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Elsa Viveca Torstensdotter Lindfors (December 29, 1920 – October 25, 1995) was a Swedish American stage, film, and television actress. She won an Emmy Award and a Silver Bear for Best Actress.[1]

Viveca Lindfors
Viveca Lindfors, 1957
Born
Elsa Viveca Torstensdotter Lindfors

(1920-12-29)December 29, 1920
Uppsala, Sweden
DiedOctober 25, 1995(1995-10-25) (aged 74)
Uppsala, Sweden
Alma materRoyal Dramatic Training Academy
OccupationActress
Years active1940–1995
Spouses
(m. 1941; div. 1943)
(m. 1944; div. 1948)
(m. 1948; div. 1953)
(m. 1954; div. 1972)
Children3, including Kristoffer Tabori
Signature
Lindfors as the Moabite high priestess in The Story of Ruth (1960)
Lindfors with Bob Fosse in the Broadway revival of Pal Joey (1963)

Biography

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Lindfors was born in Uppsala, Sweden,[2] the daughter of Karin Emilia Therese (née Dymling) and Axel Torsten Lindfors.[3][4]

She trained at the Royal Dramatic Training Academy, Stockholm. Soon after, she became a theater and film star in Sweden. She moved to the United States in 1946 after being signed by Warner Bros., and began working in Hollywood.[5] She appeared in more than 100 films, including Night Unto Night, No Sad Songs for Me, Dark City, The Halliday Brand, King of Kings, An Affair of the Skin, Creepshow, The Sure Thing, and Stargate. She appeared with actors including Stewart Granger, Ronald Reagan, Jeffrey Hunter, Charlton Heston, Glenn Ford, Lizabeth Scott, and Errol Flynn.[1]

In 1952, she appeared on Broadway alongside Edmond O'Brien in John Van Druten's I've Got Sixpence. Two years later, she made her West End debut in J. B. Priestley's poorly received play The White Countess.[1]

Lindfors appeared frequently on television, usually as a guest star, though she played the title role in the miniseries Frankenstein's Aunt. Most of her TV appearances were in the 1950s and 1960s, with a resurgence in the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1990, she won an Emmy Award for her guest appearance on the series Life Goes On.[6] She was nominated for an Emmy in 1978 for her supporting role in the TV movie A Question of Guilt.[7]

In 1962, she shared the Silver Bear for Best Actress award with Rita Gam at the Berlin Film Festival, for their performances in Tad Danielewski's No Exit.[8] Among her later film roles, she played the kindly and worldly wise Professor Taub in The Sure Thing (1985).[citation needed]

In the last years of her life, she taught acting at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, and had a lead role (essentially playing herself) in Henry Jaglom's Last Summer in the Hamptons (1995). The same year, she returned to the Strindberg Festival in Stockholm to perform in the play In Search of Strindberg.[citation needed]

Personal life

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Lindfors was married four times, to Swedish cinematographer Harry Hasso, Swedish attorney and World Chess Federation president Folke Rogard, director Don Siegel, and Hungarian writer, producer, and director George Tabori. She had three children – two sons (John Tabori with Hasso, and actor Kristoffer Tabori, with Siegel) and a daughter (Lena Tabori, with Rogard).[9] [10]

Lindfors was a naturalized U.S. citizen and a liberal Democrat, who supported the presidency of Jimmy Carter.

Lindfors died from complications of rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 74 in Uppsala.

