Quiz

Fluent in a number of languages, including Swedish, English, French and Italian.

He appeared in 13 films directed by Ingmar Bergman: Il settimo sigillo (1957), Il posto delle fragole (1957), Herr Sleeman kommer (1957), Alle soglie della vita (1958), Il volto (1958), Rabies (1958), La fontana della vergine (1960), Come in uno specchio (1961), Luci d'inverno (1963), L'ora del lupo (1968), La vergogna (1968), Passione (1969) and L'adultera (1971).

He was offered the title role in the first James Bond film Agente 007 - Licenza di uccidere (1962), which went to Joseph Wiseman.

He was one of the few actors to have played both God (in La più grande storia mai raccontata (1965)) and the Devil (in Cose preziose (1993)).

He was one of six Swedish actors to be nominated for an Academy Award. The others are Greta Garbo, Ingrid Bergman, Ann-Margret, Lena Olin and Alicia Vikander. von Sydow is the only male Swedish actor to be nominated for an Oscar.

His second Oscar nomination (Best Supporting Actor for Molto forte, incredibilmente vicino (2011)) came at age 82, which was the same age as front-runner Christopher Plummer who was competing with him in the category (also in a second nomination). Plummer won the Oscar for Beginners (2010), in a role previously turned down by von Sydow.

He was one of very few actors to be nominated for an Oscar for a role in a foreign language film, for his performance in Pelle alla conquista del mondo (1987).

His performance as Lasse Karlsson in Pelle alla conquista del mondo (1987) is ranked #57 on Premiere magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).

In his career, he had played Jesus, Satan, and was also the title character in the horror classic L'esorcista (1973).

In 2002, he received his French citizenship, at which time he had to renounce his Swedish citizenship.

Appeared in five films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Karl e Kristina (1971), L'esorcista (1973), Hannah e le sue sorelle (1986), Risvegli (1990) and Molto forte, incredibilmente vicino (2011).

He and his La più grande storia mai raccontata (1965) co-stars Donald Pleasence and Telly Savalas all later played the Bond villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld: Pleasence in Agente 007 - Si vive solo due volte (1967), Savalas in Agente 007 - Al servizio segreto di Sua Maestà (1969) and von Sydow in Mai dire mai (1983).

He never retired from acting.

Max von Sydow passed away on March 8, 2020, one month away from what would have been his 91st birthday on April 10.

After not appearing in an Ingmar Bergman film since L'adultera (1971), von Sydow was reunited with the master, playing his grandfather in Den goda viljan (1991). While the film was directed by Bille August, the screenplay was written by Ingmar Bergman. Ironically, despite all the classic work von Sydow did with Ingmar Bergman such as the Knight in Il settimo sigillo (1957), the eponymous role in Il volto (1958), and the father in La fontana della vergine (1960), his first Oscar nomination came under the hand of Bille August, for Pelle alla conquista del mondo (1987).

One of his favorite movies was Pelle alla conquista del mondo (1987).

He was considered for the role of William Fawcett Robinson in Ovunque nel tempo (1980) before Christopher Plummer was cast.

Had four sons, Clas S. von Sydow and Henrik von Sydow with his first wife; and Cédric and Yvan with his second wife. In 1951, von Sydow married actress Christina Olin with whom he had two sons, Claes and Henrik. His children appeared with him in the film Hawaii (1966), playing his son at different ages. He and Olin divorced on 26 February 1979 then he married French filmmaker Catherine Brelet in April 1997 in the Provence, France. He had two sons, Yvan and Cedric, with his second wife. Cédric has appeared and has worked with him since 1994. von Sydow resided in Paris, France with his second wife.

First Swedish male actor to have received a Golden Globe nomination. The second was Alexander Skarsgård.

Most of his ancestry was Swedish. His parents also both had more distant German roots, and his mother had a remote Scottish ancestor.

Distant relative of Swedish speaker of parliament and ex-minister of defence, Björn von Sydow.

Had resided in Los Angeles, California, Rome, Italy and Paris, France.

Had appeared in two films as a leading villain, in which plots include the use of eye replacement surgery as a means of fooling security eye scanners; as Blofeld in Mai dire mai (1983) and Lamar Burgess in Minority Report (2002).

He was among the actors in the running for Dr. Hans Fallada in the horror film Space Vampires (1985). Frank Finlay was cast instead.

He was co-head of the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1985.

Is one of 4 Swedish actors to have received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. The others in chronological order are: Ingrid Bergman, Alexander Skarsgård, and Stellan Skarsgård.

Adoptive father of Yvan and Cédric Brelet von Sydow, children of Catherine Brelet from a previous marriage.

Father of Henrik von Sydow and Clas S. von Sydow.