Pernilla August (; born Mia Pernilla Hertzman-Ericson; 13 February 1958) is 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 ...

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

. Being one of

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

's leading actresses and a longtime collaborator with director

Ingmar Bergman Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film director, screenwriter, Film producer, producer and playwright. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time, his films are known ...

, she won the

Best Actress Award Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress award ...

at the

1992 Cannes Film Festival The 45th Cannes Film Festival was held from 7 to 18 May 1992. The Palme d'Or went to the ''Den goda viljan'' by Bille August. The festival opened with ''Basic Instinct'', directed by Paul Verhoeven and closed with ''Far and Away'', directed by Ro ...

for her role in his ''

The Best Intentions ''The Best Intentions'' ( sv, Den goda viljan) is a 1992 Swedish drama film directed by Bille August and written by Ingmar Bergman. It is semi-autobiographical, telling the story of the complex relationship between Bergman's parents, Erik Bergm ...

''. She is best known internationally for portraying

Shmi Skywalker The Skywalker family is a fictional legendary human family in the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Within the series' fictional universe, the Skywalkers are presented as a bloodline with strong inherent capabilities related to the Force and sometimes ...

in ''

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace ''Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace'' is a 1999 American Epic film, epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It stars Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Ahmed Best, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Dan ...

'' and '' Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones''.

Career

Actor

August started acting during her childhood in theatre and at school. Her professional acting career started in 1975 when director

Roy Andersson Roy Arne Lennart Andersson (born 31 March 1943) is a Swedish film director, best known for ''A Swedish Love Story'' (1970), '' About Endlessness'' (2019) and his "Living trilogy," which includes '' Songs from the Second Floor'' (2000), '' You, ...

cast her in a minor role in the film ''

Giliap ''Giliap'' is a 1975 Swedish drama film directed by Roy Andersson, starring Thommy Berggren as a man who takes a job as a waiter at a run-down hotel. It was a financial and critical failure, and it led to Andersson's not making another feature fil ...

'' the same year, followed from 1979 by films by other directors, Vilgot Sjöman (among them, the film about

Alfred Nobel Alfred Bernhard Nobel ( , ; 21 October 1833 – 10 December 1896) was a Swedes, Swedish chemist, engineer, inventor, businessman, and Philanthropy, philanthropist. He is best known for having bequeathed his fortune to establish the Nobel ...

, 1983) and

Lasse Hallström Lars Sven "Lasse" Hallström (; born 2 June 1946) is a Swedish film director. He first became known for directing almost all the music videos by the pop group ABBA, and subsequently became a feature film director. He was nominated for an Acade ...

. She studied acting at

Swedish National Academy of Mime and Acting The National Academy of Mime and Acting (NAMA) ( sv, Teaterhögskolan i Stockholm), was a school in Stockholm for acting and mime. This institution was also known under additional different names in English, including Stockholm University College o ...

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 ...

1979–82. Before finishing her studies, she attracted the attention of

, who cast her in his film ''

Fanny and Alexander ''Fanny and Alexander'' ( sv, Fanny och 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. ...

'' (1982), playing the nanny in the director's romanticised portrait of his childhood. That marked the beginning of two decades of collaboration, collecting several international awards, including television series ''

'' (1991), where she portrayed Bergman's mother and met her second husband to be, director Bille August, and TV-productions ''

Private Confessions ''Private Confessions'' ( sv, Enskilda samtal) is a 1996 Swedish drama film directed by Liv Ullmann and written by Ingmar Bergman. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival. ''Private Confessions'' is a ...

'' (1996), directed by

Liv Ullmann Liv Johanne Ullmann (born 16 December 1938) is a Norwegian actress and film director. Recognised as one of the greatest European actresses of all time, Ullmann is known as the muse and frequent partner of filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. She acted in m ...

and Bergman's own ''

In the Presence of a Clown ''In the Presence of a Clown'' ( sv, Larmar och gör sig till) is a television film by Ingmar Bergman, recorded for Swedish television in 1997 with Bergman as a director. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section of the 1998 Cannes Film Fes ...

