All Hail Ming: Max von Sydow has passed at 90

March 9, 2020 6:47 AM

Max von Sydow, brooding star of Ingmar Bergman’s torment-ridden dramas, dies at 90. He was Antonius Block, Father Merrin, the Three-Eyed Raven, Dr. Haehring, Vigo, and Ming the Merciless (among many others) in a career that spanned nearly 70 years. Max von Sydow died on March 8th at his home in France.

A sinewy 6-foot-4, with a blond crew cut, electric-blue eyes and a craggy, granite face, Mr. von Sydow was one of the screen’s most imposing male performers. He achieved cinematic immortality in “The Seventh Seal” (1957), in which he was a weary, soul-battered veteran of the Crusades who has come home to a Scandinavia terrorized by the Black Plague.

The Washington Post

Although generally associated with his venerable performances in "serious" films, von Sydow periodically ventured into sillier fare, where he enjoyed playing against audience expectations. That included turns as Ming the Merciless in Flash Gordon (1980) and as a sinister beer maker in the lowbrow Bob and Doug McKenzie comedy Strange Brew (1983).

Hollywood Reporter

Further coverage: Variety, The Guardian, NPR, New York Times.

posted by jzb (87 comments total)

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posted by Pendragon at 6:48 AM on March 9, 2020

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posted by mfoight at 6:50 AM on March 9, 2020

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He was a more than lagom actor.
posted by bouvin at 6:50 AM on March 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

Finally lost that game of chess
posted by mr_roboto at 6:52 AM on March 9, 2020 [18 favorites]

My first introduction to Max von Sydow was Flash Gordon. My uncle had already seen Empire Strikes Back and didn't want to go again, so he took me to see Flash Gordon instead. The entire movie was perfect for 10-year-old me, but even then I could sense that von Sydow stood head and shoulders over most of the cast and the material. Damned if he didn't take silly dialog and elevate it.

Thanks for all the movies, the art and the silliness. Maybe there's not much distance between the two.
posted by jzb at 6:53 AM on March 9, 2020 [8 favorites]

Pouring out an Elsinore for Brewmeister Smith.
posted by notoriety public at 6:55 AM on March 9, 2020 [22 favorites]

One of the greatest, and one of my favourites. High or low, he could do it all, and with the same dedication. Godspeed.
posted by Capt. Renault at 6:58 AM on March 9, 2020 [3 favorites]

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posted by Naib at 6:59 AM on March 9, 2020

The greatest ever D&D quest giver.(slyt)
posted by selfnoise at 7:03 AM on March 9, 2020 [9 favorites]

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posted by evilDoug at 7:04 AM on March 9, 2020

"What insolence! What arrogance! ...

I salute you."
posted by selfnoise at 7:04 AM on March 9, 2020 [5 favorites]

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posted by Fizz at 7:04 AM on March 9, 2020

I'm sure it's not as he intended, but I can never see von Sydow without thinking about his turn as Brewmeister Smith - he really chewed the scenery with gusto. RIP.
posted by ryanshepard at 7:05 AM on March 9, 2020 [7 favorites]

I've always been impressed by his range. And his presence; he was one of those actors who made you sit up and take notice just by walking onscreen.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 7:10 AM on March 9, 2020 [3 favorites]

I was introduced to Max von Sydow in the role of Jesus of Nazareth in The Greatest Story Ever Told when I was just as a youngster. Don't really remember much about the movie, other than I kind of know how the story goes, I just remember how indelibly that name was imprinted upon my brain. Max. von. Sydow. Now that was a kickass name.
posted by MorgansAmoebas at 7:12 AM on March 9, 2020

13-year old me was also a huge fan of Flash Gordon. To this day I mutter 'Klytus, I'm boooooored,' even though pretty much nobody gets the reference anymore.

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posted by Frayed Knot at 7:12 AM on March 9, 2020 [7 favorites]

An actor who loved to act and could make any material better than it deserved to be; the best kind of actor.
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:15 AM on March 9, 2020 [11 favorites]

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posted by Faint of Butt at 7:17 AM on March 9, 2020

I remember him as the Atticus Finch-like lawyer Nels Gudmundsson in Snow Falling on Cedars:

Judge Fielding: That's quite enough horseplay, Nels. Try and act your age.
Nels Gudmundsson: I think if I did that, Your Honor, I'd be dead.
posted by orange swan at 7:19 AM on March 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

He was great in every role. A Classic.
posted by Liquidwolf at 7:19 AM on March 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

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Hardly his most well-known role but he was a real standout in Minority Report.
posted by adrianhon at 7:23 AM on March 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

An absolute titan who could take on any role, in any movie, in any genre, without ever making you think "Oh, he's just cashing a paycheck this time." He played the world-weary knight of The Seventh Seal at 27, and the elderly priest of The Exorcist at 44.
posted by Etrigan at 7:24 AM on March 9, 2020 [7 favorites]

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He was amazing
posted by supermedusa at 7:29 AM on March 9, 2020

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posted by The Nutmeg of Consolation at 7:40 AM on March 9, 2020

He was in so many movies with so many other actors -- playing "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon," von Sydow has an enormous range of connections and moves.

