Berit Elisabet Andersson (11 November 1935 – 14 April 2019), known professionally as Bibi Andersson (), was a Swedish actress who was best known for her frequent collaborations with filmmaker

Ingmar Bergman Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film and theatre director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential film directors of all time, his films have been described as "profoun ...

Early life and career

Andersson was born in Kungsholmen, Stockholm, the daughter of Karin (''

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

'' Mansion), a

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...

er, and Josef Andersson, a businessman. Her first collaboration with

came in 1951, when she participated in his production of an advertisement for the

detergent A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with Cleanliness, cleansing properties when in Concentration, dilute Solution (chemistry), solutions. There are a large variety of detergents. A common family is the alkylbenzene sulfonate ...

Bris. She also worked as an extra on film sets as a teenager, and studied acting at the Terserus Drama School and at the Royal Dramatic Theatre School (1954–1956). She then joined the

Royal Dramatic Theatre The Royal Dramatic Theatre (, 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 theatre has been at its present lo ...

in Stockholm. In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, Andersson starred in 10 motion pictures and three television films directed by Bergman. With

Ingrid Thulin Ingrid Lilian Thulin (; 27 January 1926 – 7 January 2004) was a Swedish actress and director who collaborated with filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. She was often cast as harrowing and desperate characters, and earned acclaim from both Swedish and in ...

Eva Dahlbeck Eva Elisabet Dahlbeck (8 March 1920 – 8 February 2008) was a Swedes, Swedish stage, film, and television actress. She received a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film ''Brink of Life'' (1958). Dahlbeck ...

and Barbro Hiort af Ornäs, she shared the Best Actress Prize at the

1958 Cannes Film Festival The 11th Cannes Film Festival took place from 2 to 18 May 1958. French writer Marcel Achard served as Jury President for the main competition. The '' Palme d'Or'' was awarded to '' The Cranes Are Flying'' by Mikhail Kalatozov. Juries The follo ...

for the director's '' Brink of Life'', a film set in a maternity ward. The other films included ''

The Seventh Seal ''The Seventh Seal'' () 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 chess he plays with the p ...

'', '' Wild Strawberries'', '' The Magician'', '' The Passion of Anna'', '' The Touch'', and ''

Persona A persona (plural personae or personas) is a strategic mask of identity in public, the public image of one's personality, the social role that one adopts, or simply a fictional Character (arts), character. It is also considered "an intermediary ...

''. In 1963, Andersson won the

Silver Bear for Best Actress The Silver Bear for Best Actress () was an award presented at the Berlin International Film Festival from 1956 to 2020. It was given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance and was chosen by the International Jury from the fil ...

at the 13th Berlin International Film Festival for her performance in Vilgot Sjöman's '' The Mistress''.

From the mid-1960s onwards

Andersson's intense portrayal of a nurse in the film ''Persona'' (1966) – in which actress Elizabet Vogler (

Liv Ullmann Liv Johanne Ullmann (born 16 December 1938) is a Norwegian actress and filmmaker. Recognised as one of the greatest European actresses of all time, Ullmann is known as the muse and frequent collaborator of filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, whom she date ...

), suffering from a psychosomatic condition, is mostly mute – involved her delivering the majority of the dialogue. For her performance in ''Persona'', she won the award for Best Actress at the 4th Guldbagge Awards. That year, she was seen alongside

James Garner James Scott Garner (né Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, which included ''The Great Escape (film), The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Ch ...

and

Sidney Poitier Sidney Poitier ( ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was a Bahamian-American actor, film director, activist, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. Among his ot ...

in the Western '' Duel at Diablo''. More Bergman collaborations followed, and she worked with

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics. He rec ...

('' The Kremlin Letter'', 1970) and

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer, producer. He is considered an enduring figure from the New Hollywood era, known for directing subversive and sat ...

('' Quintet'', 1979, with

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and activist. He was the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Paul Newman, numerous awards ...

). She was actor

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of counterculture of the 1960s, 1960s counterculture, made him a top box office draw for his films of the late ...

's co-star in his only film with credit as a producer, a stage adaptation by

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...

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 ...

's ''

An Enemy of the People ''An Enemy of the People'' (original Norwegian title: ''En folkefiende'') is an 1882 play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen that explores the conflict between personal integrity and societal norms. The play centers on Dr. Thomas Stockmann, w ...

