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Gösta Ekman (senior)
Encyclopedia
Gösta Ekman, Sr. born Frans Gösta Viktor Ekman, was a Swedish actor. Generally spoken of as Swedish theatre's most legendary stage actor, Gösta Ekman enjoyed a prolific stage career during his short life, becoming the first real star of Swedish
theatre. His boyish good looks attracted both sexes, helping to create a massive cult following and elevating him to the status of a living legend. Combined with a beautiful voice and a powerful stage presence, Ekman was able to captivate his audiences.
, including the Oscarsteatern
, the Vasateatern
, and the Konserthusteatern. He was also head of the Gothenburg City Theatre
in the 30's. At the Vasateatern, which he ran from 1931 to 1935, he both directed and played the lead in several plays, while also producing a large number of productions. As a result, his time at the Vasateatern is considered to be the peak of his stage career. He first entered the stage as an extra in an operetta in 1907, but made his professional stage debut in the renowned Selander Company
in 1911. The ghost of Gösta Ekman is still said to haunt his former dressing room at the theatre.
Ekman started in films at the dawn of the Swedish film industry and played an important role in its development. One of his first film roles was in Victor Sjöström
's experimental film Trädgårdsmästaren (1912). Later, he played the lead in the first Swedish talkie, För hennes skull (1930). Ekman also acted in two films that would gain international recognition: F. W. Murnau's silent film classic Faust
, where he played the title character, and in the original 1936 version of Intermezzo
, where he played a world famous violinist opposite Ingrid Bergman
in her breakout role. But they had in fact already acted opposite each other in the Swedish 1935 movie Swedenhielms Family where they share a couple of wonderful scenes alone together as their characters have a heart-to-heart conversation on life and love; among the most memorable moments in the film.
His best on-screen credit is often said to be his King Charles XV/Leonard Pettersson in film comedy Kungen kommer (1936), where Ekman masterfully plays a double-role in the film; first the king and then also the king's look-a-like; an actor who is hired by members of the Royal Court to impersonate His Majesty at a private party. Naturally the real king later arrives at the party causing a number of confusions and comic mix-ups.
Ekman also made a number of successful song recordings from his revue numbers, including songs "En herre i frack" (1935) - perhaps his most popular recording - and "Kvinnor och champagne" (Women and Champagne) in 1929.
In 1926, while filming Faust
in Berlin
, he was introduced to cocaine
by two Scandinavians, who told him that cocaine would help him cope with his work schedule better. Sadly, this began a long-term drug addiction for the actor that slowly deteriorated his health and eventually caused his death 12 years later at the age of 47.
In 1914, Gösta Ekman married Greta Sundström. Later, Greta gave birth to Hasse Ekman
, who came to be one of Sweden's most successful film directors in the 1940s and 1950s. Gösta Ekman's grandson, Gösta Ekman
, Jr., has also become well-known through his career as an actor and is considered to be one of Sweden's very finest actors. One of Hasse Ekman's movies, The Royal Rabble from 1945 about a famous acting family, was partly based on his own upbringing in an acting family.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
theatre. His boyish good looks attracted both sexes, helping to create a massive cult following and elevating him to the status of a living legend. Combined with a beautiful voice and a powerful stage presence, Ekman was able to captivate his audiences.
Career
Known as a self-taught master of disguise with theatre make-up and costumes, Gösta Ekman was equally convincing as a farmer's son, an 18th Century middle-aged aristocrat, or an 80-year old lunatic. Furthermore, he played in comedies, tragedies, dramas, and operettas. As a result, it was believed that he was capable of being convincing in all genres and as all types of characters. At different times, he also ran and supervised several private theatres in StockholmStockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, including the Oscarsteatern
Oscarsteatern
Oscarsteatern or "Oscars" is one of Stockholm's finest private theatres and the most well-known musical theatre in Sweden. It's located at Kungsgatan 63 in central Stockholm....
, the Vasateatern
Vasateatern
Vasateatern or "Vasan" is a private theatre in Stockholm, Sweden. It is located at Vasagatan 19-21 in central Stockholm....
