Sven Justus Fredrik Wollter (11 January 1934 – 10 November 2020) was a Swedish actor, writer, and political activist. Wollter is one of the most renowned Swedish actors, he was awarded Best Swedish actor twice. In his native country, he became widely known through his role as Madame Flod's son Gusten in Swedish Television's adaption of '' The People of Hemsö'' by

August 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 ...

in 1966. Later he had several notable roles, including in 1976 when he played Detective Sergeant Lennart Kollberg in

Bo Widerberg Bo Gunnar Widerberg (; 8 June 1930 – 1 May 1997) was a Swedish film director, writer, editor and actor. Biography Early life Widerberg was born in Malmö, Malmöhus County, Sweden. Career Widerberg was the director of films such as ''Rave ...

's film ''

The Man on the Roof ''The Man on the Roof'' ( sv, Mannen på taket) is a 1976 Swedish police procedural- thriller film directed by Bo Widerberg. It is based on the 1971 novel ''The Abominable Man'' by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö. The film stars Carl-Gustaf Lindste ...

''. For international viewers, he is best known for his role Victor in the dramatic film '' The Sacrifice'' by Andrei Tarkovsky, and for a wider television audience as the retired Detective Chief Inspector Van Veeteren in the cinematic adaptations of

Håkan Nesser Håkan Nesser (born 21 February 1950) is a Swedish author and teacher who has written a number of successful novels, mostly but not only crime fiction. He has won Best Swedish Crime Novel Award three times, and his novel ''Carambole'' won the pre ...

's police novels.

Biography

Sven Wollter was born in Gothenburg, Sweden. He was the son of editor Kjell Wollter (1884–1950) and Elsa, née Ekwall (1905–1980). After studying 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 Streamlin ...

's student school 1953–1957, Wollter worked at a number of smaller Swedish theaters such as the Pionjärteatern 1954-1958 and the Bygdeteatern 1959. He was later employed at The

Riksteatern Riksteatern is the name of the popular ''"National Touring Theatre"/"National Theatre Company"'' (~Eng. transl.) in Sweden. It's the biggest theatre company on tour in Sweden and can, in one way, almost be described as Sweden's national stage ...

1960–1961, The Norrköping City Theatre 1961–1963, The

Vasateatern Vasateatern or ''"Vasan"'' (English: ''Vasa Theatre'') is a private theatre in Stockholm, Sweden. It is located at Vasagatan 19–21 in central Stockholm. History The theater was designed by Fredrik Ekberg (1837- 1898) and inaugurated in 1886. ...

1964–1966 and The

Swedish Television 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 ...

Theatre 1966–1967. He then returned to The Gothenburg City Theater where he performed 1967–1983, then at the Folkteatern i Gävleborg 1983–1986 followed by The Stockholm City Theatre as of 1986. Wollter starred in many films such as Andrei Tarkovsky's '' The Sacrifice'' (1986),

's ''

'' (1976) and ''

The Man from Majorca ''The Man from Majorca'' ( sv, Mannen från Mallorca) is a 1984 Swedish crime thriller film directed by Bo Widerberg. It is based on the novel ''The Pig Party'' by Leif G. W. Persson. The film stars Sven Wollter and Tomas von Brömssen. The nove ...

'' (1984),

Colin Nutley Colin James Nutley (born 28 February 1944) is an English director successful in the Swedish film industry. Career Nutley went to Portsmouth Art College and began his career in British television as a graphic designer. He then turned to drama an ...

's ''

House of Angels ''House of Angels'' ( sv, Änglagård) is a Swedish drama film which was released to cinemas in Sweden on 21 February 1992, about a little village in Västergötland, Sweden, where an aging recluse lives in a mansion on a large wooded property. O ...

'' (1992), and

Bille August Bille August (born 9 November 1948) is a Danish director, screenwriter, and cinematographer of film and television. In a career spanning over four decades, he has been the recipient of numerous accolades, making him one of the most acclaimed co ...

's ''

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

'' (1996), based on the novel by

Selma Lagerlöf Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf (, , ; 20 November 1858 – 16 March 1940) was a Swedish author. She published her first novel, '' Gösta Berling's Saga'', at the age of 33. She was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, which she wa ...

. For his roles in ''The Man from Majorca'' and '' Sista leken'' he won the award for Best Actor at the 20th Guldbagge Awards. He appeared in television series such as ''The People of Hemsö'' (1966), based on the 1887 novel of the same name by

, and ''Raskens'' (1976), based on the 1927 novel of the same name by

Vilhelm Moberg Karl Artur Vilhelm Moberg (20 August 1898 – 8 August 1973) was a Swedish journalist, author, playwright, historian, and debater. His literary career, spanning more than 45 years, is associated with his series ''The Emigrants''. The four ...

