Tomas Alfredson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tomas Alfredson
Alfredson at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival
Born	Hans Christian Tomas Alfredson (1965-04-01) 1 April 1965 (age 60) Lidingö, Sweden
Nationality	Swedish
Occupation	Film director, actor
Years active	1971–present
Parent(s)	Hans Alfredson Gunilla Alfredson
Relatives	Daniel (brother) Sofi (sister) Mats (brother, died 1967)

Tomas Alfredson, born on April 1, 1965, is a famous Swedish film director. He is known around the world for directing the vampire movie Let the Right One In (2008) and the spy movie Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011). Tomas has won the Guldbagge Award for Best Director two times. He won in 2005 for Four Shades of Brown and again in 2008 for Let the Right One In.

Tomas is the son of director and actor Hans Alfredson. His brother, Daniel Alfredson, is also a director.

Early Life and Family Background

Tomas Alfredson was born in 1965 in Lidingö, Sweden. His parents were Gunilla and Hans "Hasse" Alfredson. Hasse was a well-known comedian, writer, and director. Tomas grew up knowing his father was a public figure.

His father was often busy with work, so Tomas was mostly raised by his mother. However, Tomas spent his summers helping with his father's film projects. He found this work very enjoyable. It was a special way for them to connect.

First Steps in Acting

As a child, Tomas often had small roles in the popular Hasseåtage films. These movies featured his father and Tage Danielsson, a famous comedy duo. For example, in the 1971 film The Apple War, Tomas played a character called the "Count." His only line was "Adieu, mon plaisir," which means "Goodbye, my pleasure."

Tomas Alfredson's Directing Journey

Tomas Alfredson started his career at AB Svensk Filmindustri, a big Swedish film company. He worked there as an assistant. Later, he helped create the Swedish TV channel TV4. He worked in the entertainment department. One of his early successes was the Swedish version of the show Fort Boyard, called "Fångarna på Fortet."

Alfredson then moved to Sveriges Television, another TV company. There, he created children's TV shows like Ikas TV-kalas. This show starred Ika Nord, who later appeared in his 2008 movie Let the Right One In. Ika Nord said that Tomas was "only 25, but already extremely knowledgeable." In 1994, Alfredson directed Bert, a TV show based on popular teenage diary novels. He also directed a movie based on the series in 1995, called Bert: The Last .... For this movie, he was nominated for a Guldbagge Award for Best Director.

Working with Killinggänget

In 1999, Alfredson joined a Swedish comedy group called Killinggänget. He said he thought they were "a little funnier than the others." His first project with them was a series of four TV films in 1999. One of these was Screwed in Tallinn, a mockumentary. It showed a group of Swedish men traveling to Estonia to find girlfriends.

In 2004, Alfredson directed Four Shades of Brown, which was Killinggänget's only feature film. This movie told four different stories that were connected by the idea of betrayal, especially parents betraying their children. The film won four Guldbagge Awards, including Best Director for Alfredson.

Breakthrough with Let the Right One In

In 2004, Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist released his first horror novel, Let the Right One In. After reading the book, Alfredson really wanted to make it into a movie. He contacted Lindqvist, even though many others were also interested. They got along well, and Lindqvist liked Alfredson's previous work.

The movie Let the Right One In tells the story of a 12-year-old boy who is bullied. He becomes friends with a child vampire in Sweden in the early 1980s. Alfredson not only directed the film but also helped edit it.

The movie first showed on January 26, 2008, at the Göteborg International Film Festival. Alfredson won the Nordic Film Prize there. The film then won many more awards, including the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature at the Tribeca Film Festival. Let the Right One In quickly became a global success. Its rights were sold to over forty countries before it was released in theaters on October 24, 2008. In Sweden, the film won five Guldbagge Awards, and Alfredson received his second Guldbagge Award for Best Director.

International Film Projects

After finishing Let the Right One In, Alfredson said he would not make any more films for a while. He felt that the Swedish film industry was losing its energy and courage. He had offers from Hollywood but was hesitant to leave his home and family.

However, in March 2009, he announced he would work on a big international film. In July 2009, Alfredson agreed to direct a movie based on John le Carré's 1974 spy novel, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. The film was produced by Working Title Films and premiered in September 2011 at the 68th Venice International Film Festival.

In 2012, it was announced that Alfredson had bought the rights to make a movie based on Astrid Lindgren's book The Brothers Lionheart. Alfredson planned to direct it, and John Ajvide Lindqvist was set to write the script.

In 2017, Alfredson directed The Snowman. This movie was based on a popular book by Jo Nesbø and had many famous actors. However, critics generally did not like the movie.

Personal Life

Tomas Alfredson is the brother of film director Daniel Alfredson. He has two children with his ex-wife Cissi Elwin Frenkel. Cissi used to be the managing director of the Swedish Film Institute. Tomas currently lives in Stockholm, Sweden.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Tomas Alfredson para niños