Ingmar Bergman

Born in the city of Uppsala to a conservative Lutheran minister and his wife, Ingmar Bergman’s childhood was a difficult one. Along with his brother and sister, he was subjected to strict disciplinary measures that possibly encouraged his tendency to seek solace and inspiration in a fantasy world. He was conscious from a young age of the power of imagery, and the path of Bergman’s life was set when he acquired a magic lantern, a type of image projector invented in the 17th century that allowed him to explore his environment in a new way. Bergman unsuccessfully studied for a degree in art and literature at Stockholm University, using the time instead to develop his key interests (film, theatre, and romance), and write several plays. After graduation he joined a local Stockholm theatre as a trainee director, and he pursued a career in live theatre over the following two decades working stints at Helsingborg City Theatre (1943-1946), the Gottenburg City Theatre (1946-1949), the Malmo city theatre (1953-1970) and eventually the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm (1960-1966). While working in theatre, Bergman simultaneously developed a film career that ultimately made him one of the most influential film directors of the 20th century. Largely based on the island of Fårö, he began in the early 1940s writing scripts, but progressed to directing within five years. Within a decade he achieved worldwide success with "Smiles of a Summer Night" (1955), which was quickly followed by "The Seventh Seal" (1957) and "Wild Strawberries" (1957). He continued to direct films over the following decades including a triptych dealing with religious faith and some of his best known works "Persona" (1966), "The Virgin Spring" (1960), "Autumn Sonata" (1978), and the television film "Scenes from a Marriage" (1973). Bergman spent his final years living in Sweden, and he retired from filmmaking in 2003. He suffered from various health problems and passed away in his sleep at his home on Fårö island in 2007 at the age of 89.