Olof Thunberg

Swedish actor (1925–2020) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Olof Thunberg

Fritz-Olof Thunberg (21 May 1925 – 24 February 2020) was a Swedish actor and director. He was perhaps best known as the voice of the cartoon character Bamse.

Quick Facts Born, Died ...
Olof Thunberg
Thumb
Thunberg in 1959
Born
Fritz-Olof Thunberg

(1925-05-21)21 May 1925
Västerås, Sweden
Died24 February 2020(2020-02-24) (aged 94)
Stockholm, Sweden
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
Spouse(s)
Ingrid Johansson
(m. 1950; div. 1954)
[1]
Mona Andersson
(m. 1978; div. 1990)
[2]
Partner(s)Lena Granhagen
(engaged 1959–?)[3]
Children2, including Svante Thunberg
RelativesGreta Thunberg (granddaughter)
Malena Ernman (daughter-in-law)
Close

Early life and career

Summarize
Perspective

Thunberg was born Fritz-Olof Thunberg in Västerås, where he formed a theatre club called Scenklubben which also included Lars Ekborg and the poet Bo Setterlind. He studied at Calle Flygare's drama school in Stockholm and then from 1950 to 1952 at the Royal Dramatic Training Academy; between the two, in the late 1940s, he performed in public parks.[4]

After finishing drama school, Thunberg joined the provincial Östgöta Theatre (Östgötateatern), where he directed in addition to acting, then became a freelance actor.[5] In the 1950s he became known for his work on the radio programme Mannen i svart ("The Man in Black"), where he presented all kinds of stories of horror and the supernatural in his deep voice, accompanied by a variety of sound effects.[4] In 1963, he had a supporting role in Ingmar Bergman's drama Winter Light as the church organist Fredrik.[6]

Thunberg appeared in a variety of films, often in a supporting role as a confident charmer, and is the voice of both Bamse and Agaton Sax in children's films and recordings.[4] He also voiced Shere Khan in the Swedish-dubbed versions of both the 1967 Disney The Jungle Book and its 2003 sequel, The Jungle Book 2.[5]

In 2006, Thunberg was a host of Sommar on Sveriges Radio P1.[7]

Thunberg also directed for television.[4]

Personal life

Thumb
Olof Thunberg with Mona Andersson and their first-born daughter Amanda at their home in Värmdö, 1967.

Thunberg was previously married to Ingrid Johansson.[1] He had a later cohabitation with actress Mona Andersson [sv], whom he got to know in connection with a radio play.[8] He was the father of actor Svante Thunberg[9][10] and father-in-law of opera singer Malena Ernman, from whom his granddaughter is the climate activist Greta Thunberg.[11]

In 1959, Thunberg became engaged to actress Lena Granhagen, whom he had met while directing a play in which she acted in at Intiman. They lived together into the 1960s, and they acted together as a couple in the television series Villervalle i Söderhavet in 1963.[12]

Thunberg died on 24 February 2020, at the age of 94.[13][14]

Selected filmography

Selected television appearances

  • 1963 – Villervalle i Söderhavet (series)
  • 1965 – En historia till fredag (series)
  • 1965 – Niklasons (series)
  • 1966 – Mästerdetektiven Blomkvist på nya äventyr
  • 1968 – Lärda fruntimmer
  • 1968 – Pygmalion
  • 1968 – Markurells i Wadköping (series)
  • 1969 – Biprodukten
  • 1969 – Håll polisen utanför (series)
  • 1970 – Röda rummet (series)
  • 1970 – Regnbågslandet (series)
  • 1970 – Ett dockhem
  • 1972–1974 – Bröderna Malm (series)
  • 1972–1973 – Bamse (series): narrator, voices
  • 1973 – Ett köpmanshus i skärgården (TV-serie)
  • 1981 – Bamse och den lilla åsnan: narrator, voices
  • 1982 – Dubbelsvindlarna (series)
  • 1991 – Bamse i Trollskogen: narrator, voices
  • 1991 – Storstad (series)
  • 1991 – Sunes jul (series)
  • 1993 – Allis med is (series)
  • 1994 – Tre Kronor (series)
  • 1995 – Sjukan (series)
  • 1995 – Jeppe på berget (series)
  • 2001 – Återkomsten (series)
  • 2003 – Solbacken: Avd. E (series)
  • Sources:[15][16]

Selected directions

  • 1972 – Söndagspromenaden (TV)[17]
  • 1969 – Galgmannen (TV)[18]

References

Wikiwand - on

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.