, and the Konserthusteatern. He was also head of the Gothenburg City Theatre
Gothenburg City Theatre
Gothenburg City Theatre opened in 1934 at Götaplatsen square in Gothenburg, Sweden. The theatre was drawn by Carl Bergsten who gave the exterior a Neo-Classical look with a touch of Streamline Moderne. The critics thought it to be a too old-fashioned building – the International Style had had a big...
in the 30's. At the Vasateatern, which he ran from 1931 to 1935, he both directed and played the lead in several plays, while also producing a large number of productions. As a result, his time at the Vasateatern is considered to be the peak of his stage career. He first entered the stage as an extra in an operetta in 1907, but made his professional stage debut in the renowned Selander Company
Selander Company
The Selander Company was a famous and renowned theatre company in Sweden from 1889-1928 run by the head-strong theatre couple Hjalmar and Concordia Selander....
in 1911. The ghost of Gösta Ekman is still said to haunt his former dressing room at the theatre.
Ekman started in films at the dawn of the Swedish film industry and played an important role in its development. One of his first film roles was in Victor Sjöström
Victor Sjöström
Victor Sjöström was a Swedish actor, screenwriter, and film director.- Biography:Born in Silbodal, in the Värmland region of Sweden, he was only a year old when his father, Olof Adolf Sjöström, moved the family to Brooklyn, New York. His mother died when he was seven years old in 1886...
's experimental film Trädgårdsmästaren (1912). Later, he played the lead in the first Swedish talkie, För hennes skull (1930). Ekman also acted in two films that would gain international recognition: F. W. Murnau's silent film classic Faust
Faust (1926 film)
Faust is a silent film produced in 1926 by UFA, directed by F.W. Murnau, starring Gösta Ekman as Faust, Emil Jannings as Mephisto, Camilla Horn as Gretchen/Marguerite, Frida Richard as her mother, Wilhelm Dieterle as her brother and Yvette Guilbert as Marthe Schwerdtlein, her aunt...
, where he played the title character, and in the original 1936 version of Intermezzo
Intermezzo (1936 film)
Intermezzo is a 1936 Swedish drama film directed by Gustaf Molander about a concerto violinist falling in love with his daughter's piano teacher. The cast includes Gösta Ekman and Ingrid Bergman in the leads. This film led to Bergman gaining her contract with David O...
, where he played a world famous violinist opposite Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films. She won three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and the Tony Award for Best Actress. She is ranked as the fourth greatest female star of American cinema of all time by the American Film Institute...
in her breakout role. But they had in fact already acted opposite each other in the Swedish 1935 movie Swedenhielms Family where they share a couple of wonderful scenes alone together as their characters have a heart-to-heart conversation on life and love; among the most memorable moments in the film.
His best on-screen credit is often said to be his King Charles XV/Leonard Pettersson in film comedy Kungen kommer (1936), where Ekman masterfully plays a double-role in the film; first the king and then also the king's look-a-like; an actor who is hired by members of the Royal Court to impersonate His Majesty at a private party. Naturally the real king later arrives at the party causing a number of confusions and comic mix-ups.
Ekman also made a number of successful song recordings from his revue numbers, including songs "En herre i frack" (1935) - perhaps his most popular recording - and "Kvinnor och champagne" (Women and Champagne) in 1929.
Personal life
Early on, Gösta Ekman was labeled as a workaholic, sacrificing himself for his art and for his love of the theatre. Later, as his fame increased, his workload also increased. During the day, he would rehearse and direct plays. In the evening, he played leading roles in stage plays. Later at night, he would film. This busy schedule left him with relatively little free time. Furthermore, the free time he did have was spent carrying out his duties as the administrative director of the theatres he ran.Faust (1926 film)
Faust is a silent film produced in 1926 by UFA, directed by F.W. Murnau, starring Gösta Ekman as Faust, Emil Jannings as Mephisto, Camilla Horn as Gretchen/Marguerite, Frida Richard as her mother, Wilhelm Dieterle as her brother and Yvette Guilbert as Marthe Schwerdtlein, her aunt...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, he was introduced to cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
by two Scandinavians, who told him that cocaine would help him cope with his work schedule better. Sadly, this began a long-term drug addiction for the actor that slowly deteriorated his health and eventually caused his death 12 years later at the age of 47.
In 1914, Gösta Ekman married Greta Sundström. Later, Greta gave birth to Hasse Ekman
Hasse Ekman
Hasse Ekman was a Swedish director, actor, writer and producer for film, stage and television.Hasse Ekman is probably Sweden's most successful and critically acclaimed film director pre Ingmar Bergman and post Sjöström and Stiller, with his peak in mid-1940s to the year 1950...
