Max von Sydow

Swedish actor Max von Sydow receives the International Film Festival of San Sebastian's "Donostia" award, Sept. 24, 2006, in the northern Spanish city of San Sebastian.

Sydow was born on April 10, 1929 in Lund, Sweden. He was a theater actor before making his film debut in 1949.

AP Photo/Warner Bros. Pictures, Francois Duhamel

Max Von Sydow is shown in a scene from "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close." Von Sydow was nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar for his role in the film.

Through the years, he appeared in many Ingmar Bergman films - the first in 1957 with "The Seventh Seal."

Max von Sydow as Father Merrin from movie "The Exorcist."

Sydow studied at the Royal Dramatic Theatre School in Stockholm from 1948

Max Von Sydow and Rick Yune star in the movie 1999 movie "Snow Falling on Cedars."

Ingrid Thulin and Max von Sydow in Ingmar Bergman's "The Face (a.k.a. The Magician)" (1960). Von Sydow played a traveling magician's whose performances may involve the supernatural.

This undated photo provided by Janus Films shows actor Max von Sydow in Ingmar Bergman's "The Virgin Spring."

Max von Sydow as a man whose marriage has dissolved in Ingmar Bergman's "Passion" (1969).

An iconic scene from Ingmar Bergman's "The Seventh Seal" (1957): A chess game between a medieval knight (Max von Sydow) and the figure of Death (Bengt Ekerot).

Actor Max von Sydow arrives at the 84th Academy Awards Nominations Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 6, 2012, in Beverly Hills.

"The Emigrants" (1971) depicted the struggles facing Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann as Swedish emigrants to Minnesota. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including best picture, and spawned a sequel, "The New Land."

Swedish actor Max von Sydow receives the International Film Festival of San Sebastian's "Donostia" award, Sept. 24, 2006, in the northern Spanish city of San Sebastian.

Swedish actor Max von Sydow raises his hat as he arrives at Maria Cristina Hotel, Sept. 23, 2006, on the eve of receiving the San Sebastian International Film Festival's Donostia Award.

Max von Sydow is shown in a 2004 photo.

Jason Miller and Max von Sydow as Father Karras and Father Merrin in a scene from "The Exorcist."

Birgitta Valberg and Max von Sydow in Ingmar Bergman's tale of revenge, "The Virgin Spring" (1960).

Actor Max Von Sydow and his wife Catherine arrive during day four of 54th San Sebastian Film Festival at the Kursaal Palace on Sept. 24, 2006, in San Sebastian, Spain.

Sydow has been married twice - first to Christina Olin from 1951-1979. They had two children. In 1997, he married Catherine Brelet. They're still together and have two children.

Max Von Sydow is shown in a 1990 photo.

Actor Max Von Sydow attends the premiere for film "Life is a Miracle" at The 57th annual Cannes Film Festival on May 14, 2004, in Cannes, France.

Actor Max Von Sydow attends a photocall during the fourth day of 54th San Sebastian Film Festival at the Kursaal Palace on Sept. 24, 2006, in San Sebastian, Spain.

Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) performs an exorcism on Regan McNeil (Linda Blair) in a scene from 1973's "The Exorcist."

Max von Sydow (who played Sir Walter Loxley) on the set of the 2010 film "Robin Hood" with director Ridley Scott and actor Russel Crowe.

Max von Sydow as Jesus in "The Greatest Story Ever Told" (1965).

Mark Ruffalo, Leonardo DiCaprio, Max von Sydow and Ben Kingsley in the Martin Scorsese thriller "Shutter Island," set in an institution for the insane.

Max von Sydow as Ming the Merciless, and Ornella Muti as his daughter Princess Aura, in the 1980 sci-fi fantasy "Flash Gordon," based on the comic strip characters created by Alex Raymond.

Max von Sydow and Julie Andrews as 19th century missionaries in the historical epic "Hawaii" based on the novel by James A. Michener.

Max von Sydow appeared in David Lynch's adaptation of the sci-fi classic "Dune" (1984), along with Patrick Stewart, Kyle MacLachlan and Jurgen Prochnow.

Don't go into that antique store! Why? Because it's a Stephen King film. Max von Sydow is the devilish proprietor in "Needful Things" (1993).

Max von Sydow as an insomniac artist in Ingmar Bergman's "Hour of the Wolf" (1969).

In Bille August's "Pelle the Conqueror" (1997), Oscar nominee Max von Sydow and Pelle Hvenegaard play a father and son who emigrate from Sweden to Denmark in search of a better life. The movie won an Academy Award for best foreign language film.

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