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Frans Gösta Viktor Ekman (28 December 1890 – 12 January 1938) was a Swedish actor, director and singer. Generally spoken of as Swedish theatre's most legendary stage actor, Gösta Ekman enjoyed a prolific stage career during his short life, becoming the first real star of Swedish theatre. His boyish good looks attracted both sexes, helping to create a massive cult following and elevating him to the status of a living legend. Combined with a beautiful voice and a powerful stage presence, Ekman was able to captivate his audiences.


Biography


Career

He was known as a self-taught master of disguise with theatre make-up and costumes, Gösta Ekman was equally convincing as a farmer's son, an 18th-century middle-aged aristocrat, or an 80-year-old lunatic. His talent allowed him to act in comedies, tragedies, dramas, and operettas. He was convincing in all genres and as all types of characters. At different times, he also ran and supervised several private theatres 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 ...
, including the
Oscarsteatern Oscarsteatern (English language, English: Oscar Theatre), also known simply as Oscars, is one of Stockholm's private theatres and is the best-known musical theatre in Sweden. It is located at Kungsgatan (Stockholm), Kungsgatan 63 in central Stock ...
, the Vasateatern, and the Konserthusteatern. He was also head of the Gothenburg City Theatre in the 1930s. At the Vasateatern, which he ran from 1931 to 1935, he both directed and played the lead in several plays, while also producing a large number of productions. As a result, his time at the Vasateatern is considered to be the peak of his stage career. He first entered the stage as an extra in an operetta in 1907, but made his professional stage debut in the renowned Selander Company in 1911. The ghost of Gösta Ekman is still said to haunt his former dressing room at the theatre. Ekman started in films at the dawn of the Swedish film industry and played an important role in its development. One of his first film roles was in Victor Sjöström's experimental film '' Trädgårdsmästaren'' (1912). Later, he played the lead in the first Swedish talkie, '' For Her Sake'' (1930). Ekman also acted in two films that would gain international recognition: F. W. Murnau's silent film classic ''
Faust Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...
'', where he played the title character, and in the original 1936 version of ''
Intermezzo In music, an intermezzo (, , plural form: intermezzi), in the most general sense, is a composition which fits between other musical or dramatic entities, such as acts of a play or movements of a larger musical work. In music history, the term ha ...
'', where he played a world-famous violinist opposite
Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman (29 August 191529 August 1982) was a Swedish actress.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', 1 September 1982. With a career spanning five decades, Bergman is often regarded as one of the most influential screen figures in cin ...
in her breakout role. But they had in fact already acted opposite each other in the Swedish 1935 movie '' Swedenhielms'' where they share a couple of wonderful scenes alone together as their characters have a heart-to-heart conversation on life and love; among the most memorable moments in the film. His best on-screen credit is often said to be his King Charles XV/Leonard Pettersson in film comedy '' Kungen kommer'' (1936), where Ekman masterfully plays a double-role in the film; first the king and then also the king's lookalike; an actor who is hired by members of the Royal Court to impersonate His Majesty at a private party. Naturally the real king later arrives at the party causing a number of confusions and comic mix-ups. Ekman also made a number of successful song recordings from his revue numbers, including songs "En herre i frack" (1935) – perhaps his most popular recording – and "Kvinnor och champagne" (Women and Champagne) in 1929.


Personal life

Early on, Gösta Ekman was labeled as a
workaholic A workaholic is a person who works Compulsive behavior, compulsively. A workaholic experiences an inability to limit the amount of time they spend on work despite negative consequences such as damage to their relationships or health. There is no ...
, sacrificing himself for his art and for his love of the theatre. Later, as his fame increased, his workload also increased. During the day, he would rehearse and direct plays. In the evening, he played leading roles in stage plays. Later at night, he would film. This busy schedule left him with relatively little free time. Furthermore, the free time he did have was spent carrying out his duties as the administrative director of the theatres he ran. In 1926, while filming ''
Faust Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...
'' in
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, he was introduced to
cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...
by two Scandinavians, who told him that cocaine would help him cope with his work schedule better. Sadly, this began a long-term drug addiction for the actor that slowly deteriorated his health and eventually caused his death 12 years later at the age of 47. In 1914, Gösta Ekman married Greta Sundström. Their son Hasse Ekman came to be one of Sweden's most successful film directors in the 1940s and 1950s. Gösta Ekman's grandson, Gösta Ekman Jr., also became well-known through his career as an actor and was considered to be one of Sweden's very finest actors. One of Hasse Ekman's movies, '' Kungliga patrasket'' from 1945 about a famous acting family, was partly based on his own upbringing in an acting family.


Selected filmography

*'' The Gardener'' (1912) * '' Mästerkatten i stövlar'' (1918) *'' Thora van Deken'' (1920) *'' Gyurkovicsarna'' (1920) * '' A Fortune Hunter'' (1921) * '' Vem dömer'' (1922) *'' The Eyes of Love'' (1922) *'' Charles XII's Courier'' (1924) * '' Unge greven ta'r flickan och priset'' (1924) * ''
Charles XII Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII () or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.), was King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of the House of ...
'' (1925) * ''
Faust Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...
'' (1926) * '' The Clown'' (1926) * '' A Perfect Gentleman'' (1927) *'' His English Wife'' (1927) * '' The Last Night'' (1928) * '' Gustaf Wasa'' (1928) * '' For Her Sake'' (1930) * '' Mach' mir die Welt zum Paradies'' (1930) * '' Colourful Pages'' (1931) * '' Dear Relatives'' (1933) * ''
Two Men and a Widow ''Two Men and a Widow'' (Swedish: ''Två man om en änka'') is a 1933 Swedish comedy film directed by John Lindlöf, written by Börje Larsson (director), Börje Larsson and starring Gösta Ekman (senior), Gösta Ekman, Gull-Maj Norin and Tollie Z ...
'' (1933) * '' Perhaps a Poet'' (1933) * ''
København, Kalundborg og - ? ''København, Kalundborg og - ?'' () is a 1934 Danish film directed by Ludvig Brandstrup and Holger-Madsen. The film stars Ludvig Brandstrup and Ib Schønberg. Many of the participating artists are popular Danish actors, but the cast also incl ...
'' (1934) * '' Swedenhielms'' (1935) * '' Kungen kommer'' (1936) * ''
Intermezzo In music, an intermezzo (, , plural form: intermezzi), in the most general sense, is a composition which fits between other musical or dramatic entities, such as acts of a play or movements of a larger musical work. In music history, the term ha ...
'' (1936) * '' Johan Ulfstjerna'' (1936) * '' Witches' Night'' (1937) * '' Än en gång Gösta Ekman'' (1940, edited and premiered after his death)


Selected stage work

*1936 – ''The Wild Duck'' by
Henrik 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 ...
(part: Hjalmar Ekdahl) *1935 – ''En förtjusande fröken'' by Ralph Benatzky *1935 – ''Köpmannen i Venedig
The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...
'' by
William 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 nation ...
(part: Shylock) *1934 – ''
Peer Gynt ''Peer Gynt'' (, ) is a five-Act (drama), act play in verse written in 1867 by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen. It is one of Ibsen's best known and most widely performed plays. ''Peer Gynt'' chronicles the journey of its title character fr ...
'' by
Henrik 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 ...
(title role) *1934 – ''Bödeln (The Hangman)'' by Pär Lagerkvist (title role) *1934 – ''
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 ...
'' by
William 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 nation ...
(title role) *1931 – ''Glada änkan (
The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' ( ) is an operetta by the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The Libretto, librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein (writer), Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's ...
)'' by
Franz Lehár Franz Lehár ( ; ; 30 April 1870 – 24 October 1948) was an Austro-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas, of which the most successful and best known is '' The Merry Widow'' (''Die lustige Witwe''). Life and career L ...
(part: Count Danilo) (operetta) *1928 – '' Broadway'' by
George Abbott George Francis Abbott (June 25, 1887January 31, 1995) was an American theatre producer, director, playwright, screenwriter, film director and producer whose career spanned eight decades. He received numerous honors including six Tony Awards, the ...
(part: Roy Lane) *1927 – ''Så tuktas en argbigga (
The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunke ...
)'' by
William 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 nation ...
(part: Petruchio) *1927 – '' Candida'' by
George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...
(part: Marchbanks) *1926 – ''Han som får örfilarna (He Who Gets Slapped)'' by Leonid Andreyev (leading role: HE) *1925 – ''Gösta Berlings saga (The Saga of Gosta Berling)'' by
Selma Lagerlöf Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf (, , ; 20 November 1858 – 16 March 1940) was a Swedish writer. 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 was ...
(reprise run; title role) *1924 – ''Graven (The Grave)'' by Paul Raynal *1923 – ''Gösta Berlings saga'' by
Selma Lagerlöf Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf (, , ; 20 November 1858 – 16 March 1940) was a Swedish writer. 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 was ...
(title role) *1923 – ''En herre i frack'' by André Picard ''(L'homme en habit)'' *1922 – ''Gustav Vasa'' 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 60 pla ...
(part: Erik XIV) *192? – ''Kameliadamen (The Lady of the Camellias)'' by
Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...
*1919 – ''
Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...
'' by
William 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 nation ...
(part: Romeo) *1916 – ''Gamla Heidelberg (Old Heidelberg)'' by W. Meyer-Förster *1915 – ''Lycko-Pers resa'' 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 60 pla ...
*1914 – ''Svanevit'' 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 60 pla ...
(part: The Prince) *1911 – ''Bröllopet på Ulfåsa (The Wedding at Ulfåsa)'' by Frans Hedberg (professional stage debut; part: Bengt Lagman)


Sources

* ''Från Gösta Ekman till Gösta Ekman - En bok om Hasse, far och son (From Gösta Ekman to Gösta Ekman - A Book on Hasse, Father and Son)'' by Bengt Forslund; Bengt Forslund och Askild & Kärnekull Förlag AB,
Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...
1982 (
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
). * ''Det var en gång (Den tänkande August Vol. 1 & 2)'' by Gösta Ekman, Albert Bonnier, Stockholm, 1935 (photos).


External links


Ekman society website
*
Photographs of Gösta Ekman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ekman, Gösta 1890 births 1938 deaths Male actors from Stockholm Swedish male film actors Swedish male silent film actors Swedish male stage actors Burials at Norra begravningsplatsen 20th-century Swedish male actors