Ingrid Bergman

Lore & Background

Ingrid Bergman was born in Stockholm to a Swedish father and German mother. After losing both parents by age 14, she lived with relatives and later received a scholarship to the Royal Dramatic Training Academy. She began her film career in Swedish and German films, with her first speaking role in Munkbrogreven (1935). Her introduction to U.S. audiences came with the English-language remake of Intermezzo (1939). She became known for her naturally luminous beauty and starred in Casablanca (1942) as Ilsa Lund. In the 1940s, she earned multiple Academy Award nominations for For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943), Gaslight (1944), The Bells of St. Mary's (1945), and Joan of Arc (1948), winning for Gaslight. She made three films with Alfred Hitchcock: Spellbound (1945), Notorious (1946), and Under Capricorn (1949).

Reader's Guide

Bergman's significance lies in her enduring impact on cinema and her ability to cross cultural and linguistic boundaries. She spoke five languages—Swedish, English, German, Italian, and French—and acted in each. Her career was marked by a major scandal in 1950 when her affair with Roberto Rossellini and pregnancy before marriage led to her remaining in Europe for several years. She later returned to Hollywood, winning Academy Awards for Anastasia (1956) and Murder on the Orient Express (1974). She also won a Tony Award for Joan of Lorraine (1947) and two Primetime Emmy Awards for The Turn of the Screw (1960) and A Woman Called Golda (1982). In 1974, she discovered she had breast cancer but continued working until shortly before her death on her 67th birthday. The American Film Institute recognized her as the fourth-greatest female screen legend of Classic Hollywood Cinema in 1999.

Did You Know?

• Bergman was named after Princess Ingrid of Sweden.
• She was the youngest performer to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting (Academy, Emmy, Tony).
• She won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress for Europa '51, but the award was not given in 1952 because she was dubbed; it was awarded posthumously in 1992.
• She spoke five languages: Swedish, English, German, Italian, and French.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"What is happiness? It depends on two assets, which fortunately I have. They are good health and a short memory." — Ingrid Bergman "It's not whether you really cry. It's whether the audience thinks you are crying." — Ingrid Bergman "A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous." — Ingrid Bergman "I've never sought success in order to get fame and money; it's the talent and the passion that count in success." — Ingrid Bergman