Died at 97
male
Max von Sydow (born Carl Adolf von Sydow; April 10, 1929 – March 8, 2020) was a Swedish actor. He also held French citizenship since 2002. He starred in many films and had supporting roles in dozens more. He performed in films filmed in many languages, including Swedish, Norwegian, English, Italian, German, Danish, French and Spanish. Some of his most memorable film roles include knight Antonius Block in Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal (the first of his eleven films with Bergman and the film that includes the iconic shot of his career in the scene where he plays chess with Death), Jesus in George Stevens's The Greatest Story Ever Told, Father Merrin in Friedkin's The Exorcist, Joubert the assassin in Three Days of the Condor, and Ming the Merciless in the 1980 version of Flash Gordon. He was twice nominated for the Academy Award - Best Leading Actor for Pelle the Conqueror (1988) and Best Supporting Actor for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011).
Max von Sydow
Count Dooku
for Count Dooku in The Star Wars - Part One: The Chosen One (1999)
Suggested by themightylorog
The Galactic Republic is in quiet collapse. Systems fracture under the weight of corruption, the Outer Rim seethes with rebellion, and a new militaristic faction — led by former Jedi Count Dooku — threatens galactic peace. Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, a maverick within the Order, is sent alongside his restrained and disciplined apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi to mediate a dispute between the Trade Federation and the neutral world of Shakka Prime. But after a botched assassination attempt on Senator Padmé Naberrie, their path leads them to the outlawed slums of Mos Vaerra, deep in the Tatooine wastes. There, Qui-Gon meets Anakin Skywalker, an 18-year-old enslaved mechanic and racer with uncanny reflexes, subconscious Force use, and haunting dreams of fire and destruction. Hardened, quiet, and intense, Anakin is fiercely protective of his mother, Shmi, and hides his abilities to avoid suspicion. Qui-Gon believes Anakin is the Chosen One — the subject of an ancient Force prophecy said to bring balance between light and dark. But Anakin resents the Jedi, viewing them as the elite who abandoned the Outer Rim to rot. It’s only after Shmi is nearly killed by a brutal slave owner backed by the Hutt Cartel that Anakin agrees to flee with Qui-Gon, longing to protect her and wield power to change his fate. As political tensions escalate, Darth Sidious manipulates events behind the scenes, orchestrating a crisis on Naboo to test the Republic’s response and the Jedi's limits. Meanwhile, the Council, led by Mace Windu and Yoda, refuses to train Anakin, sensing deep anger and fear within him. Obi-Wan disapproves of Qui-Gon’s obsession. Padmé, on the run from political execution, bonds with Anakin — they clash ideologically but connect through mutual defiance and yearning for freedom. When the Sith assassin Darth Maul ambushes the Jedi on Naboo, Qui-Gon is killed in a brutal duel. Obi-Wan defeats Maul, but at great cost. Dooku vanishes into the Outer Rim. Palpatine ascends to Chancellor. War looms. And Anakin — scarred by loss, full of fury, and isolated from both the Jedi and his mother — accepts his place in the Order. But beneath his promise... lies something fractured.
