Exorcist actor Max von Sydow dies aged 90

STOCKHOLM: Swedish actor Max Von Sydow, who appeared in more than 100 films and TV series, has died at the age of 90.

His family announced “with a broken heart and infinite sadness” that the actor died on Sunday. Von Sydow’s film includes The Exorcist, Hannah and Her Sisters, Minority Report and Shutter Island.

He made 11 films with director Ingmar Bergman, including The Seventh Seal, in which he famously played chess with Death. He also appeared as Jesus Christ The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), as a doomed priest in William Friedkin‘s The Exorcist which catapulted him to international acclaim.

He continued acting late in life, voicing a character in The Simpsons in 2014, and appeared in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011). He won a new generation of admirers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and appearing in three episodes of Game of Thrones in 2016 as the mystical Three-Eyed Raven.

Born into a wealthy family in Lund Sweden, von Sydow studied at the country’s national drama school before meeting Bergman in 1955. The pair initially worked together on theatrical productions, but rapidly made a series of cinematic landmarks. The Greatest Story Ever Told was Bergman’s first large-scale US production 

The Seventh Seal was made in the same year as Wild Strawberries; Brink of Life, Rabies and The Magician followed in 1958. Other key collaborations included The Virgin Spring (1980) and Winter Light (1963).

He has supporting roles in Hollywood productions such as Minority Report (2002), Shutter Island, Robin Hood and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

The actor showcased a different side as Ming the Merciless in 1980’s Flash Gordon while his second foray into Hollywood fantasy was 1982’s Conan the Barbarian.

He worked with David Lynch on 1984’s Dune, and picked up considerable acclaim for a moving role in Woody Allen’s Hannah and Her Sisters (1986).