Childhood and youth
Stellan was born in the Swedish city of Gothenburg. Parents Jan Skarsgård and Gedrun Larson couldn't sit still. The early biography of the screen star is full of travel around his native country. The family constantly moved, the boy managed to get acquainted with the nature and way of life of different Swedish corners: the Skarsgårds lived in Uppsala, Kalmar and even a tiny village with two hundred inhabitants - Totebo.
Stellan Skarsgard in his youth
In his youth, Stellan had a desire to become an actor. Apparently, genes took their toll - in his youth, my father also tried to join the world of acting, but did not go beyond amateur theater. Although Jan Skarsgård supported his son, he persuaded him to get a school education and then some “serious” profession as a safety net. The heir was so confident in his strength and true to his dream that he dropped out of school.
At the age of 16, the young man joined the ranks of the Royal Drama Theater in Stockholm. The aspiring actor quickly won the love of theatergoers, and soon came to the attention of television directors.
Movies
Stellan Skarsgard began his career in the world of cinema as an actor in serial films. At first, minor roles were given, episodic or supporting roles. Compatriots began to recognize him on the streets after working in the youth series “Bomby Bitt and I,” and the young man was invited to a full-length film in 1968 - he appeared in the film “This Year.”
Stellan Skarsgard and Christina Lindberg in the film Anita: The Diary of a Teenage Girl
Soon they were entrusted with playing the main character: Stellan portrayed the student Eric, who helps the young nymphomaniac Anita (Christina Lindberg) understand the psychological problems in the drama “Anita: The Diary of a Teenage Girl.”
He also received the first prize for success in cinema in his homeland. Critics awarded Skarsgard's performance in the film Simple Murder (1981) with the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Stellan brilliantly conveyed the character of a simple-minded boy named Sven, who escaped from slavery.
Stellan Skarsgård in the movie Simple Murder
By the end of the 80s, the actor was already basking in the rays of fame in Sweden, but he was almost unknown outside his native country. But fate gave him a chance to become a world-famous star. The path to Hollywood began with the popular film “The Unbearable Lightness of Being,” directed by Philip Kaufman based on the novel by Milan Kundera.
However, the role of engineer did not bring popularity to Stellan Skarsgård. The next character, the commander of a Soviet submarine in “The Hunt for Red October,” also did not stick in the audience’s memory. Here I had a chance to meet Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin on the set.
Stellan Skarsgård in the movie Breaking the Waves
His finest hour came only in 1996, when Lars von Trier gave the actor the leading role in the melodrama “Breaking the Waves.” Stellan's partner was Emily Watson. After this picture, the Swede received really interesting offers from the authors of big cinema.
Von Trier appreciated his talent; Skarsgård played for this director in a number of other works. The filmography was adorned with the film “Dancing in the Dark” (2000), in which singer Björk also shone. He appeared in the thriller Dogville (2003) alongside Nicole Kidman and Chloë Sevigny.
Stellan Skarsgard in the movie "Nymphomaniac"
In the fantasy drama “Melancholia” (2011), Kirsten Dunst and eldest son Alexander Skarsgard acted as colleagues. And in 2013, Lars von Trier invited Stellan to be part of the cast of the erotic film “Nymphomaniac,” which was warmly received by the world film community.
The working relationship developed into a strong friendship with director Hans Petter Moland. The Norwegian also willingly filmed Skarsgård. With his participation, the films “Aberdeen”, “A Pretty Good Man”, “A Simple Fool” were released. In an interview, the actor jokes:
“We’re like an old married couple – I get worried when we’re apart for a long time.”
Fans of the bright fantasy “Pirates of the Caribbean” also know Stellan Skarsgård well. In two episodes of the adventure comedy series, the Swede reincarnated as Bootstrap Bill Turner, a pirate, the living dead, and the father of one of the main characters, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom).
The artist especially liked his work in the sensational saga about pirate adventures. He noted that it was nice and great to work in the company with Johnny Depp.
The detective thriller “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara added to the fame. Here Stellan appeared in the guise of the general director of a large concern, Martin Vanger.
Stellan Skarsgård in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Film fans were delighted with the musical “Mamma Mia!”, which premiered in 2008. The man not only brilliantly impersonated the sailor Bill Anderson, Stellan also sang the famous songs of the legendary ABBA ensemble. And a year later he got into the sequel of the film “The Da Vinci Code” “Angels and Demons”, where he played Commander Richter.
Stellan Skarsgard in the movie "Angels and Demons"
In the second decade of the new century, the actor continued to actively act, and exclusively in films that were complex and bright, leaving a mark on the audience’s hearts and winning awards at film festivals.
He also shone in fashionable superhero action films based on comics from the Marvel universe. Stellan Skarsgård, in the image of astrophysicist Erik Selvig, went through a series of films - “Thor”, “The Avengers”, “Thor 2: The Dark World”, “Avengers: Age of Ultron”.
Stellan Skarsgard in the series River
In 2020, the actor was invited by the directors of the series “River” to lead the cast. Police officer John River, played by Stellan, has an unusual gift - he sees the souls of the dead whose cases he is investigating.
