There’s no question that the late actor Max von Sydow was one of the greatest actors of his generation. Born in Sweden, he rose to fame through his appearances in several films by Ingmar Bergman.
As his career progressed, and particularly in the last twenty years, we’ve seen him pop up in all sorts of films and television series, sometimes in the most unexpected places. Whether it’s a historical drama series set in the Renaissance or a space opera set in a galaxy far, far away, here are ten of Max von Sydow’s most unexpected appearances on screen.
The Tudors (2007-2010)
Entertaining it might be, but The Tudors is not the most historically accurate of series. Taking as its subject the marital troubles and trials of the virile King Henry VIII, the series lasted for four seasons on Showtime and managed to give quite a bit of screen time to all of his wives (no mean feat when there’s six of them).
So where does von Sydow fit in? He appeared in the third season as Cardinal Otto Truchsess von Waldburg, a venerable cleric who schemes against Henry as a result of the latter’s split from the Catholic Church.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
You know that a Star Wars movie is gunning for cultural respectability when it hires an actor of von Sydow’s caliber. Though he only appears for a few moments at the very beginning of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, von Sydow manages to own every single second that he appears on the screen.
Say what you will about the merits (or lack thereof), von Sydow manages to elevate the film just by appearing in it. Somehow, he also succeeds in maintaining his dignity in his death scene, and showing us just how ruthless Kylo Ren is.
Game of Thrones (2011-2019)
One of the highlights of the later seasons of Game of Thrones was the appearance of the mysterious character of the Three-Eyed Raven, who takes young Bran Stark under his wing and shows him visions of the past, including the origins of the dangerous and vengeful Night King.
Von Sydow was the absolutely perfect person to play this part, given his gravitas as a screen presence. You can easily believe that this is a figure that has seen the ways in which the past, the present, and the future interweave.
Dune (1984)
What can you say about David Lynch’s adaptation of the enormously popular Frank Herbert novel? It is certainly a visually interesting film, with some truly bizarre casting choices (including Sting as one of the main villains). One of the few that makes any sort of sense is the appearance of von Sydow as the relatively minor character Doctor Kynes.
Though his appearance is a relatively minor one, it’s a rare moment of sanity in a film that is full of crazy moments (there’s even a moment where a character has to milk a cat-like creature).
The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
Max von Sydow was probably a rather unorthodox role to play Jesus, but famed western director George Stevens clearly felt that the Swedish actor brought just the right amount of otherworldly beauty to the role. Indeed, in a film that is both far too long and too full of random celebrity cameos, von Sydow is the best thing about it.
He somehow manages to bring out the fundamental humanity of Jesus as well as his transcendent spirituality. The fact that his appearance in this film is so unexpected makes his success all the more extraordinary.
Robin Hood (2010)
There aren’t a whole lot of good things to say about Ridley Scott’s medieval epic about the most famous bandit in history. Somehow, it just seems to lack the heft of some of his other efforts, and Russell Crowe just seems to be rehashing a lot of his earlier performances.
Nevertheless, Scott made a good choice in casting as the father of the title character. It seems like if you need a veteran actor who can easily portray an older, wise figure, you don’t need to look any further than Max von Sydow.
Rush Hour 3 (2007)
When you think of an actor with the noted stature of Max von Sydow, you probably don’t think of a film like Rush Hour 3. Nothing against it; it’s just that you don’t necessarily expect to see von Sydow show up. What makes the veteran Swede such a fantastic actor, however, is his willingness to commit to a role, no matter how out of the ordinary it might be for him.
Whenever he appears on the screen, you can’t help but feel your eyes drawn to him, and he owns every minute of it.
Conan the Barbarian (1982)
There are many things to note about the film Conan the Barbarian, not the least of which is the fact that Max von Sydow makes an appearance. He portrays the character of King Osric, who sends Conan on a mission to recover his daughter.
Apparently, von Sydow was brought into the film to help inspire Arnold Schwarzenegger (who stars as the titular character), though there are rumors that von Sydow didn’t particularly commit to his role. However, even a von Sydow that is phoning in his appearance is still worth it, even if the rest of the film is high camp.
Flash Gordon (1980)
Somehow, von Sydow just keeps turning up in fantasy and science fiction films that seem to be out of his wheelhouse. In this case, he appears as the character Ming the Merciless, the villain of the film who decides, out of boredom, that he will destroy the world.
Despite the fact that the film wasn’t particularly well-received by critics—the lead actor was even nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award—many were impressed by von Sydow. Even in a film as campy as this one, von Sydow’s talents continue to shine on the screen.
The Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
While The Exorcist is rightfully regarded as one of the best horror films ever made—and a classic film in its own right—the same cannot be said of its sequel, which has gone down as one of the worst films ever made.
In fact, it might be said that the only redeeming thing about it is Max von Sydow, who reprises his role from the original film. It’s rather unexpected to see an actor of his stature return for a subpar sequel, but somehow he manages to make it work.