, which helped launch Wollter's career. In later years he has played Van Veeteren in

's thriller series. He has also been in many plays. Wollter has starred in Hollywood productions such as

John McTiernan John Campbell McTiernan Jr. (born January 8, 1951) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for his action films, especially ''Predator'' (1987), '' Die Hard'' (1988), and ''The Hunt for Red October'' (1990). His later well-known films incl ...

's ''

The 13th Warrior ''The 13th Warrior'' is a 1999 American historical fiction action film based on Michael Crichton's 1976 novel ''Eaters of the Dead'', which is a loose adaptation of the tale of ''Beowulf'' combined with Ahmad ibn Fadlan's historical account of the ...

'' (1999), in which he played a

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

chief.

Political activism

Wollter was active in the Swedish communist movement since his youth and was a longtime member of the fringe Swedish

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...

(formerly KPML(r)). His activities included the theatre ensemble Fria Proteatern and the successful

Tältprojektet ''Tältprojektet'' – ''The Tent Project'' (Sweden, 1977) was a musical theater performance on the history of the Swedish working class, which toured the country the summer of 1977 in a huge circus tent. The group included over 100 people, musici ...

, ''The Tent Project'', a musical theatre performance based on the history of the Swedish working class that toured the country the summer of 1977. In 2018, he received the controversial Lenin Award of 100,000 Swedish krona (about 10,000 euro], a cultural award named after

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...

Personal life

Wollter had five children; Ylva (1962–1992) and

Stina Wollter ''Stina'' Margareta Ulrika Wollter (born 24 May 1964) is a Swedish artist, television presenter and author. She is the daughter of actor Sven Wollter. Wollter works mostly as an artist but also does illustration, speaker and radio presenting. Sh ...

(born 1964) together with Annie Jenhoff, Lina Wollter together with Evabritt Strandberg, Karl Seldahl (born 1975) together with Viveka Seldahl and the youngest child Magnus together with Maria Lindgren. From 2003 until his death he was married to

Lisa Wede Inga-Lisa Wede (born 27 September 1951 in Övertorneå Municipality, Sweden) is a Swedish journalist, working for Sveriges Radio. From 2003 until his death in 2020 she was married to the actor Sven Wollter Sven Justus Fredrik Wollter (11 Janu ...

Death

Wollter died on 10 November 2020, in Luleå, Sweden, from complications caused by

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

which he had been infected by during a visit to

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 ...

. Prior to contracting the coronavirus, Wollter was diagnosed with

COPD Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of progressive lung disease characterized by long-term respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. The main symptoms include shortness of breath and a cough, which may or may not produce ...

according to his daughter Stina Wollter. He was 86 years old.

Filmography

*1959: ''

Rider in Blue ''Rider in Blue'' (Swedish: ''Ryttare i blått'') is a 1959 Swedish mystery thriller film directed by Arne Mattsson and starring Annalisa Ericson, Gunnel Broström and Bengt Brunskog.Krawc p.557 It was shot at the Centrumateljéerna Studios in S ...

'' as Press Photographer (uncredited) *1966: ''Hemsöborna'' (TV Mini Series) as Gusten *1967: ''

I Am Curious (Yellow) ''I Am Curious (Yellow)'' (, meaning "I Am Curious: A Film in Yellow") is a 1967 Swedish erotic drama film written and directed by Vilgot Sjöman, starring Sjöman and Lena Nyman. It is a companion film to 1968's ''I Am Curious (Blue)''; the t ...

'' as Captain (uncredited) *1968: ''Jag älskar, du älskar'' as Sten *1969: ''Nej'' (Short) *1973: ''Ett köpmanshus i skärgården'' (TV Series) as Janne *1974: ''Rymmare'' (TV Movie) as Klas *1975: ''Gyllene år'' (TV Series) as Björn Bjurhoff *1975: ''

The White Wall ''The White Wall'' ( sv, Den vita väggen) is a 1975 Swedish drama film written and directed by Stig Björkman. It was entered into the 9th Moscow International Film Festival where Harriet Andersson won the award for Best Actress. Cast * Ha ...

'' as Kjell Larsson *1976: ''Raskens'' (TV Series) as Gustav 'Raskens' Rask *1976: ''

'' as Lennart Kollberg *1978: ''Strandfyndet'' (TV Series) as Direktör Sallberg *1979: ''Linus eller Tegelhusets hemlighet'' as Daniel *1979: ''Charlotte Löwensköld'' as Foundry Proprietor Schagerström *1981: ''Sista budet'' as Police Inspector *1981: ''Kallocain'' (TV Mini Series) as Leo Kall *1983: ''Jacob Smitaren'' as Doctor *1983: ''Profitörerna'' (TV Series) as Jarnebring *1984: '' Sista leken'' as Viktor *1984: ''