Bill Skarsgard (27 years old)
Bill Skarsgård also began working in films since childhood. His acting debut took place at the age of 10 in the film “The Iron Gang” (Järngänget).
Still from the film Järngänget (2000)
After this, Skarsgård actively starred in European cinema. For example, in the touching comedy “There are no feelings in space,” in which he plays the role of a guy looking for a girl for his brother. The situation is complicated by the fact that Skarsgård's character has Asperger's disease, and he needs everything in the world to be subordinated to some specific structure.
Still from the film “There are no feelings in space” (2010)
Another interesting film of the “European period” is “Simon and the Oaks” - a drama about the fate of a Jewish boy, adopted by a family from Sweden before the war. Actually, this boy is played by Skarsgård. In 2012, the actor received the Shooting Stars Award at the Berlin Film Festival for his role in the film.
Still from the film “Simon and the Oaks” (2011)
Also worthy of mention is the drama “The Royal Jewels,” in which Skarsgård plays alongside another famous Swede, Oscar winner Alicia Vikander.
In 2012, Bill Skarsgard took part in an episode of the Swedish television program "" (Två På Resa), in which he and his friend traveled around Los Angeles.
Still from the program Två På Resa (2012)
Bill gained worldwide fame, like his brothers, thanks to the series. In 2013, he was cast as the vampire Roman Godfrey in the film adaptation of the novel Hemlock Grove. After that, the actor received a supporting role in the third part of the teenage dystopia “Divergent”, starred with Charlize Theron in “Atomic Blonde” and, finally, became Pennywise in the “It” reboot.
Still from the series “Hemlock Grove”
In parallel with his work in large projects, Bill appeared in the arthouse short film “The Appearance of the Stone” and in the original project “Alteration” - a film shot for viewing in VR glasses.
We can expect that after the success of It, the actor will be in demand in the film business. Already, two films with his participation are in the post-production stage: “Assassination Nation” and “Imperator”. Skarsgård is also involved in the voice acting of the cartoon “A Mummien Joulu Christmas” and is starring in another Stephen King film adaptation, the series “Castle Rock.” And this fall, the drama “Battle Creek” will be released, the release of which fans of the actor have been waiting for for a year.
Personal life
Stellan Skarsgård visited the registry office twice. The actor first married in 1975 to the girl Mu Gunther, a doctor by training. The marriage turned out to be strong, the couple lived under the same roof for 32 years, but in 2007 the couple filed for divorce. Stellan's second wife was producer Megan Everett, with whom he still lives.
Stellan Skarsgard and his wife Megan Everett
The Hollywood star is a father of many children. The first wife gave Skarsgård six children: five sons and daughter Eya. Three heirs followed in their father's footsteps, also becoming actors.
Alexander is familiar to viewers from the TV series “Generation Killers” and “Big Little Lies.” Gustaf became famous for his roles as Knut Eriksson in the film “Arn: Knight Templar” and Floki in the historical serial film “Vikings”. And the fourth son, Bill Skarsgård, gained fame when he portrayed the clown Pennywise in the film adaptation of Stephen King's novel It.
Gustav Skarsgard, Bill Skarsgard and Alexander Skarsgard are the sons of Stellan Skarsgard.
In his second family, the actor had two more sons, Ossian and Kolbein. The man decided to stop there and had a vasectomy.
Skarsgård chose his homeland as his permanent place of residence. He believes that in terms of living standards there is no better country than Sweden.
Some interesting facts about the Stellan family
All the children in the family are quite self-critical of their actions, especially those who appear on the screen in leading roles. Sometimes their statements about themselves are discouraging: how can a world-class star be so correct?
In the photo, Stellan Skarsgård is always smiling and cheerful. But in fact, he is a deeply philosophical person with a loyal outlook on life. He tried to instill this quality, as well as ease of communication, in all his children. Media and film workers largely agree with this: the Skarsgårds do not require special privileges and a crowd of service personnel, and in conversation they are very correct.
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Bill, who played Pennywise the Clown in the Stephen King film adaptation of It, can actually smile like his character. No makeup. This skill terrifies everyone who has been able to witness it.
The family is quite relaxed about on-screen nudity. Many of the brothers often posed naked, citing the fact that they were Swedes, and “everyone there is like that.”
Stellan Skarsgård now
Stellan is still full of strength and energy. This colorful man (he is 191 cm tall and weighs 89 kg) remains a sought-after actor; two or three films with his participation are released every year. 2018 was no exception. Skarsgård starred in the film adaptation of Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote.
The premiere of the film “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” took place at the end of spring. The film is notable for the fact that the director tried to create it for 29 years, but various circumstances got in the way - either a lack of budget or an injury to the main actor. Stellan was accompanied by Adam Driver, Olga Kurylenko, and Jonathan Price.
At the height of summer, Ol Parker presented to the audience the continuation of the cheerful musical “Mamma Mia! - 2”, where Skarsgård tried on the already familiar role of a sailor. Work is in full swing on Hans Petter Moland’s drama “Out Stealing Horses”; the premiere is announced for 2020. The Swedish actor also found a place in this film.
