Gustaf Molander facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gustaf Molander
Gustaf Molander, 1964.
Born	Gustaf Harald August Molander (1888-11-18)18 November 1888 Helsinki, Finland
Died	19 June 1973(1973-06-19) (aged 84) Stockholm, Sweden
Nationality	Swedish
Occupation	Director, actor, screenwriter
Years active	1948–2004
Spouse(s)	Karin Molander ​ (m. 1910⁠–⁠1918)​ Elsa Fahlberg ​ (m. 1919)​
Children	Harald Molander Jan Molander
Parent(s)	Harald Molander Lydia Molander
Relatives	Olof Molander (brother)

Gustaf Harald August Molander (born November 18, 1888 – died June 19, 1973) was a famous Swedish actor and film director. He came from a family of artists. His father, Harald Molander, was also a director, and his mother, Lydia Molander, was a singer and actress. Gustaf's brother, Olof Molander, also became a director. Gustaf had two sons who followed in his footsteps: Harald Molander became a director and producer, and Jan Molander became an actor.

Early Life and Training

Gustaf Molander was born in Helsinki (which was called Helsingfors back then) in Finland. At that time, Finland was part of the Russian Empire. His father was working at the Swedish Theatre there.

Gustaf loved acting and went to study at the school of the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm from 1907 to 1909. After he finished school, he acted at the Swedish Theatre in Helsingfors from 1909 to 1913. Then, he moved back to Stockholm and acted at the Royal Dramatic Theatre from 1913 to 1926. In his last few years there, he was in charge of the school. One of his most famous students was the legendary actress Greta Garbo.

Becoming a Film Director

Gustaf Molander was not just an actor; he was also a talented writer. He wrote many screenplays (movie scripts) for well-known directors like Victor Sjöström and Mauritz Stiller. Mauritz Stiller helped Gustaf get a job as a director at a big film company called Svensk Filmindustri. Gustaf worked there for a long time, from 1923 to 1956.

During his career, Gustaf Molander directed an amazing sixty-two films! He often worked with the popular actor Gösta Ekman.

Famous Films

One of Gustaf Molander's most important films was Intermezzo (1936). This movie was a huge success for the actress Ingrid Bergman. It helped her become famous and led her to Hollywood, where she starred in a new version of Intermezzo in 1939.

In 1943, Molander directed a film called Ordet. This was the first movie version of a play by a pastor named Kaj Munk. Many years later, in 1955, another famous director, Carl Theodor Dreyer, made a different version of Ordet that won a big award called the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival.

Gustaf Molander was supposed to stop making films after Eva in 1948. But almost twenty years later, in 1967, he agreed to direct a part of a movie called Stimulantia. This meant he got to work with Ingrid Bergman again, 30 years after their first film together!

Selected Films Directed by Gustaf Molander

Gustaf Molander directed many films. Here are some of them:

• Thomas Graal's Ward (1922)
• Ingmar's Inheritance (1925)
• To the Orient (1926)
• Sealed Lips (1927)
• Sin (1928)
• Frida's Songs (1930)
• Black Roses (1932)
• Swedenhielms (1935)
• Intermezzo (1936)
• Sara Learns Manners (1937)
• A Woman's Face (1938)
• Emilie Högquist (1939)
• Only One Night (1939)
• Ride Tonight! (1942)
• Ordet (1943)
• The Emperor of Portugallia (1944)
• Woman Without a Face (1947)
• Eva (1948)
• Love Wins Out (1949)
• The Glass Mountain (1953)
• Sir Arne's Treasure (1954)
• The Unicorn (1955)
• The Song of the Scarlet Flower (1956)
• Stimulantia (1967)

See also

In Spanish: Gustaf Molander para niños