Sickan Anna-Greta Carlsson (12 August 1915 – 2 November 2011) was a Swedish

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....

 film actress and singer.

Biography

From the 1930s–1950s, Carlsson was Sweden's most popular film actress and its highest paid, topping the salary of even the most popular male performer. She was also an accomplished singer and recording artist and performed on stage and in musical revues.
She was noted for her comedic films, which peaked during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. Several of her films from this period include upbeat musical numbers intended to raise the morale of her war-weary audiences. The characters she portrayed in the post-war years were often more complex than those she had played previously and featured less of her singing talents. Her screen persona was that of a carefree, energetic young woman who faced everyday problems with optimism. Her films were immensely popular and often had long runs in theaters.

Carlsson is most closely associated with two directors: Schamyl Bauman

Schamyl Bauman

Magnus Schamyl Bauman was a Swedish film director .Born in Vimmerby, Småland. First studied law and modern languages at Uppsala University. In 1917 he began to work with translating text lines for international silent films , which he did successful throughout the 1920s...

 (in films from 1945–55) and 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...

 (1956–65). Although remembered mostly for her light-hearted roles, she was also able to portray darker characters when called upon. One of her best known dramatic outings was in 1961's Lustgården (aka The Pleasure Garden), with a script written specifically for her by Ingmar Bergman

Ingmar Bergman

Ernst Ingmar Bergman was a Swedish director, writer and producer for film, stage and television. Described by Woody Allen as "probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera", he is recognized as one of the most accomplished and...

.

Carlsson stated publicly that she did not mind being typecast in comedic roles, however, and is proud to have been given parts which allowed her the opportunity to make her audiences laugh. Some of her best films include Det glada kalaset (1946), Skolka skolan (1948), Klasskamrater (1952), Sjunde himlen (1956) and Lustgården (1961).

Marriages

Born into a working-class family, she fought to be accepted in an upper-class environment and endured two broken marriages before wedding businessman Sölve Adamsson which ended with his death in 1987. Her first marriage, to Gösta Reuter, produced a daughter, Ingegärd.

Later years

In 2005 she was awarded an Honorary Guldbagge Award at the Guldbagge Award

Guldbagge Award

The Guldbagge Award is an official Swedish film award awarded annually since 1964 by the Swedish Film Institute.-Etymology:Guldbagge is the Swedish name for Cetonia aurata, a beetle also known as rose chafer. The name of the award could also be interpreted as a play on the Swedish word skalbagge,...

s in Sweden. She lived in Stockholm

Stockholm

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...

 since 2005.

Selected filmography

• 1992 - Kusiner i kubik (TV series)
  
• 1983 - Öbergs på Lillöga (TV series)
• 1973 – Anderssonskans Kalle i busform
• 1973 – Bröllopet
• 1972 – Anderssonskans Kalle
• 1965 - Niklassons (TV series)
• 1961 – Lustgården
  The Pleasure Garden (1961 film)
  The Pleasure Garden , is a 1961 Swedish film directed by Alf Kjellin and written by Ingmar Bergman.-Cast:* Sickan Carlsson – Fanny, waitress* Gunnar Björnstrand – David Samuel Franzén* Bibi Andersson – Anna, Fanny's daughter* Per Myrberg – Emil...
  
  
• 1959 – Himmel och pannkaka
• 1959 – Fröken Chic
• 1958 – Du är mitt äventyr
• 1957 – Med glorian på sned
• 1956 – Sjunde himlen
• 1955 – Älskling på vågen
• 1954 – Dans på rosor
• 1952 – Klasskamrater
• 1951 – Puck heter jag
• 1950 – Frökens första barn
• 1950 – Min syster och jag
• 1949 – Skolka skolan
• 1949 – Jungfrun på Jungfrusund
  
• 1947 – Pappa sökes
• 1946 – Det glada kalaset
• 1945 – Flickorna i Småland
• 1944 – Hans officiella fästmö
• 1944 – Gröna hissen
• 1943 – En flicka för mej
• 1942 – Flickan i fönstret mitt emot
• 1942 – Löjtnantshjärtan
• 1941 – Landstormens lilla argbigga
• 1941 – I natt - eller aldrig
• 1940 – Gentleman att hyra
• 1939 – Landstormens lilla Lotta
• 1939 – Åh, en sån grabb!
• 1939 – Rena rama sanningen
• 1938 – Blixt och dunder
• 1938 – Bara en trumpetare
• 1937 – Ryska snuvan
• 1937 – O, en så'n natt
  
• 1937 – Klart till drabbning
• 1935 – Smålänningar
• 1935 – Kärlek efter noter
• 1934 – Sången till henne
• 1934 – Simon i Backabo
• 1933 – Kära släkten
• 1932 – En stulen vals

Source and references

• Carlsson, Sickan; Sickan (autobiography), Bonniers, Stockholm, Sweden, 1977.
• Holm, Crick; På tu man hand med filmidoler (chapter Sickan Carlsson), Medéns, Stockholm, Sweden, 1947.

External links

• Obituary - Dagens Nyheter (Swedish)