Sven-Bertil Taube

Sven-Bertil Gunnar Evert Taube (24 November 1934 – 11 November 2022) was a Swedish singer and actor. Internationally, he was perhaps better known for his acting career. Taube played Henrik Vanger in the film The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and the lead role in Puppet on a Chain.

Sven-Bertil Taube
Taube at the Stockholm Folk Festival in 2014
Background information
Birth name	Sven-Bertil Gunnar Evert Taube
Born	(1934-11-24)24 November 1934 Stockholm, Sweden
Died	11 November 2022(2022-11-11) (aged 87) London, England
Genres	Folk music
Occupation(s)	Singer, actor
Instrument(s)	Singing, guitar
Years active	1954–2022
Labels	Folkways, EMI

Biography

Born in Stockholm on 24 November 1934,^[1] he was the son of songwriter Evert Taube^[2] and sculptor Astri Taube.^[3] At age 14, Taube began playing guitar.^[4] While traveling throughout Europe, he developed an interest in folklore and folk music. He performed in concerts on Swedish radio while a student at the Royal Beskow School in Stockholm.^[3]

Taube graduated in 1954 from the Cherry Lawn School in Darien, Connecticut.^[5] While he was a student at the school, Folkways Records invited him to record an album of Swedish folk songs.^[6] From 1959 to 1962, he studied acting at the Royal Dramatic Training Academy in Stockholm.^[7] In 1969, Taube moved to London where he was active in British theatre.^[8]

Taube was married four times, and had four children. For many years he resided in Fulham. He belonged to an untitled branch of the Baltic German noble Taube family, introduced at the Swedish House of Nobility in 1668 as noble family No. 734.^[9] He died in London on 11 November 2022, aged 87.^{[10][11][citation needed]}

Musical career

Taube released his first album in 1954; it included a cover of one of his father's songs.^[3] He has since released many albums which include songs written by his father. Several of his most well-known versions of Evert Taube songs come from albums recorded in the 1970s, but he recorded more of them at later stages, including his 2007 album Alderville Road. Referring to that album, reviewer Peter Dahlgren said, "Evert had the yarns and Sven-Bertil had the voice."^[12]

He recorded songs from both Fredman's Epistles and Fredman's Songs by the popular Swedish 18th-century songwriter Carl Michael Bellman.^[13] Paul Britten Austin wrote in his 1967 biography of Bellman that Sven-Bertil Taube's two Bellman albums (released in 1960 and 1963) "have sold more copies than any other disc, popular or classical, ever released in Sweden".^[14] Göran Forsling wrote that Taube helped to start "a new era in Bellman interpretation around 1960", like Fred Åkerström giving the songs "a hitherto unheard earthbound realism".^[15]

Taube recorded work by the poet Nils Ferlin (1898–1961), whose poems were mostly put to music by Lille Bror Söderlundh.^[16] Taube also recorded an album with songs by the Swedish songwriter and musician Ulf Peder Olrog, one with Swedish translations of songs by French songwriter Léo Ferré, and one with Swedish translations of songs by Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis.^[17]

In 2015, Taube took part in Så mycket bättre, a reality show broadcast on TV4 in which musical artists attempt to make their own version of other artists' well-known songs.^[18]

Selected discography

Swedish Folk Songs and Ballads^[19]

• Released: 1954
• Format: LP
• Label: Folkways Records
• Writer: Evert Taube
• Tracks: "Viljen I veta och viljen I förstå" [sv], "Och flickan hon går i dansen" [sv], "Brevet från Lillan" [sv], "Tänker du att jag förlorader är?", "Om sommaren sköna", "Sven i Rosengård", "Och jungfrun gick åt killan", "Jag gick mig ut en afton", Uti vår hage, "Vårvinder friska leka och viska", "Jag unnar dig ändå allt gott"

Nils Ferlin^[16]

• Released: 15 November 1988
• Format: CD
• Label: EMI
• Writer: Nils Ferlin, Lille Bror Söderlundh
• Tracks: "En liten konstnär", "Den stora kometen", "Vilse", "Goggles", "Inte ens en grå liten fågel", "Får jag lämna några blommor", "På Arendorffs tid", "När skönheten kom till byn", "En valsmelodi", "Stjärnorna kvittar det lika", "På källaren Fimmelstången", "Om våren", "Brådska", "Pulex Irritans människoloppa", "Nasarevalsen", "Som ett ödehus", "Vid diktens port"

