Ingrid Bergman (29 August 1915 – 29 August 1982) was a Swedish actress. With a career spanning five decades, Bergman is often regarded as one of the most influential screen figures in cinematic history. She won numerous accolades, including three Academy Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, four Golden Globe Awards, BAFTA Award, and a Volpi Cup. She is one of only four actresses to have received at least three acting Academy Awards (only Katharine Hepburn has four). In 1999, the American Film Institute recognised Bergman as the fourth greatest female screen legend of Classic Hollywood Cinema.
Born in Stockholm to a Swedish father and German mother, Bergman began her acting career in Swedish and German films. Her introduction to the U.S. audience came in the English-language remake of Intermezzo (1939). Known for her naturally luminous beauty, she starred in Casablanca (1942) as Ilsa Lund. Bergman's notable performances in the 1940s include the dramas For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943), Gaslight (1944), The Bells of St. Mary's (1945), and Joan of Arc (1948), all of which earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress; she won for Gaslight. She made three films with Alfred Hitchcock: Spellbound (1945), Notorious (1946), and Under Capricorn (1949).
In 1950, she starred in Roberto Rossellini's Stromboli, released after the revelation that she was having an affair with Rossellini; that and her pregnancy before their marriage created a scandal in the U.S. that prompted her to remain in Europe for several years. During this time, she starred in Rossellini's Europa '51 and Journey to Italy (1954), the former of which won her the Volpi Cup for Best Actress. She returned to Hollywood, earning two more Academy Awards for her roles in Anastasia (1956) and Murder on the Orient Express (1974). During this period she also starred in Indiscreet (1958), Cactus Flower (1969), and Autumn Sonata (1978) receiving her sixth Best Actress nomination.
Bergman won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for the Maxwell Anderson play Joan of Lorraine (1947). She also won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for The Turn of the Screw (1960), and A Woman Called Golda (1982). In 1974, Bergman discovered she was suffering from breast cancer but continued to work until shortly before her death on her sixty-seventh birthday in 1982. Bergman spoke five languages – Swedish, English, German, Italian, and French – and acted in each.
After her father's death, Bergman was sent to live with her paternal aunt, Ellen, who died of heart disease six months later. Bergman then lived with her paternal uncle Otto and his wife Hulda, who had five children of their own. She also visited her maternal aunt, Elsa Adler, whom the young girl called Mutti (Mom) according to family lore. She later said, "I have wanted to be an actress almost as long as I can remember", sometimes wearing her deceased mother's clothing, and staging plays in her father's empty studio.
1939–1949: Hollywood and stage work breakthrough
Bergman's first acting role in the United States was in Intermezzo: A Love Story by Gregory Ratoff which premiered on 22 September 1939. She accepted the invitation of Hollywood producer David O. Selznick, who wished her to star in the English-language remake of her earlier Swedish film Intermezzo (1936). Unable to speak English, and uncertain about her acceptance by the American audience, she expected to complete this one film and return home to Sweden. Her husband, Petter Aron Lindström, remained in Sweden with their daughter Pia (born 1938).[8]: 63 In Intermezzo, she played the role of a young piano accompanist, opposite Leslie Howard, who played a famous violin virtuoso. Bergman arrived in Los Angeles on 6 May 1939 and stayed at the Selznick home until she could find another residence.
Casablanca, by Michael Curtiz, opened on 26 November 1942. Bergman co-starred with Humphrey Bogart in the film; this remains her best-known role. She played the role of Ilsa, the former love of Rick Blaine and wife of Victor Laszlo, fleeing with Laszlo to the United States. The film premiered on 26 November 1942 at New York's Hollywood Theater. The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "The events are shot with sharp humor and delightful touches of political satire." It went into more general release, in January 1943.Casablanca was not one of Bergman's favorite performances. "I made so many films which were more important, but the only one people ever want to talk about is that one with Bogart." In later years, she stated, "I feel about Casablanca that it has a life of its own. There is something mystical about it. It seems to have filled a need, a need that was there before the film, a need that the film filled". Despite her personal views regarding her performance, Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote that "Bergman was surprisingly lovely, crisp and natural ... and lights the romantic passages with a warm and genuine glow". Other reviewers said that she "[plays] the heroine with ... appealing authority and beauty" and "illuminates every scene in which she appears" and compared her to "a youthful Garbo."
