Bergman, Ingrid (1915-1982)

Swedish-born actor. Having moved to the USA in 1939 to appear in David O Selznick's remake of the Swedish film Intermezzo (1936) in which she had first come to prominence, she went on to appear in such Hollywood classics as Casablanca (1942), For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943), Gaslight (1944; for which she won an Academy Award), and Notorious (1946). On screen she projected a combination of radiance, refined beauty, and fortitude.

By leaving her husband to have a child with director Roberto Rossellini, she broke an unofficial code of Hollywood star behaviour and was ostracized for many years. During her ‘exile’, she made films in Europe; Stromboli (1949) was directed by Rossellini. Returning to the USA, she made such films as Anastasia (1956) and Murder on the Orient Express (1974), winning Academy Awards for both.

Her last film, Autumn Sonata (1978), was directed by her namesake Ingmar Bergman. She also performed on the stage and received an Emmy for the television film A Woman Called Golda (1982), portraying the Israeli prime minister Golda Meir. Her daughter Isabella Rossellini has appeared in a number of US films during the 1980s and 1990s.