Berit Elisabet Andersson (11 November 1935 – 14 April 2019), known professionally as Bibi Andersson (), was a Swedish actress who was best known for her frequent collaborations with filmmaker

Ingmar Bergman Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film director, screenwriter, Film producer, producer and playwright. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time, his films are known ...

Early life and career

Andersson was born in

Kungsholmen Kungsholmen is an island in Lake Mälaren in Sweden, part of central Stockholm, Sweden. It is situated north of Riddarfjärden and considered part of the historical province Uppland. Its area is with a perimeter of . The highest point is at S ...

, Stockholm, the daughter of Karin (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' Mansion), a

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

er, and Josef Andersson, a businessman. Her first collaboration with

came in 1951, when she participated in his production of an advertisement for the

detergent A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with cleansing properties when in dilute solutions. There are a large variety of detergents, a common family being the alkylbenzene sulfonates, which are soap-like compounds that are more ...

Bris. She also worked as an extra on film sets as a teenager, and studied acting at the Terserus Drama School and at the Royal Dramatic Theatre School (1954–1956). She then joined the

Royal Dramatic Theatre The Royal Dramatic Theatre ( sv, Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern, colloquially ''Dramaten'') is Sweden's national stage for "spoken drama", founded in 1788. Around one thousand shows are put on annually on the theatre's five running stages. The the ...

in Stockholm. In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, Andersson starred in 10 motion pictures and three television films directed by Bergman. With

Ingrid Thulin Ingrid Lilian Thulin (; 27 January 1926 – 7 January 2004) was a Swedish actress and director who collaborated with filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. She was often cast as harrowing and desperate characters, and earned acclaim from both Swedish a ...

Eva Dahlbeck Eva Elisabet Dahlbeck (8 March 1920 – 8 February 2008) was a Swedish stage, film, and television actress. She received a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film ''Brink of Life'' (1958). Dahlbeck retired ...

and

Barbro Hiort af Ornäs Barbro Hiort af Ornäs (28 August 1921 – 27 November 2015) was a Swedish stage and film actress. Biography She was born in Gothenburg, Sweden, the daughter of Alma ( née Ärnström) and Erik Hiort af Ornäs. She had a brother, Torbjorn. ...

, she shared the Best Actress Prize at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival for the director's ''

Brink of Life ''Brink of Life'', ( sv, Nära livet, and known as ''So Close to Life'' in the UK) is a 1958 Swedish drama film directed by Ingmar Bergman. Bergman won the Best Director Award and Andersson, Dahlbeck, Ornäs and Thulin won the Best Actress ...

'', a film set in a

maternity ward Childbirth, also known as labour and delivery, is the ending of pregnancy where one or more babies exits the internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section. In 2019, there were about 140.11 million births global ...

. The other films included ''

The Seventh Seal ''The Seventh Seal'' ( sv, Det sjunde inseglet) is a 1957 Swedish historical fantasy film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. Set in Sweden during the Black Death, it tells of the journey of a medieval knight (Max von Sydow) and a game of ch ...

'', '' Wild Strawberries'', '' The Magician'', ''

The Passion of Anna ''The Passion of Anna'' ( sv, En passion – "A passion") is a 1969 Swedish drama film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, who was awarded Best Director at the 1970 National Society of Film Critics Awards for the film. Plot The audience is ...

'', '' The Touch'', and ''

Persona A persona (plural personae or personas), depending on the context, is the public image of one's personality, the social role that one adopts, or simply a fictional Character (arts), character. The word derives from Latin, where it originally ref ...

''. In 1963, Andersson won the

Silver Bear for Best Actress The Silver Bear for Best Actress (german: Silberner Bär/Beste Darstellerin) was an award presented at the Berlin International Film Festival from 1956 to 2020. It was given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance and was chos ...

at the 13th Berlin International Film Festival for her performance in

Vilgot Sjöman David Harald Vilgot Sjöman (2 December 1924 – 9 April 2006) was a Swedish writer and film director. His films deal with controversial issues of social class, morality, and sexual taboos, combining the emotionally tortured characters of Ingm ...

