Lena Olin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lena Olin
Olin in 2015
Born	Lena Maria Jonna Olin (1955-03-22) 22 March 1955 (age 70) Stockholm, Sweden
Education	Swedish National Academy of Mime and Acting
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1976–present
Spouse(s)	Lasse Hallström ​ (m. 1994)​
Children	2
Parent(s)	Britta Holmberg Stig Olin

Lena Olin (born March 22, 1955) is a famous actress from Sweden. She has been nominated for many big awards, like an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award.

Lena Olin started her acting journey with help from the famous filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. She had a small part in his movie Face to Face in 1976. After finishing drama school, she joined the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Sweden. She then appeared in more of Bergman's films, including Fanny and Alexander (1982) and After the Rehearsal (1984).

She became well-known around the world for her role as a free-spirited artist in the movie The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988). This role earned her a nomination for a Golden Globe Award. Lena Olin also received an Academy Award nomination for her role in Enemies, A Love Story (1989), where she played a survivor of a difficult time in history. She was also nominated for a BAFTA Award for her role in the movie Chocolat (2000).

On television, Lena Olin played a spy named Irina Derevko in the show Alias from 2002 to 2006. This role earned her a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award. She has also appeared in other TV shows like Welcome to Sweden (2014–2015), Riviera (2017–2020), and Hunters (2020–2023).

Early Life and Education

Lena Maria Jonna Olin was born in Stockholm, Sweden, on March 22, 1955. She was the youngest of three children. Her parents, Britta Holmberg and Stig Olin, were also actors.

Before she started drama school, Lena worked as a nursing assistant and a substitute teacher. She studied acting at Sweden's National Academy of Dramatic Art from 1976 to 1979. In October 1974, when she was 19 years old, Lena Olin was crowned Miss Scandinavia in Helsinki, Finland.

Acting Career Highlights

Lena Olin performed for more than ten years with the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Sweden. She acted in plays by famous writers like William Shakespeare and August Strindberg. She also had small roles in Swedish films and TV shows.

Working with Ingmar Bergman

The famous director Ingmar Bergman gave Lena Olin a role in his film Face to Face in 1976. A year later, she started acting on the national stage in Stockholm in plays directed by Bergman. She even traveled around the world with Bergman's play King Lear, where she played the character Cordelia.

In 1980, Lena Olin was one of the first people to win the Ingmar Bergman Award. This award was started by the director himself.

International Success

Lena Olin's first international film role was a small part in Bergman's Fanny and Alexander (1980). Later, Bergman gave her her first main role in an international film, After the Rehearsal (1984).

In 1988, Olin starred in her first big English-speaking movie, The Unbearable Lightness of Being. She acted alongside Daniel Day-Lewis and Juliette Binoche. She also appeared in Havana (1990) and The Ninth Gate (1999).

In 1989, Lena Olin was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Enemies: A Love Story. In this movie, she played a survivor of a difficult historical event.

She also starred in the thriller Romeo Is Bleeding in 1993 and the superhero comedy film Mystery Men in 1999.

Collaborations and Television Roles

Lena Olin worked with director Lasse Hallström on the film Chocolat (2000), which was nominated for five Academy Awards. She worked with him again on Casanova (2005) and the TV series The Darkness in 2024.

In 2002, Olin took on her first American television role in the spy thriller Alias. She played the character Irina Derevko. For her work on Alias, Olin was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2003.

In 2008, Olin appeared in the Oscar-nominated film The Reader. She played a survivor of a historical event at a trial.

From 2014 to 2015, Olin starred in the Swedish TV show Welcome to Sweden. In 2017, she starred in the independent drama film Maya Dardel.

From 2020 to 2023, she played Eva Braun-Hitler, also known as The Colonel, in the American TV series Hunters. In 2024, she played the main role of Detective Hulda Hermannsdóttir in the Icelandic/American TV series The Darkness.

Personal Life

Lena Olin has a son named August from a previous relationship. Since 1994, she has been married to filmmaker Lasse Hallström. They have a daughter named Tora. The family lives in Bedford, New York.

Filmography

Film

Television

See also

In Spanish: Lena Olin para niños