What was Max von Sydow's Net Worth?
Max von Sydow was a Swedish-French actor who had a net worth of $16 million at the time of his death. Max von Sydow died on March 8, 2020 at the age of 90 at his home in France. Max von Sydow's career spanned 70 years in film, television, and theatre. He rose to international fame in 1957 for his role in Ingmar Bergman's "The Seventh Seal," and went on to appear in numerous of Bergman's later films. Among von Sydow's many other notable credits are the films "The Exorcist," "Pelle the Conqueror," "Flash Gordon," and "Hannah and Her Sisters," and the television series "Game of Thrones."
Early Life and Education
Max von Sydow was born on April 10, 1929 in Lund, Sweden to Carl Wilhelm von Sydow, an ethnologist and professor, and Baroness Maria Margareta Rappe, a schoolteacher. As a youth, he went to Lund Cathedral School. Von Sydow first became interested in acting when he saw a production of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" while on a class trip; subsequently, he created an amateur theatre group with his school chums. Later, he served for two years in the Swedish military. Following this, von Sydow studied at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm, and made his stage debut in a production of Goethe's "Egmont."
Career Beginnings
Von Sydow made his feature film debut in 1949, appearing in a supporting role in Alf Sjöberg's drama "Only a Mother." He reunited with Sjöberg two years later for a big-screen adaptation of August Strindberg's "Miss Julie." The same year, von Sydow joined the Norrköping-Linköping Municipal Theatre, appearing in nine plays. He then moved on to Hälsingborg's City Theatre in 1953, where he played such roles as Prospero in "The Tempest" and Pirandello in "Henry IV." In recognition of his achievements, von Sydow was honored with the Royal Foundation of Sweden's Cultural Award.
In 1955, von Sydow relocated to Malmö and joined the Malmö City Theatre, at the time directed by filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. The following year, he appeared in Mimi Pollak's film "Rätten att älska."
"The Seventh Seal" and Other Bergman Collaborations
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. The same year as "The Seventh Seal," he had a supporting role in "Wild Strawberries." He was then in "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.
Further Film Career
Following years of working exclusively in Sweden, von Sydow made his international film debut in George Stevens' 1965 Biblical epic "The Greatest Story Ever Told," in which he portrayed Jesus Christ. He subsequently appeared in the Western "The Reward" and the epic drama "Hawaii," for which he earned a Golden Globe nomination. Von Sydow followed this with roles in "The Quiller Memorandum," "Here's Your Life," "The Kremlin Letter," "The Night Visitor," "The Emigrants," "The Apple War," "Embassy," and "The New Land." In 1973, he had one of his biggest commercial hits with the supernatural horror film "The Exorcist," in which he played Father Lankester Merrin; for his performance, he earned his second Golden Globe nomination. Von Sydow's subsequent credits included "Steppenwolf"; "Egg! Egg! A Hardboiled Story"; "Three Days of the Condor"; "The Ultimate Warrior"; "Illustrious Corpses"; "Foxtrot"; "Voyage of the Damned"; "Black Journal"; and "Hurricane."
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In the 80s, von Sydow had memorable roles as villains in the space opera "Flash Gordon" and the James Bond flick "Never Say Never Again." He was also in "Conan the Barbarian," "Strange Brew," David Lynch's "Dune," and Woody Allen's "Hannah and Her Sisters," among other titles. Toward the end of the decade, von Sydow earned his first Academy Award nomination for his leading role in Bille August's Palme d'or-winning film "Pelle the Conqueror." In the 90s, he had notable roles in "Awakenings," "The Best Intentions," "Judge Dredd," "Hamsun," "What Dreams May Come," and "Snow Falling on Cedars." Early in the next century, von Sydow had one of his most commercially successful films with Steven Spielberg's "Minority Report." He was subsequently in such films as "The Inquiry," "Rush Hour 3," "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," "Shutter Island," and "Robin Hood." In 2011, von Sydow earned his second Academy Award nomination, this time for Best Supporting Actor, for "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close." Among his final films were "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," "The First, the Last," and "Kursk."
Television Career
Von Sydow made his debut on the small screen in 1957 in the Swedish television film "Mr. Sleeman is Coming." Ten years later, he portrayed Otto Frank in the television film "The Diary of Anne Frank." After not working much on the small screen in the 70s, Von Sydow returned to television films in the 80s, appearing in "Samson and Delilah," "Le Dernier Civil," "Kojak: The Belarus File," and "Red King, White Knight." During the decade, he was also in episodes of several miniseries, including "The Last Place on Earth," "Quo Vadis?," and "Christopher Columbus."
In the 90s, von Sydow continued to appear in television films. His credits included "Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes," "Uncle Vanya," "Citizen X," "Private Confessions," and "Hostile Waters." Additionally, he portrayed the Biblical David in the miniseries "Solomon." Von Sydow worked less frequently in the 00s, but had roles in the miniseries "Nuremberg" and the television film "Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King." In 2009, he had a recurring role as Cardinal von Walburg on the historical fiction series "The Tudors." Von Sydow had his final television role in 2016, playing the Three-eyed Raven on the HBO fantasy series "Game of Thrones." For his performance, he earned an Emmy Award nomination.
Personal Life and Death
In 1951, von Sydow wed actress Christina Inga Britta Olin. Together, they had two sons named Clas and Henrik; they later divorced in 1979. Almost two decades later, in 1997, von Sydow married French filmmaker Catherine Brelet, and adopted her two adult sons Yvan and Cédric. Following this marriage, he relocated to Paris, and became a French citizen while ceding his Swedish citizenship.
Von Sydow passed away in March of 2020 at his home in Provence, France. He was 90 years of age.
