Nils Bengt Folke Ekerot (8 February 1920 – 26 November 1971) was a Swedish actor best known for portraying Death in ''

The Seventh Seal ''The Seventh Seal'' ( sv, Det sjunde inseglet) is a 1957 Swedish historical fantasy film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. Set in Sweden during the Black Death, it tells of the journey of a medieval knight (Max von Sydow) and a game of ch ...

'' (1957) directed by Ingmar Bergman. In 1956, he directed the world premiere of '' Long Day's Journey into Night'', the masterpiece of US playwright

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Nobel Prize in Literature, literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama tech ...

Early life

Ekerot was born in Stockholm.

Career

He had several roles in Swedish films, but in Ingmar Bergman's ''

'' (1957) he portrayed

Death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

as a white-faced man in a black cloak. The decision to perform the role in this way was a joint decision between the actor and director. Bergman wrote in his autobiography ''Images: My Life in Film'' that the two men "agreed that Death should wear a clown mask, a white clown’s mask. A fusion of a clown mask and a skull." He also appeared in Bergman's 1958 film, '' The Magician'' (also released as ''Ansiktet'' (lit. Swedish: "The Face") as Johan Spegel, an ailing

vaudevillian Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

Death

A man with a self-destructive personality, health issues from smoking and excessive drinking affected Ekerot's later career resulting in him losing potential roles. He died from lung cancer in 1971.

Partial filmography

* ''

They Staked Their Lives ''They Staked Their Lives'' ( sv, Med livet som insats) is a 1940 Swedish drama film directed by Alf Sjöberg. Cast * Aino Taube as Wanda * Åke Ohberg as John * Anders Henrikson as Max (as Anders Henriksson) * Gösta Cederlund as Baker * Holge ...

'' (1940) - Freedom Fighter * ''

Hanna in Society ''Hanna in Society'' (Swedish: ''Hanna i societén'') is a 1940 Swedish comedy film directed by Gunnar Olsson and starring Rut Holm, Carl Barcklind and Elsa Carlsson.Krautz p.428 The film's art direction was by Max Linder and Bibi Lindström ...

'' (1940) - Fred Hummerberg * '' The Talk of the Town'' (1941) - Sven Törring * ''Snapphanar'' (1941) - Lille-Jonas * ''Lågor i dunklet'' (1942) - Åke Kronström, Student (uncredited) * ''

We House Slaves ''We House Slaves'' (Swedish: ''Vi hemslavinnor'') is a 1942 Swedish comedy film directed by Schamyl Bauman and starring Dagmar Ebbesen, John Botvid and Ernst Eklund.Qvist & Von Bagh p.44 It was shot at the Centrumateljéerna Studios in Stockholm ...

'' (1942) - Linus Tallhagen * '' Nothing Is Forgotten'' (1942) - Student at art school (uncredited) * ''

Night in Port ''Night in Port'' (Swedish: ''Natt i hamn'') is a 1943 Swedish drama film directed by Hampe Faustman and starring Sigurd Wallén, Birgit Tengroth and Alf Kjellin.Qvist & Von Bagh p.87 It was shot at the Råsunda Studios in Stockholm. The film's ...

'' (1943) - John * ''När ungdomen vaknar'' (1943) - Lennart * '' Sonja'' (1943) - Bengt * '' Gentleman with a Briefcase'' (1943) - Stig * ''Tre söner gick till flyget'' (1945) - Erik * ''

The Rose of Tistelön ''The Rose of Tistelön'' (Swedish: ''Rosen på Tistelön'') is a 1945 Swedish historical romantic drama film directed by Åke Ohberg and starring Eva Henning, John Ekman and Arnold Sjöstrand.Krawc p.383 It was shot at the Centrumateljéerna S ...

'' (1945) - Anton, hennes bror * ''Fram för lilla Märta eller På livets ödesvägar'' (1945) - Radio Speaker (voice, uncredited) * ''

Crime and Punishment ''Crime and Punishment'' ( pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Преступление и наказание, Prestupléniye i nakazániye, prʲɪstʊˈplʲenʲɪje ɪ nəkɐˈzanʲɪje) is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. ...

'' (1945) - Studenten * ''13 stolar'' (1945) - Clerk (uncredited) * '' Brita in the Merchant's House'' (1946) - 'Paniken' * ''

Interlude Interlude may refer to: *a short play or, in general, any representation between parts of a larger stage production *''Entr'acte'', a piece of music performed between acts of a theatrical production *a section in a movement of a musical piece, se ...

'' (1946) - Tjuven * '' Dynamite'' (1947) - Allan Axelson * ''

Marianne Marianne () has been the national personification of the French Republic since the French Revolution, as a personification of liberty, equality, fraternity and reason, as well as a portrayal of the Goddess of Liberty. Marianne is displayed in ...

'' (1953) - Companion (uncredited) * ''

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 ...

'' (1955, TV Movie) - Hamlet, prins av Danmark * '' Stage Entrance'' (1956) - Johan Eriksson * ''

'' (1957) - Death * ''

The Jazz Boy ''The Jazz Boy'' (Swedish: ''Jazzgossen'') is a 1958 Swedish musical film directed by Hasse Ekman and starring Ekman, Maj-Britt Nilsson, Elof Ahrle and Georg Funkquist.Gustafsson p.118 The film was an attempt to make a nostalgical cavalcade of t ...

'' (1958) - Erik Jonsson * '' The Magician'' (1958) - Johan Spegel * ''

On a Bench in a Park ''On a Bench in a Park'' (Swedish: ''På en bänk i en park'') is a 1960 Swedish thriller (genre), thriller film written and directed by Hasse Ekman.Qvist & Von Bagh p.37 He also stars, together with Sigge Fürst, Bengt Ekerot and Lena Granhagen. ...

'' (1960) - Sam Persson * ''Myten'' (1966) - Policeman / Social Worker / Guard / Doctor * ''

Here Is Your Life ''Here Is Your Life'' ( sv, Här har du ditt liv) is a Swedish coming-of-age film directed by Jan Troell. It was released to cinemas in Sweden on 26 December 1966, The film is based on a novel of the same name, the second of Eyvind Johnson's semi ...

'' (1966) - Byberg * ''

Life's Just Great ''Life's Just Great'' ( sv, Livet är stenkul) is a 1967 Swedish drama film directed by Jan Halldoff. It was entered into the 17th Berlin International Film Festival. Cast * Inger Taube as Britt * Maj Nielsen as Maj * Keve Hjelm as Roland * ...

'' (1967) - The Neighbour * ''Ola & Julia'' (1967) - Max * ''

Who Saw Him Die? ''Who Saw Him Die?'' ( sv, Ole dole doff) is a 1968 black-and-white Swedish film about a liberal teacher struggling with the demands of teaching a classroom of unruly children. The screenplay is by Clas Engström, based on his own novel. The film ...

'' (1968) - Eriksson * ''Korridoren'' (1968) - Birger Olsson (final film role)

References

External links

* * 1920 births 1971 deaths Deaths from lung cancer Male actors from Stockholm 20th-century Swedish male actors Swedish film directors Deaths from cancer in Sweden {{Sweden-actor-stub