's '' The Mistress''.

From the mid-1960s onwards

Andersson's intense portrayal of a nurse in the film ''Persona'' (1966) – in which actress Elizabet Vogler (

Liv Ullmann Liv Johanne Ullmann (born 16 December 1938) is a Norwegian actress and film director. Recognised as one of the greatest European actresses of all time, Ullmann is known as the muse and frequent partner of filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. She acted in m ...

), suffering from a psychosomatic condition, is mostly mute – involved her delivering the majority of the dialogue. For her performance in ''Persona'', she won the award for

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress aw ...

at the 4th Guldbagge Awards. That year, she was seen alongside

James Garner James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including '' The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Chayefsky's ''The Ameri ...

and

Sidney Poitier Sidney Poitier ( ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was an American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received two competitive ...

in the Western ''

Duel at Diablo ''Duel at Diablo'' is a 1966 American Western film starring James Garner in his first Western after leaving the long-running tv series ''Maverick'', as well as Sidney Poitier in his first ever Western. Based on Marvin H. Albert's 1957 novel ' ...

''. More Bergman collaborations followed, and she worked with

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor and visual artist. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered ...

(''

The Kremlin Letter ''The Kremlin Letter'' is a 1970 American neo-noir DeLuxe Color espionage thriller in PanavisionSeymour, Gene. "100 Greatest Spy Movies: A Special Collector's Edition from the Editors of American History. 2009. Weider History Group. directed b ...

'', 1970) and

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and is considered an enduring figure from the New H ...

(''

Quintet A quintet is a group containing five members. It is commonly associated with musical groups, such as a string quintet, or a group of five singers, but can be applied to any situation where five similar or related objects are considered a single ...

'', 1979, with

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...

). She was actor

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1 ...

's co-star in his only film with credit as a producer, a stage adaptation by

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), ''Death of a Salesman'' ( ...

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

's ''

An Enemy of the People ''An Enemy of the People'' (original Norwegian title: ''En folkefiende''), an 1882 play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, followed his previous play, ''Ghosts'', which criticized the hypocrisy of his society's moral code. That response inclu ...

'' (1977). Andersson made her debut in American theatre in 1973 with a production of

Erich Maria Remarque Erich Maria Remarque (, ; born Erich Paul Remark; 22 June 1898 – 25 September 1970) was a German-born novelist. His landmark novel '' All Quiet on the Western Front'' (1928), based on his experience in the Imperial German Army during Worl ...

's ''Full Circle''. Her most famous American film is '' I Never Promised You a Rose Garden'' (1977), which also starred

Kathleen Quinlan Kathleen Denise Quinlan Abbott (born November 19, 1954) is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her Golden Globe-nominated performance in the 1977 film of the novel '' I Never Promised You a Rose Garden,'' and her Golden ...

. In 1990, Andersson worked as a theatre director in Stockholm, directing several plays at

Dramaten The Royal Dramatic Theatre ( sv, Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern, colloquially ''Dramaten'') is Sweden's national stage for "spoken drama", founded in 1788. Around one thousand shows are put on annually on the theatre's five running stages. The the ...

. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, she worked primarily in television and as a theatre actress, working with Bergman and others. She was also a supervisor for the Road to Sarajevo, a humanitarian project.

Personal life

In 1996, Andersson published her autobiography, ''Ett ögonblick'' (''A Moment'', or, literally, ''A Blink of the Eye''). She was married first to the director Kjell Grede (1960, divorced) with whom she had a daughter; and secondly to politician and writer

Per Ahlmark Per Axel Ahlmark (15 January 1939 – 8 June 2018) was a Swedish politician and writer. He was the leader of the Liberal People's Party from 1975 to 1978, and Minister for Employment and Deputy Prime Minister in the Swedish government from 1976 ...

(1979, divorced). Andersson then married Gabriel Mora Baeza on 29 May 2004. In 2009, she had a stroke; an article published the following year says that from that time on she had been hospitalized and was unable to speak. She was the younger sister of Swedish film actress Gerd Andersson. Andersson died on 14 April 2019, aged 83.