, who came to be one of Sweden's most successful film directors in the 1940s and 1950s. Gösta Ekman's grandson, Gösta Ekman
Gösta Ekman
Hans Gösta Gustaf Ekman is a Swedish actor.-Biography:One of Sweden's most appreciated, respected and popular actors; Gösta Ekman started his career in theatre but has also appeared in several Swedish films, including the Jönssonligan series...
, Jr., has also become well-known through his career as an actor and is considered to be one of Sweden's very finest actors. One of Hasse Ekman's movies, The Royal Rabble from 1945 about a famous acting family, was partly based on his own upbringing in an acting family.
Selected filmography
- 1912 - Trädgårdsmästaren (The Gardener; The Broken Springrose)
- 1918 - Mästerkatten i stövlar
- 1920 - Thora van Deken
- 1920 - Gyurkovicsarna
- 1921 - En lyckoriddare
- 1922 - Vem dömer
- 1924 - Unge greven ta'r flickan och priset
- 1925 - Karl XII
- 1926 - F. W. Murnau's FaustFaust (1926 film)Faust is a silent film produced in 1926 by UFA, directed by F.W. Murnau, starring Gösta Ekman as Faust, Emil Jannings as Mephisto, Camilla Horn as Gretchen/Marguerite, Frida Richard as her mother, Wilhelm Dieterle as her brother and Yvette Guilbert as Marthe Schwerdtlein, her aunt...
- 1926 - Klovnen
- 1927 - En perfekt gentleman
- 1928 - Revolutionschochzeit
- 1928 - Gustaf Wasa del I
- 1928 - Gustaf Wasa del II
- 1930 - För hennes skull
- 1930 - Mach' mir die Welt zum Paradies
- 1931 - Brokiga blad
- 1933 - Kära släkten
- 1933 - Två man om en änka (film, 1933)
- 1933 - Kanske en diktare
- 1935 - Swedenhielms (Swedenhielms Family)
- 1936 - Kungen kommerKungen kommerKungen kommer is a 1936 Swedish comedy film directed by Ragnar Hyltén-Cavallius.-Plot:It is the year of 1865 and the Löwencreutz family are expecting a very prominent visitor, King Charles XV is coming to stay. However Carl Henrik von Grimm reads a telegram stating that the King is in fact...
- 1936 - IntermezzoIntermezzo (1936 film)Intermezzo is a 1936 Swedish drama film directed by Gustaf Molander about a concerto violinist falling in love with his daughter's piano teacher. The cast includes Gösta Ekman and Ingrid Bergman in the leads. This film led to Bergman gaining her contract with David O...
- 1936 - Johan Ulfstjerna (1936)
- 1937 - Häxnatten
- 1940 - Än en gång Gösta Ekman (Edited and premiered after his death)
Selected stage work
- 1936 - The Wild Duck by Henrik IbsenHenrik IbsenHenrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
(part: Hjalmar Ekdahl) - 1935 - En förtjusande fröken by Ralph BenatzkyRalph BenatzkyRalph Benatzky , Moravia, Austrian Empire – 16 October 1957), born in Moravské Budějovice as Rudolf Josef František Benatzki, was an Austrian composer of Czech origin...
- 1935 - Köpmannen i Venedig The Merchant of VeniceThe Merchant of VeniceThe Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic...
by William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
(part: Shylock) - 1934 - Peer GyntPeer GyntPeer Gynt is a five-act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen, loosely based on the fairy tale Per Gynt. It is the most widely performed Norwegian play. According to Klaus Van Den Berg, the "cinematic script blends poetry with social satire and realistic scenes with surreal ones"...
by Henrik IbsenHenrik IbsenHenrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
(title role) - 1934 - Bödeln (The Hangman) by Pär LagerkvistPär LagerkvistPär Fabian Lagerkvist was a Swedish author who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1951.Lagerkvist wrote poems, plays, novels, stories, and essays of considerable expressive power and influence from his early 20s to his late 70s...
