Ingrid Lilian Thulin (; 27 January 1926 – 7 January 2004) was a Swedish

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. ...

and director who collaborated 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 ...

. She was often cast as harrowing and desperate characters, and earned acclaim from both Swedish and international critics. She won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress for her performance in '' Brink of Life'' (1958) and the inaugural Guldbagge Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for ''The Silence'' (1963), and was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress BAFTA for '' Cries and Whispers'' (1972).

Early life and education

Thulin was born in

Sollefteå Sollefteå () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Sollefteå Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden. History The earliest written account on Sollefteå is found in a script dating back to 1270. During this time the name ...

Ångermanland Ångermanland ( or ) is a historical province (''landskap'') in the northern part of Sweden. It is bordered (clockwise from the north) by Swedish Lapland, Västerbotten, the Gulf of Bothnia, Medelpad and Jämtland. The name is derived from the ...

, northern Sweden, the daughter of Nanna (

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 ...

Larsson) and Adam Thulin, a fisherman. She took ballet lessons as a girl and was accepted by the Royal Dramatic Theatre in 1948.

Career

For many years she worked regularly with

. Thulin appeared in Bergman's '' Wild Strawberries'' (1957), '' The Magician'' (1958, in which she spent much of the film dressed as a boy), '' Winter Light'' (1962), '' The Silence'' (1963), '' The Rite'' (1969) and '' Cries and Whispers'' (1972). She shared the Best Actress award at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival and received a

Guldbagge Award The Guldbagge Awards (, ) is an official and annual Sweden, Swedish film awards ceremony honoring achievements in the Swedish film industry. Winners are awarded a statuette depicting a Cetonia aurata, rose chafer, better known by the name Guldbagg ...

for Best Actress in

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

, the first year the award was given out, for her performance in ''The Silence''. In 1968, she was cast by

Luchino Visconti Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, theatre and opera director, and screenwriter. He was one of the fathers of Italian neorealism, cinematic neorealism, but later ...

in his historical epic of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

, ''The Damned''. Thulin's performance earned a National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress. In 1976, Thulin was the protagonist of another film with a similar theme, ''Salon Kitty'', directed by

Tinto Brass Giovanni "Tinto" Brass (born 26 March 1933) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. In the 1960s and 1970s, he directed many critically acclaimed avant-garde films of various genres. Today, he is mainly known for his later work in the Erot ...

. Winner of the David di Donatello Awards 1974, Thulin was also nominated for the BAFTA Award the same year. In 1980, she was the head of the jury at the 30th Berlin International Film Festival.

Personal life

Her second marriage was with Harry Schein, the founder of the

Swedish Film Institute The Swedish Film Institute () (SFI) is a statutory body located in Stockholm, Sweden that supports the Swedish film industry. Founded in 1963, the institute is responsible for administering the annual Guldbagge Awards, and for managing the Swed ...

, whom she was married to for more than 30 years until their divorce 1989, although they lived separately for many years before divorcing. She bought an apartment in Paris, France, in the early 1960s, and some years later a beach house in

San Felice Circeo San Felice Circeo is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Latina, in the Lazio region of central Italy. It was an ancient city called Circeii. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). It is included i ...

, Italy. In 1970, she became a resident of Sacrofano, Italy, where she lived for 34 years. Her memoir was published in 1992 ("''Någon jag kände''" ("Somebody I knew"); Norstedts Förlag; ).

Death

She returned to Sweden for medical treatment and later died from cancer in

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 ...

on 7 January 2004.

Legacy

The municipality of

, where Thulin is buried, has given out an Ingrid Thulin Memorial Scholarship annually since 2008. The Scholarship (which is valued at SEK 20,000), is open to any applicants pursuing the arts. It is sponsored by actress Harriet Andersson, Thulin's longtime personal friend.

Selected filmography

Ingmar Bergman and Ingrid Thulin -Tystnaden

* ''Jørund Smed'' (1948) – Girl * '' Son of the Sea'' (1949) – Gudrun * '' Love Wins Out'' (1949) – Margit Dahlman * '' Jack of Hearts'' (1950) – Gunvor Ranterud * '' When Love Came to the Village'' (1950) – Agneta *'' Living on 'Hope''' (1951)– Yvonne * '' Encounter with Life'' (1952) – Viola * '' Kalle Karlsson of Jularbo'' (1952) – Elsa * '' A Night in the Archipelago'' (1953) – Ingrid * '' The Chieftain of Göinge'' (1953) – Anna Ryding * '' Dance in the Smoke'' (1954) – Woman in haystack (uncredited) * ''Två sköna juveler'' (1954) – Lilly Fridh * '' The Dance Hall'' (1955) – Cecilia * '' Whoops!'' (1955) – Malou Hjorthage * '' Foreign Intrigue'' (1956, Director: Sheldon Reynolds) (with Robert Mitchum) – Brita * '' Never in Your Life'' (1957) – Lily * ''Smultronstället / Wild Strawberries'' (1957, Director:

) (with Victor Sjöström) – Marianne Borg * '' Brink of Life'' (1958, Director:

) – Cecilia Ellius * '' Ansiktet / The Magician'' (1958, Director:

) – Manda Vogler * '' Domaren'' (1960, Director:

Alf Sjöberg Sven Erik Alf Sjöberg (21 June 1903 – 17 April 1980) was a Sweden, Swedish theatre director, theatre and film director. He won the Palme d'Or, Grand Prix du Festival at the Cannes Film Festival twice: in 1946 for ''Torment (1944 film), Torment ...

