Max von Sydow

He played chess with Death. He exorcised the Devil. He was the main enemy of agent 007. Max von Sydow (1929–2020) — one of the most celebrated Swedish actors of the 20th century. Above all, he is known for his long-term collaboration with Ingmar Bergman. But his creative biography is not limited to this fact alone: the actor made a successful career in the USA and Europe, where he worked with Woody Allen, Dario Argento, Krzysztof Zanussi, David Lynch, Sidney Pollack, Steven Spielberg, Lars von Trier, and William Friedkin. Lilia Shitenburg's book is the first Russian-language (and the second in the world) monograph dedicated to the actor. In it, the author describes the elements that compose the image of von Sydow — the main knight of the silver screen. The publication is supplemented by a translation of a lecture given by the actor in Avignon in 2005.