What Was Ingrid Bergman's Net Worth?
Ingrid Bergman was a Swedish actress who had a net worth of $6 million at the time of her death in 1982. That's the same as $20 million in today's dollars after adjusting for inflation.
Ingrid Bergman's career spanned five decades, beginning in Sweden before moving to Hollywood. Some of her most notable appearances were in films like "Murder on the Orient Express," "Autumn Sonata," and "Under Capricorn," among many others.
She received several awards throughout her career, including Academy Awards for Best Actress for "Gaslight" (1944) and "Anastasia" (1956) and Best Supporting Actress for "Murder on the Orient Express" (1974), Emmy Awards for Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for "Turn of the Screw" (1960) and "A Woman Called Golda" (1982), a Tony Award for Best Actress in "Joan of Lorraine" (1947), Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Motion Picture for "Gaslight" (1945) and "The Bells of St. Mary's" (1946), Best Actress in a Drama for "Anastasia" (1957), and Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie for "A Woman Called Golda" (1983).
Bergman died of breast cancer in London on August 29, 1982. It was her 67th birthday, and her body was cremated so her ashes could be taken back to her home country, where they could be scattered in the sea on the west coast of Sweden. Some were reserved to be placed next to her parents' ashes in Stockholm. Some would argue that Bergman was the most international star in film history.
Early Life
Ingrid Bergman was born on August 29, 1915, in Stockholm, Sweden. She was the daughter of Justus Samuel Bergman and Frieda Henriette August Louise Bergman. Her father was Swedish, while her mother was German. Ingrid grew up in Sweden but spent summers in Germany and spoke fluent German. Bergman was raised as an only child. She would have had two older siblings, but they both died in infancy before she was born. When Ingrid was two, her mother died. After Bergman got a bit older, her father sent her to a prestigious girls' school in Stockholm. She also took voice lessons for several years, as her father wanted her to become an opera singer. When Ingrid was 14, her father died of stomach cancer. She then went to live with her paternal aunt, Ellen, who died of heart disease six months later. She then lived with her maternal aunt, Hulda, and her uncle Otto. They had five children of their own.
Bergman remained interested in the arts, having been inspired by her father from a young age. She received a scholarship to the state-sponsored Royal Dramatic Theatre School, which Greta Garbo had attended some years earlier and earned a similar scholarship. However, during her first summer break from the school, Ingrid was hired by a Swedish film studio, which led her to leave the Royal Dramatic Theatre after just one year to work in films full-time.
Career
Bergman's first film experience was as an extra in the 1932 film "Landskamp." Over the next few years, she consistently worked in film, appearing in eleven films in Sweden before the age of 25. Her first acting role in the United States came in 1939 when she accepted an invitation from Hollywood producer David O. Selznick to star in the English-language remake of her earlier Swedish film, "Intermezzo." The film became an enormous success, and Bergman became a star. In 1941, she appeared in three films – "Adam Had Four Sons," "Rage in Heaven," and "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." The following year, she appeared in "Casablanca," which became a massive hit. In 1943, she appeared in "For Whom the Bell Tolls." Ingrid won her first Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in "Gaslight" in 1944.
In 1945, she starred opposite Bing Crosby in "The Bells of St. Mary's." The same year, she appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's "Spellbound." She again collaborated with Hitchcock for "Under Capricorn" in 1949. In 1950, the film "Stromboli" was released, marking the beginning of her collaboration with the Italian director Rossellini. In 1952, she appeared in his film "Europa '51." He again directed her in the 1953 play "Joan of Arc at the Stake." In 1954, they worked together in "Viaggio in Italia." Their final effort together was "La Paura" in 1954. In general, the movies Bergman made with Rossellini were not commercial successes, though in the time since they have garnered greater respect and appreciation.
Bergman returned to Hollywood in the mid-1950s and starred in Jean Renoir's 1956 film "Elena and Her Men." The same year, she appeared in a French adaptation of the stage production "Tea and Sympathy" and played the title role in the film "Anastasia." In 1958, she starred in "Indiscreet" and "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness." In 1960, Ingrid received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Bergman continued working into the 1960s and 1970s, both on screen and on stage. Some of her later productions include "Murder on the Orient Express," "Autumn Sonata," and "A Woman Called Golda."
Personal Life
In July 1937, at the age of 21, Bergman married dentist Peter Lindstrom. They had one child together, a daughter named Friedel. Lindstrom eventually became a neurosurgeon after completing his studies in medicine at the University of Rochester in New York. Their marriage was complicated, as Lindstrom did not appreciate his wife's public persona or association with Hollywood, though he did manage her finances. He was also aware that Ingrid was having affairs. Her affair with Italian director Roberto Rossellini attracted the attention of the media, especially when she gave birth to his son, Renato, in 1950. A week after her son was born, she divorced Lindstrom. She had previously asked him for a divorce, but he had refused. Bergman married Rossellini by proxy in May 1950. In June 1952, she gave birth to twin daughters – Ingrid and Isabella Rossellini. Her marriage to Rossellini experienced several problems and ended in divorce in 1957. In December 1958, Bergman married Lars Schmidt, a theatrical entrepreneur from a wealthy Swedish shipping family. Given their busy schedules, a strain was put on their marriage as they were both often traveling for work. After almost two decades of marriage, the couple divorced in 1975, though they did remain close.
During the run of "The Constant Wife" in London, Bergman discovered a small hard lump on her breast. In June 1974, she entered a clinic in London to undergo her first operation. She discovered another lump some months later. It was confirmed that she had cancer. After a few final performances, Ingrid retired to her London apartment. On August 29, 1982, at midnight on her 67th birthday, Bergman died in London. Her memorial service was held at Saint Martin-in-the-Fields church in October with 1,200 mourners in attendance. She was cremated, and her ashes were spread into the sea around the islet of Dannholmen in Sweden.