Selected filmography

Andersson appeared in the following films: * ''

Miss Julie ''Miss Julie'' ( sv, Fröken Julie) is a naturalistic play written in 1888 by August Strindberg. It is set on Midsummer's Eve and the following morning, which is Midsummer and the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist. The setting is an estate of ...

'' (1951) as Dancing girl (uncredited) * ''

U-Boat 39 ''U-Boat 39'' (Swedish: ''Ubåt 39'') is a 1952 Swedish drama film directed by Hampe Faustman and starring Eva Dahlbeck, Karl-Arne Holmsten and Gunnel Broström.Qvist & Von Bagh p.73 It is part of the subgenre of Submarine films. It was based on ...

'' (1952) as Girl on the train (uncredited) * '' The Beat of Wings in the Night'' (1953) as Student at Tornelius' party (uncredited) * ''

Stupid Bom ''Stupid Bom'' (Swedish: ''Dumbom'') is a 1953 Swedish comedy film directed by Nils Poppe and starring Poppe, Inga Landgré, Hjördis Petterson and Ulf Johansson.Qvist & Von Bagh p.126 It was shot at the Centrumateljéerna Sudios in Stockholm. ...

'' (1953) as Elvira * '' Sir Arne's Treasure'' (1954) as Berghild * ''

A Night at Glimmingehus ''A Night at Glimmingehus'' (Swedish: ''En natt på Glimmingehus'') is a 1954 Swedish comedy film directed by Torgny Wickman and starring Edvard Persson, Bibi Andersson and Bengt Logardt.Qvist & von Bagh p.124 It was shot at the Sundbyberg Studio ...

'' (1954) as Maj Månsson * '' The Girl in the Rain'' (1955) as Lilly * ''

Smiles of a Summer Night ''Smiles of a Summer Night'' ( sv, Sommarnattens leende) is a 1955 Swedish comedy film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. It was shown at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival. In 2005 ''TIME'' magazine ranked it one of the 100 greatest films s ...

'' (1955) * '' Egen ingång'' (1956) as Karin Johansson * '' Last Pair Out'' (1956) as Kerstin * ''

'' (1957) as Mia / Mary - Jof's wife * '' Mr. Sleeman Is Coming'' (1957, TV Movie) as Anne-Marie * ''

Summer Place Wanted ''Summer Place Wanted'' ( sv, Sommarnöje sökes) is a 1957 Swedish comedy film directed by Hasse Ekman. It was entered into the 1st Moscow International Film Festival, where Ekman was nominated for a Grand Prix. Plot Ingeborg Dahlstrom puts ...

'' (1957) as Mona Dahlström * '' Wild Strawberries'' (1957) as Sara / Hitchhiker * '' You Are My Adventure'' (1958) as Christina Blom * ''

'' (1958) as Hjördis Petterson * ''

Rabies Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals. Early symptoms can include fever and tingling at the site of exposure. These symptoms are followed by one or more of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, vi ...

'' (1958, TV Movie) as Eivor * '' The Magician'' (1958) as Sara Lindqvist * '' The Beloved Game'' (1959) as Lena * ''

The Wedding Day ''The Wedding Day'' (Swedish: ''Brollopsdagen'') is a 1960 Swedish comedy film directed by Kenne Fant and starring Max von Sydow, Bibi Andersson and Edvin Adolphson.Qvist & Von Bagh p.37 The film's sets were designed by the art director Bibi Lin ...

'' (1960) as Sylvia Blom * ''

The Devil's Eye ''The Devil's Eye'' ( sv, Djävulens öga) is a 1960 Swedish fantasy-comedy film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. Plot In accordance with the Irish proverb that "A woman's chastity is a stye in the Devil's eye", Satan believes a pain he ...

'' (1960) as Britt-Marie * ''Karneval'' (1961) as Monika * '' Square of Violence'' (1961) as Maria * '' The Pleasure Garden'' (1961) as Anna, Fanny's Daughter * '' The Mistress'' (1962) as The Girl * ''Pan'' (1962) as Edvarda * ''

All These Women ''All These Women'' ( sv, För att inte tala om alla dessa kvinnor), originally released as ''Now About These Women'' in the UK, is a 1964 Swedish comedy film directed by Ingmar Bergman. It is a parody of Federico Fellini's ''8½''. Along with ...

