It’s a sad day in the entertainment world, as the industry has lost one of the great actors of the last several decades. Max Von Sydow, known for his roles in Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, has passed away at the age of 90 years old. Von Sydow had a career that spanned more than five decades, making movies and television in markets around the world. Deadline confirmed the news on Monday morning.
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The actor was born Carl Adolf von Sydow in Lund, Sweden on April 10, 1929, and his acting career began 20 years later. His first role came in the Swedish film Only a Mother, which was released back in the fall of 1949.
Sydow’s breakout role came just eight years later in The Seventh Seal, from legendary filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. The film follows the journey of a man who, while seeking answers about life and what comes after, is brought face to face with the Grim Reaper during the Black Plague. Sydow went on to work with Bergman a total of 11 times, including movies like Wild Strawberries and The Virgin Spring.
One of Sydow’s most memorable roles came in 1973, when he portrayed Father Merrin in The Exorcist, regarded as one of the most important horror films in history. The actor reprised that role four years later in the film’s sequel, Exorcist II: The Heretic. Sydow also appeared in popular films like Flash Gordon, Conan the Barbarian, Dune, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, in addition to his role as the Three-Eyed Raven in Game of Thrones.
Sydow was apparently one of the top choices to play James Bond in Dr. No, but the role ultimately went to Sean Connery. Sydow still ended up appearing in the franchise, though, portraying the villainous Blofeld in Never Say Never Again.