'' (1977). Andersson made her debut in American theatre in 1973 with a production of Erich Maria Remarque's ''Full Circle''. Her most famous American film is '' I Never Promised You a Rose Garden'' (1977), which also starred

Kathleen Quinlan Kathleen Denise Quinlan (born November 19, 1954) is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her Golden Globe-nominated performance in the 1977 film of the novel ''I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (film), I Never Promised ...

. In 1990, Andersson worked as a theatre director in Stockholm, directing several plays at Dramaten. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, she worked primarily in television and as a theatre actress, working with Bergman and others. She was also a supervisor for the Road to Sarajevo, a humanitarian project.

Personal life

In 1996, Andersson published her autobiography, ''Ett ögonblick'' (''A Moment'', or, literally, ''A Blink of the Eye''). She was married first to the director Kjell Grede (1960, divorced) with whom she had a daughter; and secondly to politician and writer

Per Ahlmark Per Axel Ahlmark (15 January 1939 – 8 June 2018) was a Swedish politician and writer. He was the leader of the Liberal People's Party from 1975 to 1978, and Minister for Employment and Deputy Prime Minister in the Swedish government from 197 ...

(1979, divorced). Andersson then married Gabriel Mora Baeza on 29 May 2004. In 2009, she had a stroke; an article published the following year says that from that time on she had been hospitalized and was unable to speak. She was the younger sister of Swedish film actress Gerd Andersson. Andersson died on 14 April 2019, aged 83 from complications of a stroke.

Selected filmography

Andersson appeared in the following films: * '' Miss Julie'' (1951) as Dancing girl (uncredited) * '' U-Boat 39'' (1952) as Girl on the train (uncredited) * '' The Beat of Wings in the Night'' (1953) as Student at Tornelius' party (uncredited) * '' Stupid Bom'' (1953) as Elvira * '' Sir Arne's Treasure'' (1954) as Berghild * '' A Night at Glimmingehus'' (1954) as Maj Månsson * '' The Girl in the Rain'' (1955) as Lilly * '' Smiles of a Summer Night'' (1955) * '' Egen ingång'' (1956) as Karin Johansson * '' Last Pair Out'' (1956) as Kerstin * ''

'' (1957) as Mia / Mary - Jof's wife * '' Mr. Sleeman Is Coming'' (1957, TV Movie) as Anne-Marie * '' Summer Place Wanted'' (1957) as Mona Dahlström * '' Wild Strawberries'' (1957) as Sara / Hitchhiker * ''

You Are My Adventure ''You Are My Adventure'' () is a 1958 Swedish comedy film directed by Stig Olin. Plot Tore works as a journalist at the Daily News in Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population ...

'' (1958) as Christina Blom * '' Brink of Life'' (1958) as Hjördis Petterson * ''

Rabies Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals. It was historically referred to as hydrophobia ("fear of water") because its victims panic when offered liquids to drink. Early symptoms can include fever and abn ...

'' (1958, TV Movie) as Eivor * '' The Magician'' (1958) as Sara Lindqvist * '' The Beloved Game'' (1959) as Lena * '' The Wedding Day'' (1960) as Sylvia Blom * '' The Devil's Eye'' (1960) as Britt-Marie * ''Karneval'' (1961) as Monika * '' Square of Violence'' (1961) as Maria * '' The Pleasure Garden'' (1961) as Anna, Fanny's Daughter * '' The Mistress'' (1962) as The Girl * ''Pan'' (1962) as Edvarda * '' All These Women'' (1964) as Humlan * ''Juninatt'' (1965) as Britt * '' Ön'' (1966) as Marianne * '' About Love'' (1966) as Woman at the aerodrome * '' My Sister, My Love'' (1966) as Charlotte / Sister * '' Duel at Diablo'' (1966) as Ellen Grange * ''