Taube Sjunger Taube^[20]

• Released: 2001
• Label: EMI Sweden
• Writer: Evert Taube
• Tracks: "Fritiof och Carmencita", "Fragancia", "Flickan i Havanna", "Karl Alfred och Ellinor", "Så skimrande var aldrig havet", "Eldarevalsen", "Linnea", "Inbjudan till Bohuslän", "Brevet från Lillan" [sv], "Stockholmsmelodi", "Calle Schewens vals", "Sommarnatt", "Havsörnsvalsen", " Nocturne", "Vals på Mysingen", "Min älskling", "Dans på Sunnanö", "Sjösala vals", "Änglamark", "Så länge skutan kan gå" [sv]

Om Sommaren^[21]

• Released: 2004
• Label: EMI Sweden
• Writer: Evert Taube
• Tracks: "Dansen på Sunnanö", "Änglamark", "Sommarnatt", "Solig morgon", "Havsörnsvals", "Här, Rose-Marie, syns blåa Nämdöfjärden... (Rosemari Vid Nämdö Fjärd)", "Sjösala vals", "Vals på Ängön", "Pierina", "Inbjudan till Bohuslän", "Sjösalavår", "Vals i Furusund", "Ellinors vals", "Älskliga blommor små"

Alderville Road: Ord Och Toner Av Evert Taube^[22]

• Released: 1 January 2007
• Format: CD
• Label: EMI
• Writer: Evert Taube
• Singles: "Intro: Alderville Road", "Bibbi", "Morgon I Ligurien", "Målaren Och Maria Pia", "Vackert Så", "Brittisk Ballad", "Albertina", "Och Skulle Det Så Vara...", "Fragancia", "Linnéa", "Balladen om Gustaf Blom från Borås" [sv], "Sjösalavår", "Här är den sköna sommar" [sv], "Som Stjärnor Små"

Diamanter^[23]

• Released: 2008
• Label: EMI
• Tracks: "ÄLskliga blommor små", "Balladen om briggen 'Blue Bird' av Hull", "Vals i Valparaiso", "Västanvind", "Som stjärnor små", "Sololá", "Oxdragarsång", "Mary Strand", "Linnéa", "Morgonsång på Baggensfjärden", "Ellinors vals", "Möte i monsunen" [sv], "Fritiof och Carmencita", "Fritiof Anderssons polka", "Brevet från Lillan" [sv], "Dansen på Sunnanö" [sv], "Inbjudan till Bohuslän", "Solig morgon", "Vals på Ängön", "Den glade bagar'n i San Remo", "Brudvals", "Sjösalavår"

Carl Michael Bellman: Fredmans Epistlar & Sånger, Sjungna Av Sven-Bertil Taube^[13]

• Released: 16 February 2010 (originally 2 albums, 1960 and 1963)
• Format: CD
• Label: EMI
• Writer: Carl Michael Bellman
• Tracks: "Epistel 1", "Epistel No. 2: Na, skrufva fiolen", "Epistel No. 7: Kärlek och Bacchus helgas min skal", "Epistel No. 73: Fan i fåtöljerna!", "Sång No. 21: Så lunka vi så småningom", "Epistel No. 33: Stolta stad", "Gubben Noak", "Joachim uti Babylon (Joachim lived in Babylon), song for voice", "Hvila vid denna källa (Sit down around the spring here), song for voice", "Hör klockorna med ängslig klang (Hear bells give out a fearful boom), song for voice", "Sång No. 19: Ack, döden ar en faslig björn", "Epistel 79", "Träd Fram Du Nattens Gud", "Epistel No. 4: Hej, musikanter", "Epistel No. 45: Tjenare, Mollberg! Hur är det fatt?", "Epistel No. 81: Märk hur vår skugga", "Epistel No. 27: Gubben är gammal – urverket dras", "Epistel No. 38: Undan ur vägen", "Epistel No. 25: Blåsen nu alla!", "Epistel No 23: Ack du min moder", "Epistel No. 50: Febus förnyar"