(title role) - 1934 - HamletHamletThe Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
by William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
(title role) - 1930 - Glada änkan (The Merry WidowThe Merry WidowThe Merry Widow is an operetta by the Austro–Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to keep her money in the principality by finding her the right husband – on an 1861 comedy play,...
) by Franz LehárFranz LehárFranz Lehár was an Austrian-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas of which the most successful and best known is The Merry Widow .-Biography:...
(part: Count Danilo) (operetta) - 1930 - En herre i frack (revue)
- 1928 - BroadwayBroadway (play)Broadway is the title of a Broadway play produced by Jed Harris and written and directed by George Abbott and Philip Dunning. It was Abbott's first big hit on his way to becoming "the most famous play doctor of all time" after he "rejiggered" Dunning's play...
by George AbbottGeorge AbbottGeorge Francis Abbott was an American theater producer and director, playwright, screenwriter, and film director and producer whose career spanned more than nine decades.-Early years:...
(part: Roy Lane) - 1927 - Så tuktas en argbigga (The Taming of the ShrewThe Taming of the ShrewThe Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1591.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself...
) by William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
(part: Petruchio) - 1927 - CandidaCandida (play)Candida, a comedy by playwright George Bernard Shaw, was first published in 1898, as part of his Plays Pleasant. The central characters are clergyman James Morell, his wife Candida and a youthful poet, Eugene Marchbanks, who tries to win Candida's affections. The play questions Victorian notions...
by George Bernard ShawGeorge Bernard ShawGeorge Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
(part: Marchbanks) - 1926 - Han som får örfilarna (He Who Gets Slapped) by Leonid AndreyevLeonid AndreyevLeonid Nikolaievich Andreyev was a Russian playwright, novelist and short-story writer. He is one of the most talented and prolific representatives of the Silver Age period in Russian history...
(leading role: HE) - 1925 - Gösta Berlings saga (The Saga of Gosta Berling) by Selma LagerlöfSelma LagerlöfSelma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf was a Swedish author. She was the first female writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, and most widely known for her children's book Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige ....
(reprise run; title role) - 1924 - Graven (The Grave) by Paul Raynal
- 1923 - Gösta Berlings saga by Selma LagerlöfSelma LagerlöfSelma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf was a Swedish author. She was the first female writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, and most widely known for her children's book Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige ....
(title role) - 1922 - Gustav Vasa by August StrindbergAugust StrindbergJohan August Strindberg was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg's career spanned four decades, during which time he wrote over 60 plays and more than 30 works of fiction, autobiography,...
(part: Erik XIV) - 192?1920sFile:1920s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Third Tipperary Brigade Flying Column No. 2 under Sean Hogan during the Irish Civil War; Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol in accordance to the 18th amendment, which made alcoholic beverages illegal throughout the entire decade; In...
- Kameliadamen (The Lady of the Camellias) by Alexandre DumasAlexandre Dumas, filsAlexandre Dumas, fils was a French author and dramatist. He was the son of Alexandre Dumas, père, also a writer and playwright.-Biography:... - 1919 - Romeo and JulietRomeo and JulietRomeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
by William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
(part: Romeo) - 1916 - Gamla Heidelberg (Old Heidelberg) by W. Meyer-Förster
- 1915 - Lycko-Pers resa by August StrindbergAugust StrindbergJohan August Strindberg was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg's career spanned four decades, during which time he wrote over 60 plays and more than 30 works of fiction, autobiography,...
- 1914 - Svanevit by August StrindbergAugust StrindbergJohan August Strindberg was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg's career spanned four decades, during which time he wrote over 60 plays and more than 30 works of fiction, autobiography,...
(part: The Prince) - 1911 - Bröllopet på Ulfåsa (The Wedding at Ulfåsa) by Frans Hedberg (professional stage debut; part: Bengt Lagman)
Photographs
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Sources
- Från Gösta Ekman till Gösta Ekman - En bok om Hasse, far och son (From Gösta Ekman to Gösta Ekman - A Book on Hasse, Father and Son) by Bengt Forslund; Bengt Forslund och Askild & Kärnekull Förlag AB, MalmöMalmöMalmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
1982 (SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
).
- Det var en gång (Den tänkande August Vol. 1 & 2) by Gösta Ekman, Albert Bonnier, Stockholm, 1935 (photos).
External links
- Ekmansocietys website http://ekmansallskapet.se
- Photographs of Gösta Ekman