) – Brita Randel * '' Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse'' (1962, Director:

Vincente Minnelli Vincente Minnelli (; born Lester Anthony Minnelli; February 28, 1903 – July 25, 1986) was an American Theatre director, stage director and film director. From a career spanning over half a century, he is best known for his sophisticated innovat ...

) (with

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006), known as Glenn Ford, was a Canadian-born American actor. He was most prominent during Classical Hollywood cinema, Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-office draws of th ...

) – Marguerite Laurier * '' Agostino'' (1962, Director: Mauro Bolognini) – Agostino's Mother * '' Nattvardsgästerna / Winter Light'' (1963, Director:

) (with Gunnar Björnstrand,

Max von Sydow Max von Sydow (; born Carl Adolf von Sydow; 10 April 1929 – 8 March 2020) was a Swedish and French actor. He had a 70-year career in European and American cinema, television, and theatre, appearing in more than 150 films and several television ...

and Gunnel Lindblom) – Märta Lundberg * '' Tystnaden / The Silence'' (1963, Director:

) (with Gunnel Lindblom) – Ester * ''Sekstet'' (1963) – Elaine * '' Espionage (TV series)'' (1963) - 'The Incurable One' episode * '' Die Lady'' (1964) – Nadine * '' Return from the Ashes'' (1965, Director: J. Lee Thompson) (with

Maximilian Schell Maximilian Schell (8 December 1930 – 1 February 2014) was a Swiss actor. Born in First Austrian Republic, Austria, his parents were involved in the arts and he grew up surrounded by performance and literature. While he was still a child, his fa ...

, Samantha Eggar) – Dr. Michele 'Mischa' Wolf * '' La guerre est finie'' (1966, Director: Alain Resnais) (with

Yves Montand Ivo Livi (; 13 October 1921 – 9 November 1991), better known as Yves Montand (), was an Italian-born French actor and singer. He is said to be one of France's greatest 20th-century artists. Early life Montand was born Ivo Livi in Stignano, a ...

) – Marianne * '' Night Games'' (1966) – Irene * ''Domani non siamo più qui'' (1967) – Gioia * '' Vargtimmen / Hour of the Wolf'' (1968, Director:

) (with

) – Veronica Vogler * '' Calda e... infedele'' (1968) – Camila * '' Badarna'' (1968) – Cook * '' Adélaïde'' (1968) – Elisabeth Hermann * ''O.K. Yevtushenko'' (1968) – Nando Girl * '' Riten / The Rite'' (1969, TV Movie, Director:

) (with Ingmar Bergman and Gunnar Björnstrand) – Thea Winkelmann * '' La caduta degli dei'' (1969, Director:

) (with

Dirk Bogarde Sir Dirk Bogarde (born Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde; 28 March 1921 – 8 May 1999) was an English actor, novelist and screenwriter. Initially a matinée idol in films such as ''Doctor in the House (film), Doctor in the Hous ...

Helmut Berger Helmut Berger (; ''né'' Steinberger; 29 May 1944 – 18 May 2023) was an Austrian actor, known for his portrayal of narcissistic and sexually ambiguous characters. He was one of the stars of European cinema in the late 1960s and 1970s, and is r ...

) – Baroness Sophie Von Essenbeck * '' La corta notte delle bambole di vetro'' (1971, Director: Aldo Lado) (with Jean Sorel, Mario Adorf, Barbara Bach – Jessica * ''N.P. il segreto'' (1971) – N.P.'s wife * '' Viskningar och rop / Cries and Whispers'' (1972, Director:

) (with

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 ...

, Harriet Andersson) – Karin * ''La sainte famille'' (1973) – Maria * '' En handfull kärlek'' (1974, Director: Vilgot Sjöman) – Inez Crona * ''Monismanien 1995'' (1975) – Personundersökare * ' (1975, Director: Pierre Granier-Deferre) (with

Lino Ventura Angiolino Giuseppe Pasquale Ventura (14 July 1919 – 22 October 1987), known as Lino Ventura, was an Italian-born actor and philanthropist, who lived and worked for most of his life in France. He was considered one of the greatest leading men ...

) – Hélène * '' Salon Kitty'' (1976, Director:

) (with

) – Kitty Kellermann * ''L'Agnese va a morire'' (1976) – Agnese * '' The Cassandra Crossing'' (1976, Director: George Pan Cosmatos) (with Sophia Loren,

Richard Harris Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. Having studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, he rose to prominence as an icon of the British New Wave. He received numerous a ...

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor. Initially known for playing tough characters with tender hearts, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-year caree ...

) – Dr. Elena Stradner * ''En och en'' (1978) – Ylva * '' It Rained All Night the Day I Left'' (1980) – Minor Role * '' Efter repetitionen / After the Rehearsal'' (1984, TV Movie, Director:

) (with Erland Josephson) * '' Il Giorno prima'' (1987, Director:

Giuliano Montaldo Giuliano Montaldo (22 February 1930 – 6 September 2023) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. He was known internationally for his biographical docudrama Sacco & Vanzetti (1971 film), ''Sacco & Vanzetti'' (1971), which was n ...

) (with Ben Gazzara,

, Kate Nelligan) – Mrs. Havemeyer * ''Orn'' (1987) * '' The House of Smiles'' (1991) – Adelina (final film role)

References

External links

* *
Ingrid Thulin Official Website (Swedish)
(archived)
Ingmar Bergman Face to Face on Ingrid Thulin

Bergman's leading lady dies at 76
*
Ingrid Thulin: Northern Light
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thulin, Ingrid 1926 births 2004 deaths 20th-century Swedish actresses Swedish film actresses Best Actress Guldbagge Award winners Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress winners Deaths from cancer in Sweden People from Sollefteå

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

Death

Legacy

Selected filmography

References

Further reading

External links