Acting career

Taube also started an acting career that took him to London, where he performed in theater and musicals, notably as Prince Albert in I and Albert.^[24] He won a role on the television series Upstairs, Downstairs. In the 1970s, Taube tried to find work as a film actor, and had some minor roles, most notably in the 1976 World War II drama The Eagle Has Landed^[25] and a starring role as a US agent in the 1971 film version of Alistair MacLean's novel Puppet on a Chain.^[26]

During the 1980s and 1990s, Taube starred in a number of Swedish films and television series, while still active as a musician.^[7]

Taube starred in the Swedish film version of Stieg Larsson's novel, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, in the role of Henrik Vanger.^[27] The film was awarded the Best Film, and Taube was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor award, at the 45th Guldbagge Awards.^[28][29]

In 2005, Taube took part in the first season of Stjärnorna på slottet on Sveriges Television, where he discussed his long career.^{[citation needed]}

Awards

• 1995: 30th Guldbagge Awards – "Best Actor in a Leading Role" in "Händerna" [sv]^[30][31][32]
• 2011: 47th Guldbagge Awards – "Best Actor in a Leading Role" in "En enkel till Antibes" [sv] (A One-way Trip to Antibes)^[33]

Nominations

• 1997: 32nd Guldbagge Awards – "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" in Jerusalem^[34]
• 2009: 45th Guldbagge Awards – "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ^[29]

Selected filmography

• Hugs and Kisses (1967)^[35]
• Sixtynine 69 (1969)^[36]
• The Buttercup Chain (1970)^[26]
• Puppet on a Chain (1971)^[37]
• The Eagle Has Landed (1976)^[25]
• Game for Vultures (1979)^[1]
• Taube håller hov (The Court of Taube, 1985)^[38]
• August Strindberg: Ett liv (August Strindberg: A life, 1985)^[7]
• Folk och rövare i Kamomilla stad  [sv] (When the Robbers Came to Cardamom Town, 1988)^[7]
• Codename: Kyril (1988, TV)^[39]
• Ålder okänd (1991)^[7]
• Händerna  [sv] (In The Hands, 1994)^[32]
• Sånt är livet (That's life, 1996)^[7]
• Jerusalem (1996)^[34][40]
• Slutspel (Endgame, 1997)^[7]
• Jobbet och jag (Work and I, 1998)^[7]
• Art (1999)^[7]
• London Voodoo (2004)^[25]
• Arn: The Knight Templar (2007)^[25]
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)^[25]
• En enkel till Antibes  [sv] (A One-way Trip to Antibes, 2011)^[33]

Theatre

• 1999: Annie as Oliver Warbucks – piece directed by Trond Lie ^[41]