Ed Sullivan chose not to have her on his show, despite a poll indicating that the public wanted her to appear. However, Steve Allen, whose show was equally popular, did have her as a guest, later explaining "the danger of trying to judge artistic activity through the prism of one's personal life".Spoto notes that Bergman had, by virtue of her roles and screen persona, placed herself "above all that". She had played a nun in The Bells of St. Mary's (1945), and a virgin saint in Joan of Arc (1948). Bergman later said, "People saw me in Joan of Arc, and declared me a saint. I'm not. I'm just a woman, another human being."
Bergman became one of the few actresses ever to receive three Oscars when she won her third (and first in the category of Best Supporting Actress) for her performance in Murder on the Orient Express (1974). Director Sidney Lumet had offered Bergman the important part of Princess Dragomiroff, with which he felt she could win an Oscar. She insisted on playing the much smaller role of Greta Ohlsson, the old Swedish missionary.
Personal life
Marriages and children
On 10 July 1937, at the age of 21, in Stöde, Bergman married a dentist, Petter Aron Lindström, who later became a neurosurgeon. The couple had one child, a daughter, Friedel Pia Lindström. After returning to the United States in 1940, she acted on Broadway before continuing to do films in Hollywood. The following year, her husband arrived from Sweden with Pia. Lindström stayed in Rochester, New York, where he studied medicine and surgery at the University of Rochester.
Lindström had been aware of his wife's affairs. When asked by the biographer why he didn't ask for a divorce, he replied bluntly, "I lived with that because of her income." Bergman returned to Europe after the scandalous publicity surrounding her affair with Italian director Roberto Rossellini during the filming of Stromboli in 1950. She begged Lindström for a divorce and contact with their daughter Pia, but he refused.
On 21 December 1958, Bergman married Lars Schmidt, a theatrical entrepreneur from a wealthy Swedish shipping family. She met Schmidt through her publicist, Kay Brown. The couple and their children spent summers together in Danholmen, Lars's private island off the coast of Sweden. They also stayed at Choisel near Paris. Bergman traveled frequently for filming, while Lars produced plays and television shows all over Europe, and their work schedules put a strain on their marriage. While vacationing with Schmidt in Monte Gordo beach in Algarve, Portugal in 1963, right after making the TV movie Hedda Gabler, she received a ticket for wearing a too-revealing bikini, by the modesty standards of conservative Portugal. After almost two decades of marriage, the couple divorced in 1975. Nonetheless, Lars was by her side when she died on 29 August 1982, her 67th birthday.
Relationships
Bergman had affairs with her directors and co-stars in the 1940s. Spencer Tracy and Bergman briefly dated during the filming of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. She later had an affair with Gary Cooper while shooting For Whom The Bell Tolls. Cooper said, "No one loved me more than Ingrid Bergman, but the day after filming concluded, I couldn't even get her on the phone." Jeanine Basinger writes, "Fleming fell deeply in love with the irresistible Swede and never really got over it". While directing his final film Joan of Arc, he was completely enthralled with Bergman. She had a brief affair with musician Larry Adler when she was travelling across Europe entertaining the troops in 1945. In Anthony Quinn's autobiography, he mentions his sexual relationship with Bergman, among his many other affairs. Howard Hughes was also quite taken by Bergman. They met through Cary Grant and Irene Selznic.
