Gunn Wållgren (born Gunnel Margaret Haraldsdotter Wållgren; ; (16 November 1913 – 4 June 1983) was a
Swedish stage and film actress.
She is best remembered for her role in
Ingmar Bergman's film
Fanny and Alexander
''Fanny and Alexander'' () is a 1982 Historical drama, period drama film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. The plot focuses on two siblings and their large family in Uppsala, Sweden during the first decade of the twentieth century. Follow ...
.
[Svenskt kvinnobiografiskt lexikon (Biographical Dictionary of Swedish Women) website ''Gunnel (Gunn) Margaret Haraldsdotter Wållgren'']
/ref>
Personal Life
Gunn Wållgren was born in Gothenburg
Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...
on 16 November 1913. In her teenage years, she began performing with a local children's theater group. Her father did not support her aspirations, and in an attempt to distract her, he sent her overseas on a trip to Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
. Gunn persisted in her ambition to pursue a career in acting. She secretly applied for the Royal Dramatic Theatre
The Royal Dramatic Theatre (, 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 theatre has been at its present lo ...
's acting school in Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
in 1934 and was admitted. One of her teachers was Hilda Borgström
Hilda Teresia Borgström (13 October 1871 – 2 January 1953) was a Swedish stage and film actress.
Biography
Born in 1871 in Stockholm, Borgström made her film debut in 1912. She starred in leading parts in Victor Sjöström's silent film ...
, the famous Swedish film and stage actor.[Internet Movie DataBase website, profile page]
/ref>
In 1941, Wållgren married Hampe Faustman
Erik "Hampe" Faustman (born Erik Stellan Chatham; 3 July 1919 – 26 August 1961) was a Swedish actor and film director. He appeared in more than 20 films between 1940 and 1961. He also directed 20 films between 1943 and 1955. He was married to ...
(born Erik Stellan Chatham), an actor and film director and they had two daughters, Susanne and Elaine. They divorced in 1948.
Career
Theater
Wållgren was awarded her first major role in 1936, at the Royal Dramatic Theatre
The Royal Dramatic Theatre (, 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 theatre has been at its present lo ...
portraying Mildred in Eugene O'Neill
Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of Realism (theatre), realism, earlier associated with ...
's ''Ah, Wilderness!,'' which was a long-running production. Wållgren received an immediate contract with the Royal Dramatic Theatre after her graduation from drama school in 1937. Despite working at different theatres throughout her life, Wållgren always returned to the Swedish national stage. Stage performances by Wållgren include her portrayal of Sorel Bliss in Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...
's ''Hay Fever
Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of rhinitis, inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. It is classified as a Allergy, type I hypersensitivity re ...
'' in 1937, Celia in Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
's ''As You Like It
''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...
'' 1938 (directed by Alf Sjöberg
Sven Erik Alf Sjöberg (21 June 1903 – 17 April 1980) was a Sweden, Swedish theatre director, theatre and film director. He won the Palme d'Or, Grand Prix du Festival at the Cannes Film Festival twice: in 1946 for ''Torment (1944 film), Torment ...
), Curley's wife in the original Swedish staging of John Steinbeck
John Ernst Steinbeck ( ; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social percep ...
's ''Of Mice and Men'' in 1940, Iphigenia in Goethe
Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...
's ''Iphigenia in Tauris
''Iphigenia in Tauris'' (, ''Iphigeneia en Taurois'') is a drama by the playwright Euripides, written between 414 BC and 412 BC. It has much in common with another of Euripides's plays, ''Helen (play), Helen'', as well as the lost play ''Andromed ...
'' 1941, Ophelia
Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama ''Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet. Due to Hamlet's actions, Ophelia ultima ...
in the classic 1942 staging of ''Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
'' (opposite Lars Hanson
Lars Mauritz Hanson (26 July 1886 – 8 April 1965) was a Swedish film and stage actor, internationally mostly remembered for his motion picture roles during the silent film era.
Biography
Born in Göteborg, Sweden, Hanson began his career on t ...
in the title role), Mary Grey/Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc ( ; ; – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...
in ''Joan of Lorraine'' by Maxwell Anderson
James Maxwell Anderson (December 15, 1888 – February 28, 1959) was an American playwright, author, poet, journalist, and lyricist.
Anderson faced many challenges in his career, frequently losing jobs for expressing his opinions or supporting ...
in 1948, Catherine Sloper in ''The Heiress
''The Heiress'' is a 1949 American romantic drama film directed and produced by William Wyler, from a screenplay written by Ruth and Augustus Goetz, adapted from their 1947 stage play of the same title, which was itself adapted from Henry Jam ...
'' by Ruth
Ruth (or its variants) may refer to:
Places France
* Château de Ruthie, castle in the commune of Aussurucq in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département of France
Switzerland
* Ruth, a hamlet in Cologny
United States
* Ruth, Alabama
* Ruth, Ark ...
and Augustus Goetz in the 1950/51 season, Indra's daughter in the Olof Molander
Olof Johan Harald Molander (8 October 1892 – 26 May 1966) was a Swedish theatre and film director. He was most notable for his many Strindberg and Shakespeare productions.
