Bo Svenson
Encyclopedia
Bo Svenson is a Swedish-born American actor, known for his roles in American genre films of the 1970s and 1980s.
Johansson), a big band
leader, actress, and singer, and Birger Ragnar Svenson, a personal driver, athlete, and bodyguard for the King of Sweden. His mother was of Russian
descent. Having emigrated to the United States
in 1958, as a teenager, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps
from 1959–1965. After the Marines, he pursued a Ph.D.
in metaphysics
and attended UCLA.
He also holds a third degree black belt
in judo
. He was the 1961 Far East Judo Champion in the Heavyweight Division.
) of lawman Buford Pusser
in both sequels to the hit 1973 film Walking Tall
, after Pusser himself, who had originally agreed to take over the role, died in an automobile crash. While the sequels were less successful than the original, he reprised the role again for the short-lived 1981 television
series of the same name — a show for which he was the highest paid television actor at the time. Svenson also played the sadistic Soviet agent Ivan in the Magnum, P.I.
episode "Did You See the Sunrise?" (1982), which many fans consider to be one of the long-running show's best episodes. Svenson has a cameo as an American colonel in Inglourious Basterds, as a tribute to his role in The Inglorious Bastards.
Early life
Svenson was born Boris Lee Holder Svenson in Göteborg, Sweden, the son of Lola Iris Viola (néeMarried and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Johansson), a big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
leader, actress, and singer, and Birger Ragnar Svenson, a personal driver, athlete, and bodyguard for the King of Sweden. His mother was of Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
descent. Having emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1958, as a teenager, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps
Marine corps
A marine is a member of a force that specializes in expeditionary operations such as amphibious assault and occupation. The marines traditionally have strong links with the country's navy...
from 1959–1965. After the Marines, he pursued a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in metaphysics
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
and attended UCLA.
He also holds a third degree black belt
Black belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
in judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
. He was the 1961 Far East Judo Champion in the Heavyweight Division.
Career
In the mid-1970s, he took over the role (from Joe Don BakerJoe Don Baker
Joe Don Baker is an American film actor, perhaps best known for his roles as a Mafia hitman in Charley Varrick, deputy sheriff Thomas Jefferson Geronimo III in Final Justice, real-life Tennessee Sheriff Buford Pusser in Walking Tall, brute force with a badge detective Mitchell in Mitchell, James...
) of lawman Buford Pusser
Buford Pusser
Buford Hayse Pusser was the Sheriff of McNairy County, Tennessee , from 1964 to 1970. Pusser is known for his virtual one-man war on moonshining, prostitution, gambling, and other vices on the Mississippi-Tennessee state-line. His story has directly inspired several books, songs, movies and at...
in both sequels to the hit 1973 film Walking Tall
Walking Tall
Walking Tall is a 1973 semi-biopic of Sheriff Buford Pusser, a former professional wrestler-turned-lawman in McNairy County, Tennessee. It starred Joe Don Baker as Pusser...
, after Pusser himself, who had originally agreed to take over the role, died in an automobile crash. While the sequels were less successful than the original, he reprised the role again for the short-lived 1981 television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series of the same name — a show for which he was the highest paid television actor at the time. Svenson also played the sadistic Soviet agent Ivan in the Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....
episode "Did You See the Sunrise?" (1982), which many fans consider to be one of the long-running show's best episodes. Svenson has a cameo as an American colonel in Inglourious Basterds, as a tribute to his role in The Inglorious Bastards.
Filmography
- The Great Waldo PepperThe Great Waldo PepperThe Great Waldo Pepper is a 1975 drama film directed, produced, and co-written by George Roy Hill. It stars Robert Redford as a discontented airplane pilot in the years 1926-1931....
(1975) - Walking Tall, Part 2Walking Tall Part 2Walking Tall Part 2 is the sequel to the crime/action film, Walking Tall. Walking Tall Part 2 was directed by Earl Bellamy, and produced by Charles A. Pratt. the film starred Bo Svenson as Pusser, who replaced Joe Don Baker who played Pusser in the first Walking Tall film...
(1975) - Portrait of a HitmanPortrait of a HitmanPortrait of a Hitman is a 1977 film directed by Allan A. Buckhantz and written by Yabo Yablonsky. Although the film was shot in 1977 and featured actors such as Jack Palance and Rod Steiger, it did not receive domestic distribution until 1984....