During her marriage to Lindström, Bergman also had affairs with the photographer Robert Capa and the actor Gregory Peck. It was through Bergman's autobiography that her affair with Capa became known. In June 1945, Bergman was passing through Paris, on her way to Berlin to entertain American soldiers. In response to a dinner invitation she met Capa and novelist Irwin Shaw. By her account, they had a wonderful evening. The next day, she departed for Berlin. Two months later, Capa was in Berlin, photographing ruins, and they met again. Distressed over her marriage to Lindström, she fell in love with Capa, and wished to leave her husband. During their months together in Berlin, Capa made enough money to follow Bergman back to Hollywood. Although Life magazine assigned him to cover Bergman, he was unhappy with the "frivolity" of Hollywood.
Bergman's brief affair with Spellbound co-star Gregory Peck was kept private until Peck confessed it to Brad Darrach of People in an interview five years after Bergman's death. Peck said, "All I can say is that I had a real love for her (Bergman), and I think that's where I ought to stop ... I was young. She was young. We were involved for weeks in close and intense work."
Bergman died in London on 29 August 1982, at midnight on her 67th birthday. Her ex-husband Lars Schmidt and three other people were present, having drunk their last toast to her hours earlier. A copy of The Little Prince was at her bedside, opened to a page near the end. The memorial service was held in St Martin-in-the-Fields church in October with 1,200 mourners. In attendance were her children, the Rossellinis, and relatives from Sweden, as well as numerous fellow actors and costars, including Liv Ullmann, Sir John Gielgud, Dame Wendy Hiller, Birgit Nilsson and Joss Ackland.
If you want to read a whole lot more, go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingrid_Bergman
- SERVES
- 16
- CHILL TIME
- 9 Hr 20 Min
- COOK TIME
- 5 Min
Our White Chocolate Mousse Cake is simply irresistible. Trust us, we know from experience. You can give this cake a festive touch for the holidays but you certainly don't need a special occasion to make this heavenly dessert!
- 1 (11-ounce) package vanilla wafer cookies, finely crushed
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 eggs
- 2 (11-ounce) packages white chocolate chips
- 2 cups (1 pint) heavy cream
- 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 (10-ounce) jar red maraschino cherries, drained and quartered
- 1 (6-ounce) jar green maraschino cherries, drained and quartered
- 16 stemmed red maraschino cherries, well drained
- In a medium bowl, combine crushed vanilla wafers and butter; mix well. Press into a 10-inch springform pan, covering bottom and sides to form a crust; chill.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine egg yolks and whole eggs; beat well and set aside.
- In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, melt white chocolate chips 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add egg mixture and quickly whisk until well blended. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add confectioners' sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold into slightly cooled white chocolate mixture until well blended. Stir in chopped red and green cherries and spoon into prepared crust. Place stemmed cherries around edge of cake.
- Cover and freeze overnight, or until firm.
1908 – Carole Lombard, American actress (d. 1942)
In the United States on October 6th, National German-American Day celebrates the German heritage millions of Americans claim.
HOW TO OBSERVE
Celebrate your German-American heritage. Invite friends and family to taste the foods and customs of Germany. Share the language. Discover words the English language adopted from German. Explore the history of immigration by visiting museums near you.
NATIONAL GERMAN-AMERICAN DAY HISTORY
National German-American Day was initially celebrated in the nineteenth century. However, it fell out of favor during World War I.
Then in the 1980s, things began to change. As is tradition, President Ronald Reagan made his world tour in 1982, which included West Germany. Amid a cold war and a divided Germany, the newly elected U.S. President spoke to the people of Bonn. He opened his speech by relating the history of the 13 German families who founded a colony on American soil. He spoke of contributions, advancement, science, and art and the honor to celebrate the German heritage that more than 7 million Americans claim.
To honor the 300th anniversary of German-American immigration and culture into the United States, in 1983, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed October 6th as German-American Day. It was on August 6, 1987, that Congress approved S.I. Resolution 108, designating October 6, 1987, as German-American Day, and it became Public Law 100-104 when President Reagan signed it on August 18. He issued Proclamation #5719 on October 2, 1987, and at this time, the President called on Americans to observe the day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. It has been commemorated each year since with Presidential Proclamations.
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