Biography
Molander was born in Helsinki. He was the son of the dir ...
-staging of 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 60 play ...
's ''A Dream Play
''A Dream Play'' (), sometimes staged in English as ''The Dream Play'', is a fantasy play in 14 scenes written in 1901 by the Swedish playwright August Strindberg. It was published in Swedish in 1902 and first performed in Stockholm on 17 April ...
'' 1955, Nina in Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...
's ''The Seagull
''The Seagull'' () is a play by Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov, written in 1895 in literature, 1895 and first produced in 1896 in literature#Drama, 1896. ''The Seagull'' is generally considered to be the first of his four major plays. It dramati ...
'' 1955, Masha in Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...
's '' Three Sisters'' 1958, Isabella in Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
's ''Measure for Measure
''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604. It was published in the First Folio of 1623.
The play centers on the despotic and puritan Angelo (Measure for ...
'' 1958, Nora in Ibsen
Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...
's ''A Doll's House
''A Doll's House'' (Danish language, Danish and ; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act Play (theatre), play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 De ...
'' 1962, Gerda 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 60 play ...
's ''Storm'' 1964, Mrs. Alving in Ibsen
Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...
's ''Ghosts
In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...
'', the grand portrayal of Madame Liubov Andreievna Ranevskaya in ''The Cherry Orchard
''The Cherry Orchard'' () is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by '' Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate edition later that year in Saint Petersburg, via A.F. Marks Pu ...
'' by Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...
in 1967, Martha Brewster in '' Arsenic and Old Lace'' in 1970, the title role of ''Agnes'' in Kent Andersson's 1972 play, Lena in Fugard's ''Boesman and Lena'' 1977 and Ethel Thayer in ''Sista Sommaren'' (play based on the film '' On Golden Pond'', starring Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress whose Katharine Hepburn on screen and stage, career as a Golden Age of Hollywood, Hollywood leading lady spanned six decades. She was known for her headstrong ...
in the same role) in 1981.
Film
Wållgren's film debut was in '' Sonja'' in 1943, but her breakthrough came with '' Kvinnor i fångenskap'' the same year, where Wållgren portrayed a young prisoner on the run. She had roles in films such as '' Flickan och djävulen'' (opposite Stig Järrel
Stig Järrel (8February 19101July 1998) was a Swedish actor, film director and revue artist. Järrel was one of the most popular actors in Sweden during his career, and also one of the most productive, participating in a total of 131 films. He a ...
) 1944, '' Var sin väg'' 1946, '' Medan porten var stängd'' 1946 (written & directed by Hasse Ekman
Hasse Ekman (born Hans Gösta Ekman; 10September 191515February 2004) was a Swedish director, actor, writer and producer for film, stage and television.
Biography
Hasse Ekman is probably Sweden's most successful and critically acclaimed film ...
), '' Kvinna utan ansikte'' 1947 (with an early script by Ingmar Bergman
Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film and theatre director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential film directors of all time, his films have been described as "profoun ...
), '' Glasberget'' 1953 (directed by Hasse Ekman
Hasse Ekman (born Hans Gösta Ekman; 10September 191515February 2004) was a Swedish director, actor, writer and producer for film, stage and television.
Biography
Hasse Ekman is probably Sweden's most successful and critically acclaimed film ...
) and '' Klänningen''1964 (directed by Olof Molander
Olof Johan Harald Molander (8 October 1892 – 26 May 1966) was a Swedish theatre and film director. He was most notable for his many Strindberg and Shakespeare productions.
Biography
Molander was born in Helsinki. He was the son of the dir ...
with a script by 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 ...
), among others.
Her supporting role in Gunnel Lindblom
Gunnel Märtha Ingegärd Lindblom (18 December 1931 – 24 January 2021) was a Swedish film actress and director.
Career
As an actress, Lindblom was particularly associated with the work of Ingmar Bergman, though in 1965 she performed the l ...
's debating drama '' Sally och friheten'' (1981) ( Sally and Freedom) about a woman dealing with painful memories and the reality of an abortion earned her the Guldbagge Award
The Guldbagge Awards (, ) is an official and annual Sweden, Swedish film awards ceremony honoring achievements in the Swedish film industry. Winners are awarded a statuette depicting a Cetonia aurata, rose chafer, better known by the name Guldbagg ...
(the Golden Beetle) for Best Actress.Ingmar Bergman
Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film and theatre director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential film directors of all time, his films have been described as "profoun ...
's film ''Fanny och Alexander
''Fanny and Alexander'' () is a 1982 period drama film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. The plot focuses on two siblings and their large family in Uppsala, Sweden during the first decade of the twentieth century. Following the death of t ...
'' (1982), which was the last role of her life.
Death
Shortly after filming ''Fanny and Alexander'', Wållgren was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Filmography
* ''Imprisoned Women
''Imprisoned Women'' (Swedish: ''Kvinnor i fångenskap'') is a 1943 Swedish drama film directed by Olof Molander and starring Gunnar Sjöberg, Elsie Albiin and Gunn Wållgren.Gustafsson p.151 It was made at the Centrumateljéerna Studios in Sto ...