'' (1997). She also starred in Bo Widerberg's ''

The Serpent's Way ''The Serpent's Way'' ( sv, Ormens väg på hälleberget) is a 1986 Swedish drama film directed by Bo Widerberg. It is based on the novel The Way of a Serpent by Torgny Lindgren. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1987 ...

'' (1986) as well as his TV-production of

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

's ''

The Wild Duck ''The Wild Duck'' (original Norwegian title: ''Vildanden'') is an 1884 play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It is considered the first modern masterpiece in the genre of tragicomedy. ''The Wild Duck'' and ''Rosmersholm'' are "often t ...

'' (1989). Among the many

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

n and international films are also Bille August'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),

Richard Hobert Richard Hobert (born 1 December 1951, in Kalmar) is a Swedish scriptwriter and film director. Career Hobert studied political science, languages and film and theatre at the Lund University from 1970 to 1973. He debuted as a radio playwright in 19 ...

's ''Where the Rainbow Ends'' (1999) ranted her a Guldbagge Award as Best actress">Guldbagge_Award.html" ;"title="ranted her a Guldbagge Award">ranted her a Guldbagge Award as Best actressand ''The Birthday'' (2000], ''I Am Dina'' (2002), Björn Runge's ''Om jag vänder mig om''/''If I Turn Around'' (2003) [a Silver Bear at Berlin International Film Festival 2004 and more Best actress awards], [ er Fly's ''

Manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th cen ...

'' (2005), Swedish-

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

ese ''

Miss Kicki Miss Kicki is a 2009 Swedish-Taiwanese co-production film. It was Norwegian–Taiwanese director Håkon Liu's first motion picture. Plot Kicki (Pernilla August) has, after several years abroad, returned to Sweden. Her 17-year-old son - Viktor (L ...

'' (2009) and Jan Troell's ''Truth and Consequence'' (2012). At the

Royal Dramatic Theatre The Royal Dramatic Theatre ( sv, Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern, 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 the ...

in Stockholm, she has acted in several plays, starting 1981, several directed by Ingmar Bergman and touring internationally. These include Ophelia in

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 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 ...

's ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'' (1986) part she has also played in another Swedish television film, 1985 August Strindberg's '' A Dream Play'' (1986), Nora in

's '' A Doll's House'' (1989), Hermione in Bergman's special version of ''

A Winter's Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some criti ...

'' (1994), the title role in

Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, and philosopher. During the last seventeen years of his life (1788–1805), Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friendsh ...

's '' Mary Stuart'' (2000) and Helene Alving in

Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

's ''

Ghosts A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

'' (2002). She also worked with Russian director Jurij Ljubimov in

Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...

's ''A Feast in the Time of Plague'' (1996). In 1983-84, she worked at Folkteatern i Gävleborg (The Folk Theatre in Gävleborg) with director

Peter Oskarson Peter Oskarson (born 1951) is a Swedish theatre director and actor from Stockholm.Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

's '' Three Sisters''. In 2008, she acted in the stage production of ''

Steel Magnolias ''Steel Magnolias'' is a 1989 American comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross and starring Academy Award winner Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis and Julia Roberts. The picture is a film adaptation ...

'' in Stockholm. She had appeared in two episodes of '' The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles'' in 1993. Many in the

English-speaking world Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the '' Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest languag ...

know her best as

, the mother of

Anakin Skywalker Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...

, from ''

'' (1999), and its sequel ''

Attack of the Clones Attack may refer to: Warfare and combat * Offensive (military) * Charge (warfare) * Attack (fencing) * Strike (attack) * Attack (computing) * Attack aircraft Books and publishing * ''The Attack'' (novel), a book * '' Attack No. 1'', comic ...