Kind of like all those chess pieces in the movies he starred in, come to think of it....
posted by wenestvedt at 7:42 AM on March 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

"The Night Visitor", "Three Days of the Condor", "Conan the Barbarian", etc. I always liked his work.
posted by coppertop at 7:45 AM on March 9, 2020

Truly a giant of cinema. My first introduction was either Three Days of the Condor or Strange Brew (Speaking of range.) I really thought he would live forever.

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posted by gwint at 7:45 AM on March 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

Liet Kynes in Dune, too!

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posted by Chrysostom at 7:45 AM on March 9, 2020 [11 favorites]

Flash Gordon and Conan stood tall for me in my early teens, and his performances as Ming and Osric were a big part of that.

The role I'll remember him most for, though, is the Tracker in the beautiful and intensely sad What Dreams May Come.

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posted by hanov3r at 7:51 AM on March 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

Bless the Maker and his water.
Bless the coming and going of him.
May his passage cleanse the world.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:53 AM on March 9, 2020 [9 favorites]

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posted by Alterscape at 7:58 AM on March 9, 2020

He could make the B-est B movie classy just by walking on screen...

Also, something something chess

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posted by kleinsteradikaleminderheit at 7:59 AM on March 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

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posted by Thorzdad at 8:07 AM on March 9, 2020

I am so glad the role of Brewmeister Smith marks one end of his acting range.
posted by mazola at 8:10 AM on March 9, 2020

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posted by valkane at 8:12 AM on March 9, 2020

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posted by jquinby at 8:14 AM on March 9, 2020

According to JustWatch, everything you can see him in online.
For streaming:
Amazon Prime
Kanopy
Criterion
HBO
Netflix (only "Kursk")
Disney+ (only "Star Wars: The Force Awakens")
posted by ShooBoo at 8:15 AM on March 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

von Sydow could add class to even silliness like Flash Gordon and Judge Dredd, and it's to his eternal credit that he was so often willing to do so.
posted by Gelatin at 8:16 AM on March 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

"Go to the loading dock. Make sure the trucks leave for Oktoberfest as planned."

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posted by mandolin conspiracy at 8:19 AM on March 9, 2020 [5 favorites]

He always seemed to play someone older than he was. Thinking back on The Exorcist... why did they cast him as an old, old man? Anyway, it's a loss. He was great in many things, even Skyrim. He was AWESOME in Woody Allen's Hannah and Her Sisters. My favorite line of his from the movie:

“If Jesus came back and saw what was being done in his name, he'd never stop throwing up.”

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posted by SoberHighland at 8:25 AM on March 9, 2020 [5 favorites]

♘
posted by cazoo at 8:28 AM on March 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

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posted by jim in austin at 8:42 AM on March 9, 2020

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posted by davelog at 8:59 AM on March 9, 2020

Definitely pulling out the Criterions' tonight in honor of Max.
posted by Fizz at 9:03 AM on March 9, 2020

Maybe that's why it always seemed like he would live forever—he was playing ancient characters at a relatively young age.

Thanks for making so many of my favorite films better.

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posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 9:04 AM on March 9, 2020 [3 favorites]

My wife and I dressed as Death and The Knight from The Seventh Seal for Halloween a few years back. We looked awesome, and I only regret that we didn't have as many trick or treaters as usual that year.

I often say that Max Von Sydow's Ming the Merciless is my favorite movie villain of all times. He's just so happy to be evil.

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posted by vibrotronica at 9:14 AM on March 9, 2020 [3 favorites]

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posted by ZeusHumms at 9:17 AM on March 9, 2020

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posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 9:18 AM on March 9, 2020

Von Sydow's Blofeld is a big part of why Never Say Never Again is among the best of all Bond movies.
posted by Capt. Renault at 9:21 AM on March 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

To this day I mutter 'Klytus, I'm boooooored,' even though pretty much nobody gets the reference anymore.

It makes a great sample for this Orb track from ages ago...

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posted by ikahime at 9:45 AM on March 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

You have not much future there. It will happen this way.
posted by ead at 9:55 AM on March 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

The prologue in Iraq is so important in setting up the rest of The Exorcist.