'' (1964) as Humlan * ''Juninatt'' (1965) as Britt * ''

Ön ''Ön'' ( en, The Island) is a 1966 Swedish drama film directed by Alf Sjöberg. At the 3rd Guldbagge Awards Sjöberg won the award for Best Director. The film was also entered into the 1966 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Per Myrberg as Count Mag ...

'' (1966) as Marianne * '' About Love'' (1966) as Woman at the aerodrome * '' My Sister, My Love'' (1966) as Charlotte / Sister * ''

'' (1966) as Ellen Grange * ''

'' (1966) as Alma * ''

Pardon, Are You for or Against? ''Pardon, Are You For or Against?'' ( it, Scusi, lei è favorevole o contrario?) is a 1966 Italian comedy film written, directed and starred by Alberto Sordi. The title refers to debates on the issue of divorce, still illegal in Italy at the time ...

'' (1966) as Ingrid * ''Le viol'' (1967) as Marianne Séverin * '' The Girls'' (1968) as Liz Lindstrand * ' (1968) as Elin Pappila * ''Tænk på et tal'' (1969) as Jane Merrild / Alice Badram * ''

Blow Hot, Blow Cold ''Blow Hot, Blow Cold'' ( it, Violenza al sole, also known as ''The Island'') is a 1969 Italian thriller-drama film directed by Florestano Vancini. Plot A complex love story in the setting of a summer holiday in the beautiful islands off the coa ...

'' (1969) as Margit Lindmark * ''

'' (1969) as Eva Vergérus / Self * ''

'' (1970) as Erika Kosnov * ''

Story of a Woman ''Story of a Woman'' is a 1970 Italian-American drama romance film written, produced and directed by Leonardo Bercovici and starring Bibi Andersson, Robert Stack and James Farentino. Plot A Swedish girl studying to be a concert pianist in Rome ...

'' (1970) as Karin Ullman * '' The Touch'' (1971) as Karin Vergerus * ''Chelovek s drugoy storony'' (1972) as Britt Stagnelius * ' (1972) * ''Afskedens time'' (1973) as Elsa Jacobsen * ''

Scenes from a Marriage ''Scenes from a Marriage'' ( sv, Scener ur ett äktenskap) is a 1973 Swedish television miniseries written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. Over the course of six hour-long episodes, it explores the disintegration of the marriage between Maria ...

'' (1974) as Katarina * ' (1974) as Blanche Huysman * ''

It's Raining on Santiago It's Raining on Santiago (french: Il pleut sur Santiago) is a 1975 French-Bulgarian drama film directed by Helvio Soto, detailing the 1973 Chilean coup d'etat. The title is a code word the Chilean military had broadcast to signal the start of the ...

'' (1975) as Monique Calvé * '' Blondie'' (1976) as Patricia Tauling * '' I Never Promised You a Rose Garden'' (1977) as Dr. Fried * ''

'' (1978) as Catherine Stockmann * ' (1978) as Catherine Dumais * ''

'' (1979) as Ambrosia * ' (1979) as Laura * '' The Concorde ... Airport '79'' (1979) as Francine * ''Barnförbjudet'' (1979) as The Mother * ''

Marmalade Revolution ''Marmalade Revolution'' ( sv, Marmeladupproret) is a 1980 Swedish drama film directed by and starring Erland Josephson. It was entered into the 30th Berlin International Film Festival. Cast * Erland Josephson - Karl Henrik Eller * Bibi Anders ...

'' (1980) as Anna-Berit * ''Jag rodnar'' (1981) as Siv Andersson * ''

Exposed Expose, exposé, or exposed may refer to: News sources * Exposé (journalism), a form of investigative journalism * '' The Exposé'', a British conspiracist website Film and TV Film * ''Exposé'' (film), a 1976 thriller film * ''Exposed'' (1932 ...