Selected filmography

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Lindfors, Richard Basehart and Boris Karloff in a Theatre '62 episode, "The Paradine Case" (1962)
Year Title Role Notes
1940 The Crazy Family Lisa
1941 If I Could Marry the Minister Eva Örn
1941 In Paradise Angelica Jansson
1942 Tomorrow's Melody Maj-Lis Wassberg
1942 The Woman of Sin The Young Woman
1942 The Yellow Clinic Nurse Doris
1943 The Brothers' Woman Emma
1943 The Sin of Anna Lans Anna Lans
1944 Appassionata Maria
1944 Mist on the Sea Maria Rosati
1944 I Am Fire and Air Jenny Ahrman
1945 Black Roses Märta Lind
1945 The Serious Game Lydia Stille
1945 Maria of Kvarngarden Maria
1946 Interlude Vellamo Toivonen
1948 To the Victor Christine Lund Lestrac
1948 Adventures of Don Juan Queen Margaret
1949 Singoalla Singoalla
1949 Night Unto Night Ann Gracie
1950 Dark City Victoria Winant
1950 Backfire Lysa Radoff
1950 This Side of The Law Evelyn Taylor
1950 No Sad Songs for Me Chris Radna
1950 The Flying Missile Karin Hansen
1951 Four in a Jeep Franziska Idinger
1951 Journey Into Light Christine Thorssen
1952 Riders of Vengeance Elena de Ortega aka The Raiders
1955 Moonfleet Mrs. Minton
1955 Run for Cover Helga Swenson
1957 The Halliday Brand Aleta Burris
1958 I Accuse! Lucie Dreyfus
1958 Tempest Caterine II
1959 Rawhide Luisa Esquivel Y Hadley 1 episode
1960 Johnny Midnight Simone in episode "X Equals Murder")
1960 The Story of Ruth Eleilat
1960 Weddings and Babies Bea
1961 King of Kings Claudia Procula Pontius Pilate's wife
1961 Tempest Catherine the Great
1961 The Untouchables Mrs. Jarreau
1961 Naked City Lulu Kronen 1 episode
1962 No Exit Inez aka Sinners Go to Hell
1962–1964 The Defenders Mady Lorne / Madeline Flanders 2 episodes
1963 The Damned Freya Neilson aka These Are the Damned
1964 Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Dr. Laura Rettig 1 episode
1964 12 O'Clock High Nicole Trouchard 1 episode
1965 Brainstorm Dr. Larstadt
1965 Bonanza Angela Bergstrom Episode: "The Spotlight"
1965–1966 Ben Casey Mrs. Boone / Vivian Bennett 2 episodes
1967 The Diary of Anne Frank Petronella van Daan TV movie
1967–1969 The F.B.I. Ida Salzman / Eva Bolen 2 episodes
1970 Cauldron of Blood Tania
1970 The Interns Jennie 1 episode
1972 A House Without Boundaries Señorita Elvira
1973 The Bell from Hell Marta
1973 The Way We Were Paula Reisner
1976 Welcome to L.A. Susan Moore
1978 A Question of Guilt Dr. Rosen TV movie.
Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding
Performance by a Supporting Actress
in a Drama or Comedy Special
1978 Girlfriends Beatrice
1978 A Wedding Ingrid Hellstrom
1979 Voices Mrs. Lemon
1981 The Hand Doctress
1982 Inside the Third Reich Gypsy woman TV movie
1982 Creepshow Aunt Bedelia Section: "Father's Day"
1982 Dynasty Adriana 1 episode
1983 Dies rigorose Leben Ada
1984 Trapper John, M.D. Zella Korevechi 1 episode
1984 Passions Lila TV movie
1984 Silent Madness Mrs. Collins
1985 The Sure Thing Professor Taub
1987 Frankenstein's Aunt Hannah von Frankenstein 7 episodes
1987 Rachel River Harriet White
1989 Misplaced Zofia
1989 Flickan vid stenbänken Storråda TV series
1990 Life Goes On Mrs. Doubcha 1 episode.
Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest
Actress in a Drama Series
1990 The Exorcist III Nurse X
1990 China Beach Ilsa 1 episode
1991 Zandalee Tatta
1991 Child of Darkness, Child of Light Ida Walsh
1991 The Linguini Incident Miracle
1992 North of Pittsburgh Rosa Andretti Genie Award nomination for Best Actress
1993 Law & Order Helga Holtz 1 episode
1994 Stargate Catherine Langford
1995 Last Summer in the Hamptons Helena Mora

Major stage appearances

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Year Title Role Theatre
1952 I've Got Sixpence Inez Cabral Ethel Barrymore Theatre
1954–55 Anastasia Anna Lyceum Theatre
1956 Miss Julie Miss Julie Phoenix Theatre
1956 The Stronger Miss Y Phoenix Theatre
1956 King Lear Cordelia New York City Center
1959 I Rise in Flames, Cried the Phoenix Frieda Lucille Lortel Theatre
1962 Brecht on Brecht n/a Lucille Lortel Theatre
1963 Pal Joey Vera Simpson New York City Center
1965 Postmark Zero n/a Brooks Atkinson Theatre
1967 The Niggerlovers The God, Angela Lucille Lortel Theatre
1971 Dance of Death Alice Ritz Theatre

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Viveca Lindfors". Svenskt kvinnobiografiskt lexikon. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  2. ^ Lebherz, Richard (December 21, 1970). "A Snow Queen In Exile". The News. Frederick, Maryland. p. 6. Retrieved June 25, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon 
  3. ^ Nättidningen RÖTTER – för dig som släktforskar! Viveca Lindfors genealogy site, genealogi.se; accessed May 4, 2017 (in Swedish).
  4. ^ Viveca Lindfors profile, Hollywood.com; accessed May 4, 2017.
  5. ^ Connelly, Charlie (18 October 2023). "Viveca Lindfors: The Hollywood outsider with a second act on stage". The New European. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  6. ^ "42nd Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series – 1990". Television Academy. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  7. ^ "30th Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners: Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Drama or Comedy Special – 1978". Television Academy. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  8. ^ "Berlinale 1962: Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Archived from the original on November 24, 2015. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
  9. ^ Stout, David (October 26, 1995). "Viveca Lindfors, Stage and Film Actress, 74". The New York Times. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  10. ^ "Fore Rogard, 73, Ex-Chess Official". The New York Times. June 16, 1973. Retrieved October 1, 2020.

Further reading

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