'' (1966) as Alma * '' Pardon, Are You for or Against?'' (1966) as Ingrid * ''Le viol'' (1967) as Marianne Séverin * '' The Girls'' (1968) as Liz Lindstrand * ' (1968) as Elin Pappila * ' (1969) as Jane Merrild / Alice Badram * '' Blow Hot, Blow Cold'' (1969) as Margit Lindmark * '' The Passion of Anna'' (1969) as Eva Vergérus / Self * '' The Kremlin Letter'' (1970) as Erika Kosnov * '' Story of a Woman'' (1970) as Karin Ullman * '' The Touch'' (1971) as Karin Vergerus * ''Chelovek s drugoy storony'' (1972) as Britt Stagnelius * ' (1972) * ''Afskedens time'' (1973) as Elsa Jacobsen * '' Scenes from a Marriage'' (1974) as Katarina * ' (1974) as Blanche Huysman * '' It's Raining on Santiago'' (1975) as Monique Calvé * '' Blondie'' (1976) as Patricia Tauling * '' I Never Promised You a Rose Garden'' (1977) as Dr. Fried * ''

'' (1978) as Catherine Stockmann * ' (1978) as Catherine Dumais * '' Quintet'' (1979) as Ambrosia * ' (1979) as Laura * '' The Concorde ... Airport '79'' (1979) as Francine * ''Barnförbjudet'' (1979) as The Mother * '' Marmalade Revolution'' (1980) as Anna-Berit * ''Jag rodnar'' (1981) as Siv Andersson * ''

Exposed Expose, exposé, or exposed may refer to: News sources * Exposé (journalism), a form of investigative journalism * '' The Exposé'', a British conspiracist website * '' Exeposé'', a student-run newspaper of the University of Exeter Film and TV ...

'' (1983) as Margaret * ''Svarta fåglar'' (1983) as Simone Cambral * '' A Hill on the Dark Side of the Moon'' (1983) as Ann-Charlotte Leffler * '' Sista leken'' (1984) as Viktor's Wife * '' Wallenberg: A Hero's Story'' (1985, TV Movie) as Maria 'Maj' Wallenberg * ''Huomenna'' (1986) as Singer * ''

Poor Butterfly "Poor Butterfly" is a popular song. It was inspired by Giacomo Puccini's opera '' Madame Butterfly'' and contains a brief musical quote from the Act two duet ''Tutti i fior'' in the verse. The music was written by Raymond Hubbell, the lyrics by ...

'' (1986) as Gertrud * ''Los dueños del silencio'' (1987) as Marie-Louise Wallén, Ambassador * ''

Babette's Feast ''Babette's Feast'' () is a 1987 Danish drama film directed by Gabriel Axel. The screenplay, written by Axel, was based on the 1958 story by Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen). It was produced by Just Betzer, Bo Christensen and Benni Korzen, with f ...

'' (1987) as Swedish Lady-in-Waiting * ''

Creditors A creditor or lender is a Party (law), party (e.g., person, organization, company, or government) that has a claim on the services of a second party. It is a person or institution to whom money is owed. The first party, in general, has provided ...

'' (1988) as Tekla * ''Una estación de paso'' (1992) as Lise * '' The Butterfly's Dream'' (1994) as La madre * '' Dreamplay'' (1994) as Victoria * ''Det blir aldrig som man tänkt sig'' (2000) as Solveig Olsson * ''Anna'' (2000) as Annas Mor * '' Elina: As If I Wasn't There'' (2002) as Tora Holm * '' The Lost Prince'' (2003, TV Movie) as Queen Alexandra * ''När mörkret faller'' (2006) as Svärmodern * '' Arn – The Knight Templar'' (2007) as Moder Rikissa * '' Arn – The Kingdom at Road's End'' (2008) as Moder Rikissa * ''The Frost'' (2009) as The Widow Rat

Awards and honours

*2006: Ibsen Centennial Commemoration Award * 73767 Bibiandersson, a minor planet discovered by

Eric Walter Elst Eric Walter Elst (30 November 1936 – 2 January 2022) was a Belgian astronomer at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Uccle and a prolific discoverer of asteroids. The Minor Planet Center ranks him among the top 10 discoverers of minor planets ...

, is named after her.

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Andersson, Bibi 1935 births 2019 deaths 20th-century Swedish actresses 21st-century Swedish actresses Swedish film actresses Swedish stage actresses Swedish television actresses Actresses from Stockholm Best Actress Guldbagge Award winners Best Supporting Actress Guldbagge Award winners Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress winners Eugene O'Neill Award winners Litteris et Artibus recipients Silver Bear for Best Actress winners Spouses of politicians