'' (1983) as Margaret * ''Svarta fåglar'' (1983) as Simone Cambral * ''

A Hill on the Dark Side of the Moon ''A Hill on the Dark Side of the Moon'' ( sv, Berget på månens baksida) is a 1983 Swedish drama film about the life of the Russian mathematician Sofia Kovalevskaya, written by Agneta Pleijel and directed by Lennart Hjulström. Gunilla Nyroos w ...

'' (1983) as Ann-Charlotte Leffler * '' Sista leken'' (1984) as Viktor's Wife * '' Wallenberg: A Hero's Story'' (1985, TV Movie) as Maria 'Maj' Wallenberg * ''Huomenna'' (1986) as Singer * ''

Poor Butterfly "Poor Butterfly" is a popular song. It was inspired by Giacomo Puccini's opera '' Madame Butterfly'' and contains a brief musical quote from the Act two duet ''Tutti i fior'' in the verse. The music was written by Raymond Hubbell, the lyrics ...

'' (1986) as Gertrud * ''Los dueños del silencio'' (1987) as Marie-Louise Wallén, Ambassador * ''

Babette's Feast ''Babette's Feast'' ( da, Babettes Gæstebud) is a 1987 Danish drama film directed by Gabriel Axel. The screenplay, written by Axel, was based on the 1958 story of the same name by Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen). It was produced by Just Betzer, Bo ...

'' (1987) as Swedish Lady-in-Waiting * ''

Creditors A creditor or lender is a party (e.g., person, organization, company, or government) that has a claim on the services of a second party. It is a person or institution to whom money is owed. The first party, in general, has provided some property ...

'' (1988) as Tekla * ''Una estación de paso'' (1992) as Lise * '' The Butterfly's Dream'' (1994) as La madre * ''

Dreamplay ''Dreamplay'' ( no, Drømspel) is a 1994 Norwegian drama film directed by Unni Straume. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Ingvild Holm as Agnes * Bjørn Willberg Andersen as Lawyer * B ...

'' (1994) as Victoria * ''Det blir aldrig som man tänkt sig'' (2000) as Solveig Olsson * ''Anna'' (2000) as Annas Mor * '' Elina: As If I Wasn't There'' (2002) as Tora Holm * ''

The Lost Prince ''The Lost Prince'' is a British television drama about the life of Prince John – youngest child of Britain's King George V and Queen Mary – who died at the age of 13 in 1919. A Talkback Thames production written and directed by Stephen ...

'' (2003, TV Movie) as Queen Alexandra * ''När mörkret faller'' (2006) as Svärmodern * ''

Arn – The Knight Templar ''Arn: The Knight Templar'' ( sv, Arn: Tempelriddaren) is an epic film based on Jan Guillou's trilogy about the fictional Swedish Knight Templar Arn Magnusson. The film was released to cinemas in Sweden on 17 December 2007 and the sequel, '' Ar ...

'' (2007) as Moder Rikissa * '' Arn – The Kingdom at Road's End'' (2008) as Moder Rikissa * ''The Frost'' (2009) as The Widow Rat

Awards and honours

*2006:

Ibsen Centennial Commemoration Award The Ibsen Centennial Commemoration Award (Norwegian: ''Ibsenstatuetten'') was awarded by the Government of Norway in commemoration of playwright Henrik Ibsen on the occasion of the 2006 Ibsen Year, the 100th anniversary of Ibsen's death. The prize ...

* 73767 Bibiandersson, a minor planet discovered by

Eric Walter Elst Eric Walter Elst (30 November 1936 – 2 January 2022) was a Belgian astronomer at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Uccle and a prolific discoverer of asteroids. The Minor Planet Center ranks him among the top 10 discoverers of minor plan ...

, is named after her.

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Andersson, Bibi 1935 births 2019 deaths 20th-century Swedish actresses 21st-century Swedish actresses Swedish film actresses Swedish stage actresses Swedish television actresses Actresses from Stockholm Best Actress Guldbagge Award winners Best Supporting Actress Guldbagge Award winners Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress winners Eugene O'Neill Award winners Litteris et Artibus recipients Silver Bear for Best Actress winners Spouses of politicians Deaths from cerebrovascular disease