Max Von Sydow (1929-2020)

We at the Watchers were saddened to hear of the passing of Max von Sydow. The character actor, who was twice nominated for an Oscar, died on March 8th at the age of 90. 

From his frequent collaborations with Ingmar Bergman to big budget blockbusters (via cult classics and one of the most iconic roles in horror), Von Sydow always gave a performance of great presence and gravitas [even where the script didn't always serve him well]. 

Born in Lund, Sweden, in 1929, he made his film debut as Nils the crofter in Alf Sjöberg's Only A Mother (1949). In 1957, Von Sydow began his association with director Ingmar Bergman, and also featured in one of cinema's most iconic (and pastiched) images: as knight Antonius Block who plays chess with Death in The Seventh Seal. This was the first of thirteen films they would make together: others include Wild Strawberries (1957), The Virgin Spring (1960), Through A Glass Darkly (1961), Hour Of The Wolf (1968), and The Touch (1971). 

During the 1960s, he alternated between starring in Swedish films and also branching out into American films, taking the role of Jesus in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), Reverend Abner Hale in Hawaii (1966) [opposite Julie Andrews and Richard Harris] and as Oktober in The Quiller Memorandum (1966). In the early 1970s, he appeared opposite Liv Ullman in Jan Troell's sprawling two-part epic The Emigrants (1971) and The New Land (1972), as a nineteenth-century farmer who emigrates to America to start a new life. 

Arguably one of- if not the- best-known role that Von Sydow will be associated with is that of Father Merrin, the older priest who assists to rid Regan of the demon, in William Friedkin's The Exorcist (1973). He was only in his mid forties at the time but thanks to some sterling work by make-up supremo Dick Smith, he looks much older. He was always director Friedkin's first choice for the role and, despite being the titular character, has the least amount of screentime of the main cast. He was also the only main cast member not to receive an Oscar nomination for his performance (Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, and Jason Miller were all given Oscar nods), although he did receive a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Nonetheless, his performance is dignified and subtle, when it could so easily have been the opposite. Von Sydow appears in The Exorcist: Part II in flashbacks. 

Throughout the rest of the 1970s, he appeared in various films, including Three Days Of The Condor (1975) as the assassin Joubert, and as a kind-hearted German ship's captain in star-studded war drama Voyage Of The Damned (1976). 

The 1980s provided Sydow with some of his most memorable roles; as Emperor Ming The Merciless in Flash Gordon (1980), Major Von Steiner in Escape To Victory (1981) and as King Osric in Conan The Barbarian (1982). From here, he appeared in the unofficial Bond film Never Say Never Again (1983) and his performance as supervillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld is one of the very few highlights in this unexciting retread of Thunderball. He dipped back into fantasy for David Lynch's Dune (1984) as Doctor Kynes. 

He gave a strong performance as tormented artist Frederick in Hannah And Her Sisters (1986) and finally gained his first Oscar nomination- for Best Actor- for playing a hardworking Swedish immigrant in Bille August's Pelle The Conqueror (1987). His performance as Lassefar is one of only a few to be recognised by the Academy for a performance not in the English language, although he lost to Dustin Hoffman for Rain Man. He is also (as of 2020) the only Swedish actor to be nominated for an Oscar (there have been several Swedish actresses who have). Rounding off the 1980s was an uncredited voice role as Vigo The Carpathian in Ghostbusters II. 

The 1990s saw him in films as diverse as Awakenings (1990), A Kiss Before Dying (1991), What Dreams May Come (1998), and Snow Falling On Cedars (1999). He puts in a chilling performance as devilish shopkeeper Leland Gaunt in the 1993 adaptation of the Stephen King novel Needful Things, and appears opposite Sylvester Stallone as Judge Fargo in Judge Dredd (1995). In 2002, he played Director Lamar Burgess in Minority Report, before taking roles in The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (2007)- after which he wrote to screenwriter Ronald Harwood to thank him for the quality of the script- and Rush Hour 3 (2007). In 2010, he played the potentially suspicious Dr. Naehring in Shutter Island (2010) and appeared as Sir Walter Loxley in Robin Hood (2010). He also provided the voice of Esbern for the video game Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. 

In 2011, he appeared in Stephen Daldry's adaptation of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close in which he played a character known as "The Renter", a mute old man who rents a room from Oskar's grandmother, and who helps Oskar to negotiate the city as he goes on his quest to find out who the key belongs to. Communicating only through notes and Yes/No written on his hands, it's a nuanced performance in a film that becomes unrelentingly saccharine. Twenty-three years after his first Oscar nomination, Von Sydow received his second (this one for Best Supporting Actor) for this role. However, he lost to Christopher Plummer for Beginners. 

Fantasy and sci-fi were genres in which Von Sydow performed a lot, so it's perhaps no surprise that a couple of his last roles were in these types of film. In 2015, he appeared as Lor San Tekka, an ally of the resistance, in Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens (appearing briefly at the beginning of the film). The following year, he took a recurring role in HBO's Game Of Thrones, playing the embodiment of the Three-Eyed Raven in three episodes (and garnering a Primetime Emmy nomination into the bargain). 

Critic Vincent Canby once wrote that Max Von Sydow was "one of the cinema’s great underused resources”. Always reliable, always a joy to watch. Always giving 100% even if, as Canby said, the role didn't "come up to his instep". A consummate professional. He will be missed. 

Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time.