Max Von Sydow, ‘The Exorcist’ Actor, Dies At 90

Swedish actor and two-time Academy Award nominee Max von Sydow has died. The actor, who appeared in more than 75 films throughout his career and is perhaps best known for playing chess with Death in the film The Seventh Seal, was 90 years old.

Von Sydow was born on April 10, 1929 in Lund, Sweden. The son of a baroness and a professor, von Sydow took to acting at a young age and decided to pursue it in an academic setting. His first role was in 1949, a minor part in the Swedish film Only a Mother. During this time, he also pursued stage acting, performing at a number of theaters throughout the ’50’s. In 1957, von Sydow worked with art-house film director Ingmar Bergman on the film The Seventh Seal. In the film, von Sydow played a disillusioned knight returning to Denmark from the Crusades. The film was well received both within Sweden and internationally, causing Hollywood to pay attention to the then 27-year-old actor. His first major Hollywood film was The Greatest Story Ever Told in 1965, where he played Jesus Christ. In 1973, von Sydow starred in the blockbuster The Exorcist as a priest who attempt to cast out a demon from a possessed little girl. In recent years, von Sydow has taken up playing bit parts in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the TV show Game of Thrones.

Many in the film industry paid tribute to von Sydow, including a few who worked with him personally.