'' (2002). She shared the role as Virgin Mary in ''

Mary, Mother of Jesus Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

'' (1999) with

Melinda Kinnaman Melinda Rosalie Kinnaman (born 9 November 1971) is a Swedish-American actress. Life and career Kinnaman was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to American parents Dee and Steve Kinnaman. Her paternal half-brother Joel Kinnaman is also an actor. By age ...

. She played a significant role in the Swedish film '' Sprängaren'' (2001) alongside

Helena Bergström Helena Kristina Bergström Nutley (born 5 February 1964) is a Swedish actress and film director. From an acting family, she began her career in 1982. She has appeared on the stages of the Royal Dramatic Theatre (''Dramaten'') and the Stockholm ...

. In 2011, she reprised her role as Shmi Skywalker in the third season of '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' for the episode "Overlords", which aired in 2011. She played the recurring character of Queen Kristina of Sweden in the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

series '' Young Royals'', which premiered in 2021.

Director

After her directorial debut with the 2005 short film ''Time Bomb'' (''Blindgångare''), she debuted as feature-film director and

in 2010 with ''

Beyond Beyond may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Beyond'' (1921 film), an American silent film * ''Beyond'' (2000 film), a Danish film directed by Åke Sandgren, OT: ''Dykkerne'' * ''Beyond'' (2010 film), a Swedish film directed b ...

'', starring

Noomi Rapace Noomi Rapace (; ; born 28 December 1979) is a Swedish actress.Karen Olsson, ''The New York Times Magazine'', 27 May 2012, p. 26. She achieved international fame with her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish film adaptations of the ''Mil ...

and

Ola Rapace Ola may refer to: Places Panama *Olá, a subdistrict in Coclé Province *Olá District Russia *Ola, Russia, an urban settlement in Magadan Oblast *Ola District, an administrative division in Magadan Oblast *Ola (river), a river in Magadan Obla ...

. The film was selected as the Swedish entry for the

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

at the 84th Academy Awards and was much awarded with Swedish Guldbagge Awards and more; August won for Best Director and Best Script. In October 2011, August was asked to direct a new Danish drama series, ''Arvingerne'', an offer she accepted. The series premiered on DR on 1 January 2014. Her two youngest daughters have cameos in the series.

Awards

Among many international awards and nominations, at the

she won the award for Best Actress, for her role in Bille August's ''

''. For the same film she also won the Best Actress award at the

28th Guldbagge Awards The 28th Guldbagge Awards ceremony, presented by the Swedish Film Institute, honored the best Swedish films of 1992, and took place on 1 March 1993. ''House of Angels'' directed by Colin Nutley was presented with the award for Best Film. Winne ...

. In 2002 she was honored with the Royal Swedish medal

Litteris et Artibus Litteris et Artibus is a Swedish royal medal established in 1853 by Charles XV of Sweden, who was then crown prince. It is awarded to people who have made important contributions to culture, especially music, dramatic art and literature. The ob ...

for her artistic work.

Personal life

August was born in

. She has been married twice and changed her name both times. Her first marriage was in 1982 to

Klas Östergren Klas Östergren (born 20 February 1955) is a Swedish novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, and translator. Östergren had a breakthrough with his fourth novel ''Gentlemen'' in 1980. He has been awarded numerous Swedish literary prizes, su ...

, with whom she has one daughter; the marriage ended in divorce in 1989. The second marriage was in 1991 to Bille August, with whom she has two daughters; this marriage also ended in divorce, this time in 1997. She has three daughters: Agnes, Asta, and

Alba ''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scottish people, Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed i ...

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:August, Pernilla 1958 births Living people Actresses from Stockholm Swedish film actresses Swedish film directors Swedish stage actresses Swedish television actresses Eugene O'Neill Award winners Litteris et Artibus recipients Best Actress Guldbagge Award winners Best Supporting Actress Guldbagge Award winners Best Director Guldbagge Award winners Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress winners Swedish women film directors 20th-century Swedish actresses 21st-century Swedish actresses