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

. 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

'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.

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 Gösta Ce ...

'' (1940) - Freedom Fighter * '' Hanna in Society'' (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'' (1942) - Linus Tallhagen * ''

Nothing Is Forgotten ''Nothing Is Forgotten'' (Swedish: ''Man glömmer ingenting'') is a 1942 Swedish drama film directed by Åke Ohberg and starring Edvin Adolphson, Gerd Hagman and Marianne Löfgren.Qvist & Von Bagh p.30 It was shot at the Centrumateljéerna St ...

'' (1942) - Student at art school (uncredited) * '' Night in Port'' (1943) - John * ''När ungdomen vaknar'' (1943) - Lennart * '' Sonja'' (1943) - Bengt * ''

Gentleman with a Briefcase ''Gentleman with a Briefcase'' (Swedish: ''Herre med portfölj'') is a 1943 Swedish drama film directed by Ragnar Arvedson and starring Georg Rydeberg, Irma Christenson and Anne-Margrethe Björlin.Qvist & Von Bagh p.96 It was shot at the Cent ...

'' (1943) - Stig * ''Tre söner gick till flyget'' (1945) - Erik * '' The Rose of Tistelön'' (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'' (1946) - Tjuven * '' Dynamite'' (1947) - Allan Axelson * '' Marianne'' (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 depi ...

'' (1955, TV Movie) - Hamlet, prins av Danmark * ''

Stage Entrance ''Stage Entrance'' was an American variety show broadcast on the now-defunct DuMont Television Network. It aired in a 15-minute time-slot, a common time-slot during the 1950s. Broadcast history The series, hosted by Broadway columnist Earl Wilso ...

'' (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 ...

'' (1958) - Erik Jonsson * '' The Magician'' (1958) - Johan Spegel * '' On a Bench in a Park'' (1960) - Sam Persson * ''Myten'' (1966) - Policeman / Social Worker / Guard / Doctor * '' Here Is Your Life'' (1966) - Byberg * '' Life's Just Great'' (1967) - The Neighbour * ''Ola & Julia'' (1967) - Max * '' Who Saw Him Die?'' (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