrik. They divorced in 1979. In 1997, he married French filmmaker Catherine Brelet, and adopted her two adult sons Yvan and Cédric. He became a French citizen and moved to Paris. Von Sydow passed away in March 2020 at his home in Provence, France. He was 90 years old.
