Bo Svenson
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Bo Svenson (born 13 February 1941) is a Swedish-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his roles in American
genre films Genre Films, usually credited as Kinberg Genre, is a production company founded by screenwriter-producer-director Simon Kinberg. History Genre Films in April 2010 signed a first-look deal with 20th Century Fox, which gave Fox "direct access" ...
of the 1970s and 1980s.


Early life

Svenson was born in Sweden, the son of Birger Ragnar Svensson (1917–?), an athlete and the personal driver and bodyguard for the
King of Sweden The monarchy of Sweden is centred on the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the #IOG, Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. by law a constitutional monarchy, constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parl ...
, and musician/big band leader Iris Viola "Lola" Svensson (1912–1998). Svenson emigrated to the United States when he was 17, joined the
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
, and served until his honorable discharge six years later. After his military service, Svenson settled in Florida, where he earned his living in various jobs, including professional race car driver. His first state of residence in the United States was Georgia, where he became familiar with the rural Southern accent he later employed in some of his roles.Bo Svenson profile
bosvenson.com; 26 February 2012.
He has since become a naturalized United States citizen. He also holds a fourth degree (''Yondan'') black belt in judo. He earned his first degree (''Shodan'') belt at
Kodokan The , or ''Kōdōkan'' (講道館), is the headquarters of the worldwide judo community. The ''kōdōkan'' was founded in 1882 by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo, and is now an eight-story building in Tokyo. Etymology Literally, ''kō'' ...
in Japan, the home dojo of Judo, while stationed in Japan in 1961 as a Marine. He was the 1961 Far East Judo Champion in the Heavyweight Division.


Career

In the late 1960s, Svenson had a recurring role in the TV series '' Here Come the Brides'' as Lumberjack Olaf "Big Swede" Gustavsen. He appeared in the 1973 made-for-TV movie ''
Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 Gothic novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a Sapience, sapient Frankenstein's monster, crea ...
'', in which he plays the "Creature". One of his first big-screen movie roles was opposite
Robert Redford Charles Robert Redford Jr. (born August 18, 1936) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received numerous accolades such as an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, as well as the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1994, the ...
in ''
The Great Waldo Pepper ''The Great Waldo Pepper'' is a 1975 American drama (film and television), drama film directed, produced, and co-written by George Roy Hill. Set during 1926–1931, the film stars Robert Redford as a disaffected World War I veteran Aviator, pi ...
'', where Redford and Svenson play rival ex-WWI U.S. Army Air Service pilots who are now employed in the hard and dangerous but wildly adventurous lives of 1920s
barnstorming Barnstorming was a form of entertainment in which stunt pilots performed tricks individually or in groups that were called flying circuses. Devised to "impress people with the skill of pilots and the sturdiness of planes," it became popular in t ...
pilots, touring the Midwest. In his next pursuit, Svenson took over the role of lawman Buford Pusser from
Joe Don Baker Joe Don Baker (February 12, 1936 – May 7, 2025) was an American actor, known for playing "tough guy" characters on both sides of the law. He established himself as an action star with supporting roles in the Westerns '' Guns of the Magnificent ...
in both sequels to the hit 1973 film '' Walking Tall'', after Pusser himself, who had originally agreed to take over the role, died in an automobile crash. He reprised the role again for the short-lived 1981 television series of the same name. One of his most famous roles in films was as murder-witness-turned-vigilante Michael McBain in the 1976 cult classic '' Breaking Point''. He played the Soviet agent Ivan in the '' Magnum, P.I.'' episode "Did You See the Sunrise?" (1982) and many years later had a cameo as an American colonel in ''
Inglourious Basterds ''Inglourious Basterds'' is a 2009 epic film, epic war film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars an ensemble cast including Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, Til Schweiger ...
'', as a tribute to his role in '' The Inglorious Bastards''; he is the only actor to appear in both films. Svenson got name-checked by ''
Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan for AMC (TV channel), AMC. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Breaking Bad), Walter White (Bryan Cran ...
'''s Mike Ehrmantraut.


Work with Fred Williamson

Svenson has co-starred in a number of films with Fred Williamson. They include, '' The Inglorious Bastards'' (1978), ''Deadly Impact'' (1984), '' Delta Force Commando'' (1987), '' The Kill Reflex'' (1989), ''Three Days to a Kill'' (1991), and ''Steele's Law'' (1991)


Outside acting

Svenson maintains an active role in the entertainment industry and is the Founder and CEO of MagicQuest Entertainment, a Hollywood production company since 1975, and Founder and CEO of CanAm Film Corp., a British Columbia corporation since 1992.


Filmography


Actor


Director


Producer


Writer


References


External links

* * ;Interviews
Interview from ''The Quentin Tarantino Archives''
tarantino.info; accessed 20 August 2015. {{DEFAULTSORT:Svenson, Bo 1941 births American male film actors American male judoka American male television actors American voice directors Swedish voice directors Living people Naturalized citizens of the United States Male actors from Gothenburg Swedish emigrants to the United States Swedish male film actors Swedish male judoka Swedish male television actors University of California, Los Angeles alumni 20th-century American sportsmen 20th-century Swedish sportsmen