Olof Algot Lennart Svahn, later Olof Lennart Swahn (8 April 1927 – 27 August 2008) 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 ...

journalist and radio and television personality.

Early life

Swahn was born on 8 April 1927 in Stockholm, Sweden, the son of Karl Algot Swahn (1900–1976), a salesman, and his wife Ellen Fryklund (1904–1999). He had a 15-year younger brother, Eigil Svahn. He graduated from ''Stockholms stads handelsgymnasium'' in 1947

Career

Swahn was a reporter for the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

from 1948 to 1950 as well as for the newspaper ''

Arbetaren ''Arbetaren'' (''The Worker'') is a Swedish syndicalist newspaper. Founded in 1922, it has been published by the anarcho-syndicalist union SAC Syndikalisterna SAC Syndikalisterna ( sv, Sveriges Arbetares Centralorganisation) is a syndicali ...

'' and Sveriges Radio from 1950 to 1953. Swahn worked as a music critic for the newspaper '' Stockholms-Tidningen'' from 1953 to 1957 and studied at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

in the

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in 1955. He was a PR man for

Svensk Filmindustri SF Studios is a Swedish film and television production and distribution company (both Swedish and international) with headquarters in Stockholm and local offices in Oslo, Copenhagen, Helsinki and London. The studio is owned by Nordic media cong ...

in 1957 and opera and ballet critic for the journal ''Scen och Salong'' from 1957 and culture reporter for Sveriges Radio from 1960. Swahn was producer for ''Riksronden'' and '' På minuten'' and music and entertainment programs on radio and television. When he in the early 1970s came to television and became the host of the cafe program ''Halvsju'' he became nationally famous. He was TV host for ''Riksronden'', ''På minuten'', ''Babbel'', ''Halvsju'', ''Gäster med gester'' (''

Give Us a Clue ''Give Us a Clue'' is a British televised game show version of charades which was broadcast on ITV from 1979 to 1992. The original host was Michael Aspel from 1979 to 1984, followed by Michael Parkinson from 1984 to 1992. The show featured two ...

''), ''Razzel'' and ''Blåsningen''. He also presented New Year's concerts and the

Nobel Banquet The Nobel Banquet ( sv, Nobelfesten) is an annual banquet held on 10 December in the Blue Hall of Stockholm City Hall, after the Nobel Prize ceremony. At the banquet, for which a formal dress code exists, a multi-course dinner is served and ent ...

as well as

Melodifestivalen 1986 Sweden was present at the Eurovision Song Contest 1986, held in Bergen, Norway. The Swedish national final, Melodifestivalen 1986, was held on 22 March at the Cirkus in Stockholm, and was broadcast across Sweden on SVT1. The winners were Las ...

together with Tommy Engstrand. Swahn was chairman of ''Stockholms sångarförbund'' from 1983.

Personal life and death

Swahn was for many years living with David Bonnier (born 1933), the son of publisher Kaj Bonnier and Ulla (née Wetterlind). Swahn and Bonnier lived together in an apartment, each with a door and nameplate on

Odengatan Odengatan is a major street in the districts Vasastan and Östermalm in central Stockholm. It is connected to Vallhallavägen, from where it passes Stockholm Public Library, Odenplan, Gustaf Vasa Church and Vasaparken up to S:t Erikspla ...

in Stockholm. Two weeks before his death Swahn changed his address to Bonnier's summer house in Tyresö, where he spent much of his final time. Swahn moved to Maria Regina Hospice in Nacka in March 2008 where he spent four months. In late July 2008, Swahn was admitted to Södersjukhuset in Stockholm. On 19 August 2008 he was transferred to the

Handen Handen (also known as Haninge Centrum) is a part of Metropolitan Stockholm and the seat of Haninge Municipality (Haninge Kommun) in Stockholm County in eastern Sweden. Handen had around 15 092 inhabitants in 2018. Geographically and statistically ...

Hospital where he died a week later. Swahn was buried at Tyresö Begravningsplats close to Tyresö Church.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Swahn, Lennart 1927 births 2008 deaths Swedish television hosts Radio and television announcers Journalists from Stockholm Swedish LGBT broadcasters Swedish LGBT journalists 20th-century Swedish LGBT people