Gertrud Fridh (26 November 1921 – 11 October 1984) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

and

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

Biography

Born in

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

, Fridh later studied acting at

Gothenburg City Theatre Gothenburg City Theatre ( sv, Göteborgs stadsteater) opened in 1934 at Götaplatsen square in Gothenburg, Sweden. The theatre was designed by Swedish architect Carl Bergsten who gave the exterior a Neo-Classical look with a touch of Streamline M ...

's acting school from 1941 to 1944. She worked in the 1940s and 1950s at the city theatres in Gothenburg and

Malmö Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal populat ...

. At the latter she came in contact with director

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 ...

who directed her on stage and later would cast her in strong parts in some of his most memorable films, including '' Wild Strawberries'' (1957), '' The Magician / The Face'' (1958), ''

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), ''

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) and ''

Hour of the Wolf ''Hour of the Wolf'' ( sv, Vargtimmen, lit=The Wolf Hour) is a 1968 Swedish psychological horror film directed by Ingmar Bergman and starring Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann. The story explores the disappearance of fictional painter Johan Borg ...

'' (1967). From 1956 to 1978, Gertrud Fridh was part of the ensemble at Sweden's national stage, 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 ...

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

. There she performed a number of celebrated parts, from Titania in ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'' (1956) to Phaedra in

Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful e ...

' '' Hippolytus'' (1965) and The Mummy in

Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...

's ''

The Ghost Sonata ''The Ghost Sonata'' ( sv, Spöksonaten, links=no) is a play in three acts by the Swedish playwright August Strindberg. Written in 1907, it was first produced at Strindberg's Intimate Theatre in Stockholm on 21 January 1908. Since then, it has be ...

'' (1973). One of her most praised parts was her ''

Hedda Gabler ''Hedda Gabler'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage. The play has been can ...

'', in the legendary 1964 Dramaten production of the

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 ...

play, directed by Bergman. The successful production gave 89 performances, and she later guest performed in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

and

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Despite the fact that many Swedish actresses have taken on the role of Hedda Gabler over the years, in Sweden, Gertrud Fridh is still regarded as the definitive Hedda of all time.

Selected filmography

* ''

A Ship to India ''A Ship Bound for India'' ( sv, Skepp till Indialand) is a 1947 Swedish film directed by Ingmar Bergman. It was originally released as ''A Ship to India'' in the United Kingdom and ''Frustration'' in the United States. The screenplay was writ ...

'' (1947) * ''

Two Stories Up ''Two Stories Up'' or ''Across the Yard and Two Flights Up'' (Swedish: ''Två trappor över gården'') is a 1950 Swedish drama film directed by Gösta Werner and starring Gertrud Fridh, Bengt Eklund and Irma Christenson.Larsson & Marklund p.155 It ...

'' (1950) * ''

Jack of Hearts The jack of hearts is a playing card in the standard 52-card deck. Jack of Hearts may also refer to: * Jack of Hearts (Marvel Comics) (Jack Hart), a fictional superhero appearing in Marvel Comics * Jack of Hearts, a member of the Royal Flush Ga ...

'' (1950) * '' The White Cat'' (1950) * ''

The Yellow Squadron ''The Yellow Squadron'' (Swedish: ''Gula divisionen'') is a 1954 romantic drama film directed by Stig Olin and starring Lars Ekborg, Hasse Ekman and Ann-Marie Gyllenspetz.Qvist & Von Bagh p.111 It was released in the wake of the Korean War, set ...

'' (1954) * ''

Wild Birds ''Wild Birds'' ( sv, Vildfåglar) is a 1955 Swedish drama film directed by Alf Sjöberg and starring Maj-Britt Nilsson, Per Oscarsson and Ulf Palme.Qvist & Von Bagh p.121 It was shot at the Råsunda Studios in Stockholm and on location in Gothe ...

'' (1955) * '' Egen ingång'' (1956) * '' The Magician'' (1958) * ''

'' (1960) * '' Siska'' (1962) * ''

'' (1964) * ''

'' (1968)

Awards

Thaliapriset Thaliapriset (''Svenska Dagbladets Thaliapris'') is regarded to be one of Sweden's finest theatre awards (together with the Eugene O'Neill Award and The Gunn Wållgren Award) and is given annually to an actor, director or a theatre personality o ...

(1953) *

Eugene O'Neill Award The Eugene O'Neill Award (Swedish: ''O'Neill-stipendiet'') is one of Sweden's finest awards for stage actors. It is a scholarship for actors at the Swedish theater. It has been awarded annually by the Royal Dramatic Theatre since 1956. Histor ...

(1966)

Sources

History of Dramaten - Dramaten.se

External links

*
Gertrud Fridh at FACE TO FACE - IngmarBergman.sePhotographed with Ingmar Bergman in the 1960s - Bergmanorama.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fridh, Gertrud 1921 births 1984 deaths Swedish film actresses Swedish stage actresses Eugene O'Neill Award winners 20th-century Swedish actresses

Biography

Selected filmography

Awards

Sources

Further reading

External links