Gertrud Fridh (26 November 1921 – 11 October 1984) was a Swedish

stage Stage, stages, or staging may refer to: Arts and media Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly Brit ...

and

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

Biography

Born in

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

, Fridh later studied acting at

Gothenburg City Theatre Gothenburg City Theatre () opened in 1934 at Götaplatsen square in Gothenburg, Sweden. The theatre was designed by Swedish architect Carl Bergsten who gave the exterior a Neoclassical architecture, Neo-Classical look with a touch of Streamline ...

's acting school from 1941 to 1944. She worked in the 1940s and 1950s at the city theatres in Gothenburg and

Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...

. At the latter she came in contact with director

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 ...

who directed her on stage and later would cast her in strong parts in some of his most memorable films, including '' Wild Strawberries'' (1957), '' The Magician / The Face'' (1958), '' The Devil's Eye'' (1960), '' All These Women'' (1964) and ''

Hour of the Wolf ''Hour of the Wolf'' () is a 1968 Swedish psychological horror and Folk horror film directed by Ingmar Bergman and starring Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann. The story explores the disappearance of fictional painter Johan Borg (von Sydow), who ...

'' (1967). From 1956 to 1978, Gertrud Fridh was part of the ensemble at Sweden's national stage, 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 ...

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

. There she performed a number of celebrated parts, from Titania in ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

'' (1956) to Phaedra in

Euripides Euripides () was a Greek tragedy, tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to ...

' '' Hippolytus'' (1965) and The Mummy in

Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (; ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist, and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than 60 play ...

's '' The Ghost Sonata'' (1973). One of her most praised parts was her ''

Hedda Gabler ''Hedda Gabler'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage.Meyer, Michael Lever ...

'', in the legendary 1964 Dramaten production of the

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 ...

play, directed by Bergman. The successful production gave 89 performances, and she later guest performed in

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Despite the fact that many Swedish actresses have taken on the role of Hedda Gabler over the years, in Sweden, Gertrud Fridh is still regarded as the definitive Hedda of all time.

Selected filmography

* '' A Ship to India'' (1947) * ''

Two Stories Up ''Two Stories Up'' or ''Across the Yard and Two Flights Up'' (Swedish: ''Två trappor över gården'') is a 1950 Swedish drama film directed by Gösta Werner and starring Gertrud Fridh, Bengt Eklund and Irma Christenson.Larsson & Marklund p.155 It ...

'' (1950) * '' Jack of Hearts'' (1950) * '' The White Cat'' (1950) * ''

The Yellow Squadron ''The Yellow Squadron'' (Swedish: ''Gula divisionen'') is a 1954 romantic drama film written and directed by Stig Olin and starring Lars Ekborg, Hasse Ekman and Ann-Marie Gyllenspetz.Qvist & Von Bagh p.111 It was released in the wake of the K ...

'' (1954) * ''

Wild Birds ''Wild Birds'' () is a 1955 Swedish drama film directed by Alf Sjöberg and starring Maj-Britt Nilsson, Per Oscarsson and Ulf Palme.Qvist & Von Bagh p.121 It was shot at the Råsunda Studios in Stockholm and on location in Gothenburg. The fi ...

'' (1955) * ''

Egen ingång ''Egen ingång'' (Separate Entrance) is a 1956 Swedish drama film directed by Hasse Ekman. The film is based on Sigurd Hoel's novel '' En dag i oktober'' (One Day in October). Plot It is a seemingly ordinary day in October. Since she separated ...

'' (1956) * '' The Magician'' (1958) * '' The Devil's Eye'' (1960) * '' Siska'' (1962) * '' All These Women'' (1964) * ''

'' (1968)

Awards

* Thaliapriset (1953) *

Eugene O'Neill Award The Eugene O'Neill Award (Swedish: ''O'Neill-stipendiet'') is one of Sweden's finest awards for stage actors. It is a scholarship for actors at the Swedish theater. It has been awarded annually by the Royal Dramatic Theatre since 1956. Histor ...

(1966)

Sources

History of Dramaten - Dramaten.se

External links

*
Gertrud Fridh at FACE TO FACE - IngmarBergman.se
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fridh, Gertrud 1921 births 1984 deaths Swedish film actresses Swedish stage actresses Eugene O'Neill Award winners 20th-century Swedish actresses Actresses from Gothenburg

Biography

Selected filmography

Awards

Sources

Further reading

External links