The Exorcist and Game Of Thrones star Max von Sydow has died aged 90.
The Oscar-winning actor’s wife Catherine Brelet confirmed the news to French media.
Born Carl Adolf von Sydow in Sweden in 1929, von Sydow first met his mentor Ingmar Bergman in 1955 when he moved to Malmo.
He went on to work with Bergman in 11 films, including The Seventh Seal, in which he played Knight Antonius Block.
In The Seventh Seal, his character famously played chess with Death.
After starring as Jesus in The Greatest Story Ever Told, von Sydow began to rack up roles in American cinema, appearing in Three Days Of The Condor, Flash Gordon – in which he played Ming The Merciless – Conan The Barbarian, Dune and Hannah And Her Sisters.
In 1973, von Sydow famously played Father Lankester Merrin in The Exorcist – one of his most famous roles.
During his career, he received two Oscar nominations for his roles in Pelle The Conqueror and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and starred in over 100 films and TV series.
Recently, he received a Primetime Emmy Award nod for playing Three-eyed Raven in Game Of Thrones, and played Lor San Tekka in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Other credits von Sydow built up over his ullustrious career include Shutter Island, Minority Report, The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, Judge Dredd and Rush Hour 3.
Max’s final role came in 2018, in the film Kursk.
In 2002, the actor relinquished his Swedish citizenship to become a French citizen.
Von Sydow is survived by his wife of 23 years Catherine, and his four children.
Social media has been flooded with tributes to the star, with tweets praising him as a ‘legend’.
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