Erland Josephson

Erland Josephson was a renowned Swedish actor and author, most recognized globally for his roles in movies directed by illustrious filmmakers; Ingmar Bergman, Andrei Tarkovsky and Theodoros Angelopoulos. He was born in the island of Kungsholmen, in Sweden as the son of Maud Ellen Gabrielle (née Boheman) and Gunnar August Josephson, a bookseller of Jewish descent in 1923. His maternal great-grandfather was famed entomologist Carl Henrik Boheman, and his uncle was a respected diplomat Erik Boheman. Erland began his career in dramatic acting, eventually becoming the head of the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm from 1966-1975. He also emerged as an auteur, directing several films and won the award for Best Actor at the 22nd Guldbagge Awards for his performance in 'The Sacrifice' (1986). Furthermore, he held the voice role of the Narrator in the Swedish dubbed version of Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast'.

Branching out of his acting career, Josephson was a published author, penning novels, short stories, poetry and drama. He successfully entered into directing, marking his debut in 1980, when he both directed and starred in the film 'Marmalade Revolution'. The film was consequently lodged for the 30th Berlin International Film Festival. Tic marking his prolific artistic output was the broad span of his acting career from 1946 till 2006. Despite several accolades and works in entertainment, Erland also had a notable personal life, having been married thrice, and was the father to five children.