Erland Josephson
About
Biography
Filmography
Bibliography
Notes
Jospehson is the author of eight novels, several plays, an anthology of poems, and scripts for stage, screen and radio
"Chekhov is very important in Sweden; there's some sort of affinity between the Russian and the Swedish soul. Chekhov is very concerned with the light in the same way that Bergman is so sensitive to the light in his films. The way Chekhov describes the light coming down on the cherry orchard, it seems to me to be a very Nordic light, which in the morning is very clear and beautiful." --Erland Josephson in The New York Times, 1988.
Biography
The Swedish-born Erland Josephson is an internationally revered actor, expertly portraying ironic yet humane characters, who has worked with some of the world's finest filmmakers-Ingmar Bergman, Andrei Tarkovsky, and Theodoros Angelopoulos. His work with Bergman is his most well-known and ranges from the director's earliest films ("It Rains on Our Love," "To Joy," "Brink of Life") to his last ("Saraband"). After working with Bergman on 1958's "The Magician," supporting film lead Max Von Sydow, Josephson returned to stage work full-time. When he returned to the screen 10 years later to again make magic with Bergman, their collaborations over the next couple of decades would produce a series of extraordinary explorations of psyches and relationships--"Hour of the Wolf," "The Passion of Anna," the Academy Award-winning "Cries and Whispers," "Scenes from a Marriage," "Fanny and Alexander," and the cathartic, thirty-years-later "Marriage" follow-up "Saraband" among many others. Josephson's work with the great, austere Russian director Tarkovsky yielded two of the director's most important later works, the poetic odyssey "Nostalghia" and the sublimely spiritual "The Sacrifice." In 1980, Josephson wrote, produced, and directed "Marmalade Revolution," a showcase drama co-starring another Bergman player, Bibi Andersson.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Life Events
1939
Made stage debut and began a lifelong collaborative friendship with director Ingmar Bergman, then head of an amateur theater company
1945
Worked with Bergman at the Heisingborg Municipal Theater
1946
Feature acting debut in the Bergman directed "It Rains on Our Love/Det regnar pa var karlek"
1956
Joined Sweden's Royal Dramatic Theater
1964
Debut as screenwriter, co-writing with Bergman "All These Women/For att Inte Tala om Alla Dessa Kvinnor"
1966
Replaced Bergman as head of Sweden's Royal Dramatic Theater
1968
First feature role not directed by Bergman, Mai Zetterling's "The Girls/Flickorna"
1972
Commercial breakthrough with Bergman, "Cries and Whispers/Viskningar och rop"; co-starred Liv Ullman
1973
TV series debut, portrayed the husband Johan in Bergman's celebrated "Scenes From a Marriage"; later released in an edited feature length version
1977
Began appearing in non-Swedish productions, starred in Liliana Cavani's "Beyond Good and Evil/Al di la del bene e del male"
1978
Solo screenwriting debut and feature debut as producer and co-director (with Sven Nykvist and Ingrid Thulin), "One and One/En och En"; also acted
1986
Hollywood acting debut, "Saving Grace"
1987
U.S. TV-movie debut, "Control/Il giorno prima" (HBO)
1988
American stage debut, "The Cherry Orchard"; production presented at the Brooklyn Academy of Music
1988
Narrated the Swedish version of Michal Leszczylowski's documentary "Directed By Andrei Tarkovsky"
2000
Portrayed a screenwriter and director named 'Bergman' in "Faithless," a screenplay by Ingmar Bergman; film directed by Liv Ullmann
2003
Portrayed former German chancellor Franz von Papen in "The Good Pope: Pope John XXIII/Il papa buono"
2003
Final film with Bergman, "Saraband" opposite Ullman
2006
Final film appearance, "Wellkåmm to Verona"
Videos
Movie Clip
Bibliography
Notes
Jospehson is the author of eight novels, several plays, an anthology of poems, and scripts for stage, screen and radio
"Chekhov is very important in Sweden; there's some sort of affinity between the Russian and the Swedish soul. Chekhov is very concerned with the light in the same way that Bergman is so sensitive to the light in his films. The way Chekhov describes the light coming down on the cherry orchard, it seems to me to be a very Nordic light, which in the morning is very clear and beautiful." --Erland Josephson in The New York Times, 1988.
"I'm too impatient to wait for things to happen to me. If I should be out of work for two months I would go crazy. So as soon as I'm free I start writing. While it is necessary for me to write, I know that if I go too long without acting on the stage I don't feel well. Acting has a strong sensual quality that I get such a ... you say 'kick' in America? It's a fantastic profession in that way." --Josephson in The New York Times, 1988.