References

1. "Sven-Bertil Taube". bfi.org.uk. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 11 February 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
2. "Peopletalk". The Hour. Vol. 109, no. 56. Norwalk, Connecticut: The Hour Publishing. United Press International. 7 March 1980. p. 23. Archived from the original on 6 August 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
3. Swedish Folk Songs & Ballads (PDF) (Booklet). Taube, Sven-Bertil. New York City: Folkways Records. FW 6844. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 March 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2010.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
4. "Sven-Bertil Taube är död". Svenska Yle. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
5. Straus, Jerry, ed. (1954). The Cherry Pit '54 (yearbook) (PDF). Darien, Connecticut: Cherry Lawn School. p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 April 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
6. Beckwith, Ethel (13 December 1953). "The Last Word". Sunday Herald. Vol. 67, no. 49. Bridgeport, Connecticut: Bridgeport Herald. p. 17. Archived from the original on 20 November 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
7. "Sven-Bertil Taube". www.svenskfilmdatabas.se. Swedish Film Institute. 24 November 1934. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
8. Damberg, Jenny (12 November 2022). "Han undrade vart livet tog vägen". Svenska Dagbladet. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
9. "Taube : Riddarhuset". Archived from the original on 4 October 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
10. Juhlin, Johan (12 November 2022). "Artisten och skådespelaren Sven-Bertil Taube död". SVT Nyheter. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
11. "Taubes lätta liv på slottet". Expressen. 5 January 2006. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
12. Dahlgren, Peter (5 December 2010). "Låt oss vakna i Ligurien" [Let us wake up in Liguria]. dagensskiva.com (in Swedish). Peter 2 Meter Media. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2010. Evert hade skrönorna och Sven-Bertil hade rösten.
13. "Bertil Taube Sven Carl Michael Bellman: Fredmans Epistlar & Sånger Sjungna Av CD". CD Universe. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
14. Britten Austin, Paul (1967). The Life and Songs of Carl Michael Bellman, Genius of the Swedish Rococo. Allhem, Malmö; American-Scandinavian Foundation, New York. p. 180.
15. Forsling, Göran (10 May 2010). "Review | Carl Michael Bellman". Music Web International. Archived from the original on 14 October 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
16. "Nils Ferlin (Album)". CDON.COM (in Swedish). CDON. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
17. "Sven-Bertil Taube död – "var en gentleman"". Sydsvenskan. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
18. "Sven-Bertil Taube: Jag ska rappa i Så mycket bättre". Aftonbladet. Archived from the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
19. "Swedish Folk Songs and Ballads". Smithsonian Folkways. Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on 22 June 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
20. "Taube Sjunger Taube by Sven-Bertil Taube". Yahoo! Music. Archived by Wayback Machine: Yahoo. Archived from the original on 5 November 2009. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
21. "Om Sommaren by Sven-Bertil Taube". Yahoo! Music. Archived by the Wayback Machine: Yahoo. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
22. "Sven Betil Taube – Album". CMT. MTV Networks. 18 October 2009. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
23. "Diamanter by Sven-Bertil Taube". Yahoo! Music. Archived by the Wayback Machine: Yahoo. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
24. Wright, Adrian. "I and Albert". Record Cabinet. Poringland, Norwich, UK: Adrian Wright. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2010. Sven-Bertil Taube is an attractively voiced Albert, but this musical biography is necessarily constructed by the death of its hero half way through the plot.
25. "Sven-Bertil Taube Plays Henrik Vanger". The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest. Music Box Films. 2010. Archived from the original on 3 November 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
26. "On the Esquire screen". The Southeast Missourian. Cape Girardeau, Missouri: Naeter Bros. Publishing. 26 May 1972. p. 19. Archived from the original on 20 November 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
27. "En thriller som har det mesta", Gefle Dagblad, 28 February 2009, archived from the original on 12 November 2022, retrieved 12 November 2022
28. "The Guldbagge Award". Swedish Film Institute. Archived by the Wayback Machine. 1 August 2010. Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Archived from the original on 9 March 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
29. "Män som hatar kvinnor (2009)". Swedish Film Database. Archived from the original on 20 December 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
30. "Tidslinje: Sven-Bertil Taube 1934–2022". Dagens Nyheter. 12 November 2022. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
31. "– Jag försökte gömma tåren". Aftonbladet. 23 January 2012. Archived from the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
32. "The Hands (1994) – SFdb". Swedish Film Database. Archived from the original on 20 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
33. "En enkel till Antibes (2011) – SFdb". Swedish Film Database. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
34. "Jerusalem (1996) – SFdb". Swedish Film Database. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
35. "Puss och kram poster 1967 Sven-Bertil Taube regi Jonas Cornell original". Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022 – via Nordicposters.
36. Oy, Donner Productions. "Modern Donner och 27 år gammal romcom". hbl.fi. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
37. "'Puppet on a Chain' (1972): A forgotten gem of action-suspense". moviesanddrinks.com. 3 April 2022. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
38. "Taube håller hov". TT News Agency. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
39. "Codename: Kyril (TV Series)". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
40. "Vännerna sörjer Sven-Bertil Taube". Aftonbladet. 12 November 2022. Archived from the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
41. "Annie – musikalen – en pärla för hela familjen på Kristianstad Teater". kulturbloggen.com. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.

External links

• Sven-Bertil Taube at IMDb
• Sven-Bertil Taube at the Swedish Film Database
• Sven-Bertil Taube at the British Film Institute^{[better source needed]}
• Sven-Bertil Taube discography at Discogs