(1977) - Walking Tall: Final ChapterWalking Tall: Final ChapterWalking Tall: Final Chapter is the third installment of the Walking Tall film series. The film was directed by Jack Starrett. The film opened in the U.S. on May 31, 1977. The on-screen title of the movie is "Final Chapter Walking Tall".-Plot:...
(1977) - The Inglorious Bastards (1977)
- SnowbeastSnowbeastSnowbeast is a made-for-television horror film that was first broadcast in 1977 in the The United States of America.The movie details the attacks of a ravenous white sasquatch on a Colorado ski resort. The teleplay was written by Joseph Stefano, who wrote the script for Alfred Hitchcock's classic...
(1977) - North Dallas FortyNorth Dallas Forty (film)North Dallas Forty is a 1979 dramatic film starring Nick Nolte, Mac Davis, and G. D. Spradlin. It was directed by Ted Kotcheff and based on the best selling novel by Peter Gent: the screenplay was by Kotcheff, Gent, Frank Yablans and Nancy Dowd ....
(1979) - Sverige åt svenskarna (1980)
- Virus (1980)
- Wizards of the Lost Kingdom (1985)
- The Delta ForceThe Delta Force (film)The Delta Force is a 1986 American action film starring Chuck Norris and Lee Marvin as leaders of an elite squad of Special Forces troops based on the real life U.S. Army Delta Force unit. It was directed by Menahem Golan and featured Martin Balsam, Joey Bishop, Robert Vaughn, Steve James, Robert...
(1986) - Heartbreak RidgeHeartbreak RidgeHeartbreak Ridge is a 1986 American war film, starring Clint Eastwood and Mario Van Peebles, surrounding the 1983 U.S. invasion of Grenada, West Indies. A portion of the movie was filmed on the island itself....
(1986) - White Phantom (1987)
- Armour of GodArmour of GodArmour of God is a 1987 Hong Kong martial arts action film co-directed by, and starring Jackie Chan. The film features Chan's regular kung-fu, comedy and stunts, with an Indiana Jones-style theme...
(1987) - Deep SpaceDeep Space (film)Deep Space is a 1988 sci-fi horror film directed by Fred Olen Ray about a monster that terrorizes a town in the United States and the detective who must stop it.-Cast:Charles Napier as Det. Ian McLemoreAnn Turkel as Carla Sandbourn...
(1988) - Steel FrontierSteel FrontierSteel Frontier is a 1995 science fiction film set in a post-apocalyptic Weird West.-Plot:In the year 2019, a gang of bandits calling themselves the "United Regime" invade the town of New Hope. They are led by General Quantrill , a descendent of the famous Confederate cavalry officer William Quantrill...
(1995) - Speed 2: Cruise ControlSpeed 2: Cruise ControlSpeed 2: Cruise Control is a 1997 action–thriller film, and a sequel to Speed . The film was produced and directed by Jan de Bont, and written by Randall McCormick and Jeff Nathanson, based on a story by de Bont and McCormick. Sandra Bullock stars in the film, reprising her role from Speed,...
(1997) - Kill Bill, Vol. 2Kill Bill Volume 2Kill Bill Volume 2 is a 2004 action thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is the second of two volumes that were theatrically released several months apart. Kill Bill was originally scheduled for a single theatrical release, but with a running time of over four hours, it was...
(2004) - Raising Jeffrey DahmerRaising Jeffrey DahmerRaising Jeffrey Dahmer is a 2006 American drama film based on the case of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. The film is directed by Rich Ambler and stars Rusty Sneary as Dahmer, Scott Cordes as his father, and Cathy Barnett as his stepmother.-Plot:...
(2006) - Inglourious Basterds (2009)
- IcarusIcarus (film)Icarus, also titled The Killing Machine in the UK and the U.S., is a 2010 American action-thriller film directed by and starring Dolph Lundgren.- Plot :...
(2010) - The 7 Adventures of SinbadThe 7 Adventures of SinbadThe 7 Adventures of Sinbad is a 2010 American film by The Asylum. As a mockbuster, it attempts to capitalise on Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Clash of the Titans.- Plot :...
(2010)