Stellan SkarsgÄrd is a Swedish actor, producer and screenwriter. Best known for his roles in films by Danish director Lars von Trier, as well as for participating in the successful Hollywood franchises "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Mamma Mia!" Appeared in several films of the Marvel Expanded Universe. In total, during his career he played in one hundred and forty full-length and television projects.
Childhood and youth
Stellan SkarsgÄrd was born on June 13, 1951 in the Swedish city of Gothenburg. He moved with his family several times, lived in almost all major cities of the country.
In his teens, he began to get involved in theater and quickly began to get major roles in television productions.
Carier start
At the age of sixteen, Stellan SkarsgÄrd became famous for his starring role in the television series Bomby Bitt and Me. At the same time, he released his only single, trying to launch a musical career, but the attempt was extremely unsuccessful. From 1977 to 1988, the actor was a member of the troupe of the Royal Theater of Stockholm, played a major role in many successful productions.
In 1982, SkarsgÄrd played a major role in the crime drama "Unsophisticated Murder", which participated in the main competition of the prestigious film festival in Berlin. The young actor received a prize for Best Actor.
In 1985, Stellan won the first role in an American film, playing a mentally ill expat in the drama Midday Wine, directed by Michael Fields.
Breakthrough roles
In 1990, the most famous film of the Swedish phase of Stellan Skarsgard's filmography, Good evening, Mr. Wallenberg, was released. The actor played the real Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who during World War II used his influence to save Hungarian Jews.
In the same year, SkarsgĂ„rd appeared in one of the supporting roles in the spy thriller âHunting for Red Octoberâ. A few years later, Steven Spielberg considered Stellan SkarsgĂ„rd for the role of Oscar Schindler in the film "Schindler's List", but in the end he chose the Irish actor Liam Neeson.
In 1994, the actor first worked with the young Danish director Lars von Trier, appearing in the mini-series "Kingdom". Two years later, the actor played a major role in the psychological drama "Breaking the Waves", which received the Grand Prix of the Cannes Film Festival. In 1997, Stellan starred in the Norwegian thriller Insomnia, which became an international hit and later received an American remake, where Al Pacino played the role played by SkarsgÄrd.
International recognition
In 1997, Stellan SkarsgĂ„rd appeared immediately in two major Hollywood projects, playing secondary roles in the dramas âClever Will Huntingâ directed by Gus Van Sent and Amistad Steven Spielberg. At the end of the year, the actor received a prize from the European Film Academy for achievements in world cinema.
In the following years, SkarsgÄrd appeared in Lars von Trier's films Dancing in the Dark and Dogville, both of which became festival hits and received many prestigious awards. The actor also continued to work in the United States, playing in the spy thriller "Ronin", the sci-fi horror movie "Deep Blue Sea" and the historical epic "King Arthur".
Hollywood blockbusters
In 2006, Stellan SkarsgÄrd got the role of Bill Turner, father of the hero Orlando Bloom, in the second part of the Pirates of the Caribbean series. He later appeared in the third part of the franchise.
In 2008, the actor played a major role in the musical romantic comedy âMamma Mia!â, Where Meryl Streep, Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan became his screen partners. The picture became a real hit for hire, with a small budget, collecting more than six hundred million dollars.
In 2009, SkarsgÄrd appeared in one of the central roles in the film "Angels and Demons", the sequel to the film "Da Vinci Code." In 2011, he appeared in the superhero blockbuster "Thor" as Dr. Eric Selwig, after which he appeared in three more films of the Enhanced Cinematic Universe Marvel. In 2015, he again worked with the director of Thor, Kenneth Branagh, in the big-budget film adaptation of Cinderella.
SkarsgĂ„rd also appeared in less commercial films in the USA, for example, in the detective thriller by David Fincher âThe Girl with the Dragon Tattooâ.
All this time, the actor continued to work in Scandinavia, appeared in the films Lars von Trier âMelancholyâ and âNymphomaniacâ, also played in the crime tragicomedy âPretty Good Manâ and âStupid Simple Businessâ, which became popular outside the actorâs homeland.
Recent roles
In 2015, Stellan Skarsgard played the role of the Russian bandit in the spy thriller "The Same Traitor As We Are." In 2017, he appeared in the sports drama "Borg / Mackenroi", which talks about the real confrontation between tennis players Bjorn Borg and John Mackenroi. SkarsgÄrd played the Borg coach.
In 2018, two projects with the participation of the actor were released. The sequel to the film "Mamma Miya!" again became a box office hit, collecting almost four hundred million dollars, but received negative reviews from critics. The British comedy director Terry Gilliamâs adventure comedy, which the director tried to shoot for almost thirty years, was also coolly received by critics and, as a result of unforeseen problems, lost a distributor in the USA, having appeared on screens in only a few European countries.
TV work
In 2008, Stellan SkarsgÄrd appeared as a guest star in the popular HBO series Beauty. In 2014, he played a major role in the pilot of the Quarry Mercenary pilot, but he left the project and was replaced by British actor Peter Mullan in the two years since the filming of the pilot series and the launch of the full-fledged production of the season.
In 2015, SkarsgÄrd played a major role in the British detective series River, which received excellent reviews from critics and entered the lists of the best TV shows of the year.
Views and beliefs
Stellan SkarsgÄrd is known for his atheistic views, he repeatedly spoke out against existing religions, in particular, told in an interview that after the attacks of September 11, 2001, he sat down and carefully read the Quran and the Bible, after which he expressed the opinion that both books promote violence and intolerance .
The actor actively opposes religious education in Sweden, as well as laws protecting the feelings of believers. In 2009, he, along with several artists and businessmen, wrote an article about the need to separate the church and the state.
Personal life
The first wife of the actor is a woman named Mu. He met his wife Stellan SkarsgÄrd in his youth, while still being a rising star. The couple legalized their relationship in 1975. Six children were born in the marriage. In 2007, the couple divorced.
For the second time, SkarsgÄrd married a girl named Megan-Everett in 2009. In the second marriage, the actor had two sons. Later it became known that after talking with his wife, Stellan SkarsgÄrd went through a medical vasectomy procedure, which he announced publicly. According to him, he decided that eight children is more than enough.
The four children of Stellan SkarsgĂ„rd from their first marriage are famous actors. Alexander is known for the series âTrue Bloodâ and the blockbusters âThe Legend of Tarzanâ and âSea Battleâ. Gustaf played prominent roles in the historical TV series The Vikings and the adventure drama Kon-Tiki. Bill gained international recognition after playing the main villain in the horror film "It." Walter is so far known only within Sweden.
Eyll's daughter Stellan SkarsgÄrd worked for several years as a model, but recently left this profession.
Despite international recognition and frequent work abroad, SkarsgÄrd still lives in his native Sweden. Friends with actor Paul Bettany, with whom he worked several times, Bettany and his wife, the famous actress Jennifer Connelly, even named their son in his honor Stellan. Since the seventies, Stellan has been friends with actor Peter Stormare, who is best known for the films of the Cohen brothers "Fargo" and "Big Lebowski".
The actor is fluent, in addition to his native Swedish, English, German, Danish and Norwegian.