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posted by Fukiyama at 9:59 AM on March 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

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He really could elevate any material. Needful Things is not a good movie, but I look back on it fondly because he was such a great villain.
posted by Flannery Culp at 10:06 AM on March 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

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posted by Cash4Lead at 10:14 AM on March 9, 2020

I never hear much about one of his earlier Bergman films --The Magician (1958, here's a random youtube trailer for it)-- but it's one of my favorites. Really great use of his on-screen "presence" too. He barely speaks for much of the film, but everything he does on screen is just packed with mystery and menace. Such a talent.
posted by Doleful Creature at 10:40 AM on March 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

I've always been impressed by his range

You’re not wrong. Someone remarked not long after the release of Needful Things in 1993 that von Sydow was now the first actor to have portrayed both Jesus and Satan. I am sure a few other performers have joined that club since, of course.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:43 AM on March 9, 2020 [7 favorites]

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posted by drivingmenuts at 10:46 AM on March 9, 2020

Needful Things:

"I killed my wife! ...is that wrong?"
"Hey, these things happen."
posted by Chrysostom at 10:54 AM on March 9, 2020 [4 favorites]

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posted by JamesD at 11:01 AM on March 9, 2020

As he himself said, "What was will be. What is will be no more." So I'm sure he'll be back soon.

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posted by Pope Guilty at 11:03 AM on March 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

Edgar Wright tweeted this and I think it sums up everything.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 11:43 AM on March 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

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posted by Splunge at 11:52 AM on March 9, 2020

Not only was he the voice of Vigo The Carpathian in 1989’s Ghostbusters 2 but he reprised the role for 2009’s Ghostbusters video game. It was re-released last year for PS4, X1, Switch, and PC. Go play it and talk to Vigo one last time.
posted by Servo5678 at 11:58 AM on March 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

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posted by porpoise at 12:30 PM on March 9, 2020

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posted by LobsterMitten at 12:37 PM on March 9, 2020

Truly one of the greatest actors of all time.

RIP

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posted by dbiedny at 1:08 PM on March 9, 2020

En Passion (The Passion of Anna) is still one of my favorite films; even though I saw it way too young to really grok the emotional depth of the story, it gripped me, and became one of the films I would return to often over the years, and got something new with every viewing.

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posted by eclectist at 1:41 PM on March 9, 2020

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posted by zengargoyle at 1:55 PM on March 9, 2020

He was also William Hurt’s father in Until the End of the World, and a reclusive luck-hoarder in the really bizarre Intacto.

So many great things.

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posted by Mister Moofoo at 2:11 PM on March 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

His role in '3 Days of the Condor' was revolutionary for character genre. His talents were really matched.

🎥
posted by clavdivs at 2:53 PM on March 9, 2020

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I have seen more references online to his role as Ming the Merciless than any other. I can just imagine him in the afterlife …

I played Antonius Block in the Seventh Seal, and do they say: “All hail Antonius Block!”

No they don’t.

I played Father Merrin in the Exorcist, and do they say: “All hail Father Merrin!”

Like heck they do.

I was even Jesus in the Greatest Story Ever Told, and do they say: “All hail Jesus!”

Of course not.

But play one comic book villain …
posted by Kattullus at 3:07 PM on March 9, 2020 [4 favorites]

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posted by doctornemo at 3:08 PM on March 9, 2020

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posted by JoeXIII007 at 3:58 PM on March 9, 2020

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posted by Ignorantsavage at 5:00 PM on March 9, 2020

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posted by Don.Kinsayder at 5:46 PM on March 9, 2020

I only discovered Max in the last year when I discovered Ingmar Bergman. Oh yes, the Seventh Seal, but even more powerful is the The Virgin Spring...and the Magician...and others. He enriched my life in subtle ways.
Still photo from The Virgin Spring
posted by rmmcclay at 6:08 PM on March 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

Foods of The World: Cooking of Scandanavia: Skoal: how to drink Akavit
posted by ovvl at 6:44 PM on March 9, 2020

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posted by praemunire at 8:36 PM on March 9, 2020

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posted by Pouteria at 8:54 PM on March 9, 2020

My god, it makes my heart swell to see so many people citing Strange Brew in this thread.
posted by ejs at 9:14 PM on March 9, 2020 [8 favorites]

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posted by Sheydem-tants at 6:51 AM on March 10, 2020

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posted by Archer25 at 7:54 AM on March 11, 2020

Mentioned to a friend I was going to watch The Seventh Seal tonight and she told me.

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posted by bonobothegreat at 7:27 PM on March 22, 2020