'' (1943) as Viola
* ''The Sixth Shot
''The Sixth Shot'' (Swedish: ''Sjätte skottet'') is a 1943 Swedish drama film directed by Hasse Ekman and starring Edvin Adolphson, Karin Ekelund and Gunn Wållgren.Gustafsson p.58
Plot summary
Two people who feel unsuccessful meet one eveni ...
'' (1943) as Lulu
* '' Sonja'' (1943) as Sonja's Room-mate
* ''Ordet
''Ordet'' (, meaning " The Word" and originally released as ''The Word'' in English) is a 1955 Danish drama film, written and directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer. It is based on a play by Kaj Munk, a Danish Lutheran priest, first performed in 1932. ...
'' (1943) as Kristina
* '' The Girl and the Devil'' (1944) as Karin
* '' The Emperor of Portugallia'' (1944) as Klara Fina Gulleborg
* ''Crime and Punishment
''Crime and Punishment'' is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published in the literary journal '' The Russian Messenger'' in twelve monthly installments during 1866. '' (1945) as Sonja
* '' The Journey Away'' (1945) as Ellen Andersson
* ''Desire
Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like "wanting", "wishing", "longing" or "craving". A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of affa ...
'' (1946) as Ingrid
* '' While the Door Was Locked'' (1946) as Marianne Sahlen
* '' Harald the Stalwart'' (1946) as Peasant woman
* ''Woman Without A Face
''Woman Without a Face'' () is a 1947 Swedish drama film directed by Gustaf Molander and written by Ingmar Bergman.
Cast
* Alf Kjellin as Martin Grandé
* Anita Björk as Frida Grandé
* Gunn Wållgren as Rut Köhler
* Stig Olin as Ragnar ...
'' (1947) as Rut Köhler
* '' Each to His Own Way'' (1948) as Birgit Sundell
* '' The Nuthouse'' (1951) as Maggan
* '' The Glass Mountain'' (1953) as Otti Moreus
* ''The Dress
The dress was a 2015 online viral phenomenon centred on a photograph of a dress. Viewers disagreed on whether the dress was blue and black, or white and gold. The phenomenon revealed differences in human colour perception and became the su ...
'' (1964) as Helen Fürst
* ''Asmodeus'' (1966, TV film) as Madame de Berthas
* ''Kvinnas man'' (1966, TV film) as Lotta Friman
* ''Tartuffe'' (1966, TV Movie) as Elmire
* ''Fadren'' (aka 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 60 play ...
's ''The Father'') (1967, TV film) as Laura
* ''Gengångare'' (aka Ibsen
Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...
's ''Ghosts
In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...
'') (1967, TV Movie) as Candida
* '' Miss and Mrs Sweden'' (1969) as Rose Persson-Silvergrå
* ''Frida och hennes vän'' (1970, TV Mini-Series) as Fridas mor
* ''Söderkåkar'' (1970, TV Mini-Series) ) as Hanna Johnsson
* '' The Man Who Quit Smoking'' (1972) as Aunt Gunhild
* ''Kvartetten som sprängdes'' (1973, TV series) as Mrs. Åvik
* ''Rulle på Rulseröd'' (1974, TV Series) as Farmor
* ''Agnes'' (1974, TV film) as Agnes
* ''Förvandlingen'' (1976) as Gregor's Mother
* ''Leva livet'' (1976, TV film) as Mrs. Blom
* ''The Brothers Lionheart
''The Brothers Lionheart'' () is a children's fantasy novel written by Astrid Lindgren. Well established as one of the most widely read and beloved books for children in Sweden, it was originally published in the autumn of 1973 and has since been ...
'' (1977) as Sofia
* ''Strandvaskeren'' (1978, TV Series) as Grandmother
* ''Svartskallen'' (1981, TV film) as Inez Bergman
* '' Sally and Freedom'' (1981) as Sally's Mother
* ''Fanny and Alexander
''Fanny and Alexander'' () is a 1982 Historical drama, period drama film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. The plot focuses on two siblings and their large family in Uppsala, Sweden during the first decade of the twentieth century. Follow ...
'' (1982) as Helena Ekdahl - Ekdahlska huse
Awards
*The 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 ...
(1959)
*The Swedish Theatre Critics
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 ...
' Award (1962)
*The Guldbagge Award
The Guldbagge Awards (, ) is an official and annual Sweden, Swedish film awards ceremony honoring achievements in the Swedish film industry. Winners are awarded a statuette depicting a Cetonia aurata, rose chafer, better known by the name Guldbagg ...
for Best Actress (1981)
See also
*The Gunn Wållgren Award
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wallgren, Gunn
1913 births
1983 deaths
Deaths from cancer in Sweden
Eugene O'Neill Award winners
Litteris et Artibus recipients
Best Actress Guldbagge Award winners
20th-century Swedish actresses
Actresses from Gothenburg