Max von Sydow's career was, like that of his character Father Merrin's, long and impressive. (We can't turn up any concrete proof that Max von Sydow ever performed a successful exorcism, so we have to give his "Exorcist" the character the edge there. Expelling demons is important work.) He was a huge part of some top-tier classics, especially when he worked with legendary Swedish director Ingmar Bergman — their collaborations include "The Seventh Seal" (one of our all-time favorite movies), "Through a Glass Darkly," and "The Virgin Spring."
He left an indelible mark on world cinema — but you could miss every one of his Bergman films and still recognize him as an outstanding actor, because he was also a key part of some amazing mainstream movies, including thrillers like "Three Days of the Condor," "Minority Report," and "Shutter Island." Late in his career, he even cemented his place in pop culture geek hearts everywhere by appearing in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and "Game of Thrones." He was a subtle but powerful actor whose finely crafted performances were complemented by enormous dignity and charisma.
Von Sydow died in 2020 at age 90. And we can't think of a more fitting memoriam than what critic Terrence Rafferty wrote about him in The Atlantic, five years before his death: "For a significant portion of his six decades onscreen, he has been the greatest actor alive."