'' as Inspector Jarnebring *1985: ''Havlandet'' as Matti *1986: '' The Sacrifice'' as Victor *1986: ''I lagens namn'' as Jarnebring *1987: ''En film om kärlek'' as Peter *1987: '' Friends'' as Zeb *1988: ''Ein Treffen mit Rimbaud'' as Hinrich *1988: ''Enkel resa'' as Johannes *1988: ''Sweetwater'' as Doc *1989: ''Husbonden – piraten på Sandön'' (TV Movie) as Peter *1989-1991: ''Tre kärlekar'' (TV Series) as Eskil Enekrona *1990: ''Smykketyven'' as Jan Ström *1991: ''Menekse Koyu'' as Kerem *1992: ''

'' as Axel Flogfält *1993: ''Dockpojken'' as Fadern *1994: ''

House of Angels – The Second Summer ''House of Angels – The Second Summer'' ( sv, Änglagård – andra sommaren) is a 1994 in film, 1994 Swedish drama film directed by Colin Nutley starring Helena Bergström, Rikard Wolff, Ron Dean, and Ernst Günther. It is the second Swedish dr ...

'' as Axel Flogfält *1995: ''Alfred'' as Alfred Nobel *1996: ''

'' as Stor-Ingmar *1997: ''

Oliver & Company ''Oliver & Company'' is a 1988 American animated musical adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released on November 18, 1988, by Walt Disney Pictures. The 27th Disney animated feature film, it is loosely based on the Cha ...

'' as Sykes (voice in Swedish redub) *1998: ''

The Tattooed Widow ''The Tattooed Widow'' (Swedish: ''Den tatuerade änkan'') is a Swedish International Emmy Award winning TV movie from 1998, written and directed by Lars Molin. The film is centered on the 60 plus woman Ester, played by Mona Malm. Ester is li ...

'' (TV Movie) as Erik Sandström *1998: ''Ögat'' as Poliskommissarien *1998: ''Ivar Kreuger'' (TV Series) as Häradshövding Wallenberg *1999: ''

'' as King Hrothgar *1999: ''Sally'' (TV Series) as Rolf 'Roffe' Santesson *2000: ''Det grovmaskiga nätet'' (TV Series) as Van Veeteren *2000: '' A Song for Martin'' as Martin *2001: ''

Kaspar i Nudådalen ''Kaspar i Nudådalen'' (''"Kaspar in the Nudå Valley"'') was the Sveriges Television's Christmas calendar ''Swedish Television's Christmas calendar'' ( sv, Sveriges Televisions julkalender) or ''Swedish Television's Advent calendar'' ( sv, Sve ...

'' (TV Series) as Perols Erik *2001: ''Återkomsten'' as Van Veeteren *2001: ''Kvinna med födelsemärke'' (TV Series) as Van Veeteren *2001: '' Kira's Reason: A Love Story'' as Kira's Father *2002: ''Suxxess'' as Sigvard *2002: ''

Dieselråttor & sjömansmöss ''Dieselråttor & sjömansmöss'' (''"Diesel Rats & Sailor Mice"'') was the Sveriges Television's Christmas calendar in 2002. Plot Two children and a group of rats are the main characters. The rats live on board a ship, and have shrunk the childr ...

'' as Mäster Estragon *2002: ''

Treasure Planet ''Treasure Planet'' is a 2002 American animated science fiction action-adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The 43rd Disney animated feature film, it is a science fiction adaptat ...

'' as John Silver (voice in Swedish dub) *2005: ''Molly i världen'' as The narrator *2005: ''Van Veeteren – Carambole'' as Van Veeteren *2005: ''Störst av allt'' as Aron P Johansson *2005: '' Van Veeteren – Münsters fall'' as Van Veeteren *2005: ''Van Veeteren – Borkmanns punkt'' as Van Veeteren *2006: ''Van Veeteren – Moreno och tystnaden'' as Van Veeteren *2006: ''Sigillet'' as Vete von Vanders *2006: ''Van Veeteren – Svalan, Katten, Rosen, Döden'' as Van Veeteren *2006: ''Van Veeteren – Fallet G'' as Van Veeteren *2007: '' Elias: The Little Rescue Boat'' as The Royal Yacht (Swedish version, voice) *2009: '' Gnomes and Trolls: The Secret Chamber'' (Swedish dub) as Fassa (voice) *2010: ''

House of Angels – Third Time Lucky ''House of Angels – Third Time Lucky'' ( sv, Änglagård – tredje gången gillt) is a Swedish film directed by Colin Nutley. It premiered on 25 December 2010 in Swedish cinemas. It is the third film of the ''Änglagård'' film trilogy. Cast ...

'' as Axel Flogfält *2012: ''Flimmer'' as Barnard *2012: ''Samlaren'' (Short) as Lennart *2015: ''Våga älska'' as Piloten *2017: ''Solsidan'' as Maurtiz Schiller *2018: ''Videomannen'' as Grannen - The Neighbor *2022: '' The House'' as Odd Couple Husband

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wollter, Sven 1934 births 2020 deaths People from Gothenburg Swedish male film actors Sommar (radio program) hosts Swedish communists Best Actor Guldbagge Award winners 20th-century Swedish male actors 21st-century Swedish male actors Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden