Max von Sydow

Max von Sydow was a Swedish acting titan who left behind an indelible mark on both the silver and small screens. Born on April 10th, 1929, this Swedish/French dynamo began his acting career as a teen and went on to star in over 100 films! He was a master of languages, with credits in Swedish, Norwegian, English, Italian, German, Danish, French and Spanish to his name. His most iconic roles include knight Antonius Block in Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal, Jesus in George Stevens's The Greatest Story Ever Told, Father Merrin in Friedkin's The Exorcist, Joubert the assassin in Three Days of the Condor, and of course Ming the Merciless in the 1980 version of Flash Gordon. Max von Sydow was twice nominated for the Academy Award - Best Leading Actor for Pelle the Conqueror (1988) and Best Supporting Actor for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011). His roles were always larger than life, and it's no surprise that he was a favorite of directors, fans, and critics alike. But perhaps the most impressive thing about Max von Sydow was his longevity. He was still acting in his 90s, proving that his talent was truly timeless. His legacy will live on for many years to come, and his fans will continue to quote his most memorable lines: “Death comes to us all,” and “What kind of game is life?” Even in death, Max von Sydow left us with a joke: he passed away, appropriately enough, on March 8th - International Women's Day.