Lasse Hallström

Lars Sven "Lasse" Hallström (; born 2 June 1946) is a Swedish film director. He first became known for directing almost all music videos by the pop group ABBA, and came to international attention with My Life as a Dog (1985). He is also known for What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), The Cider House Rules (1999), and Chocolat (2000). He has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as the Academy Award for Best Director twice.

Early life and education

Lars Sven "Lasse" Hallström was born on 2 June 1946 in Stockholm, Sweden. His father was a dentist and keen amateur videographer; his mother was the author and poet Karin Lyberg.

He attended Adolf Fredrik's Music School in Stockholm, where he made his first music video and 8 mm films.

Career

In the late 1960s, Hallström worked as a director of short pop music clips at Sveriges Television.

He made his directorial debut in 1973, directing the comedy series Pappas pojkar for Swedish TV. He frequently collaborated with comic actors Magnus Härenstam and Brasse Brännström during his Swedish period.

Between 1974 and 1982, Hallström worked with the Swedish group ABBA on many of their music videos and also directed their 1977 film ABBA: The Movie. Almost all of ABBA's promotional films were directed and shot by Hallström, with only seven exceptions: "When I Kissed the Teacher" (1977); "Chiquitita" (1979), which was made by the BBC; "I Have a Dream" (1979); "On and On and On" (1980); "Lay All Your Love on Me" (1981); "The Day Before You Came" (1982), and "Under Attack" (1982), the latter two being directed by Kjell Sundvall and Kjell-Åke Andersson.

After the international success of My Life as a Dog (1985), Hallström started working in Hollywood. His first English-language film was Once Around (1991). His first notable English-language success was What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), starring Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Hallström made a number of successful film adaptations from novels. In 1999, The Cider House Rules was released. He followed that success the following year by directing Chocolat, starring Johnny Depp, Juliette Binoche, and Judi Dench, which was a critical and box-office success. His 2001 film The Shipping News was adapted from a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by E. Annie Proulx and starred Kevin Spacey, Judi Dench, Julianne Moore, and Cate Blanchett.

His 2011 film Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Paul Torday, starred Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt.

His 2017 film, A Dog's Purpose, based on the 2010 novel of the same name, was billed as "a celebration of the special connection between humans and their dogs".

Hallström directed and executive produced the 2024 American-Icelandic Nordic Noir thriller television series The Darkness, starring his wife Lena Olin, who has collaborated with him on other films.

Awards and nominations +Awards and nominations received by Hallström's films Year Title Academy Awards BAFTA Awards Golden Globe Awards Nominations Wins Nominations Wins Nominations Wins1985My Life as a Dog21111993What's Eating Gilbert Grape111995Something to Talk About11999The Cider House Rules72122000Chocolat5842001The Shipping News222011Salmon Fishing in the Yemen32014The Hundred-Foot Journey1Total152120151

Directed Academy Award performancesUnder Hallström's direction, these actors have received Academy Award nominations (and one win) for their performances in their respective roles. +YearPerformerFilmResultAcademy Award for Best Actress2000Juliette BinocheChocolatAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor1993Leonardo DiCaprioWhat's Eating Gilbert Grape1999Michael CaineThe Cider House RulesAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress2000Judi DenchChocolat

Personal life Hallström married media personality and actress in 1974. They divorced in 1981.

In 1990, he met actress Lena Olin, and they married on 18 March 1994. They have a daughter. In 2011 the couple were residing in Bedford, New York, and also had a home in the Stockholm Archipelago.

Hallström turned vegan in 2014.

Videography

(The following is a complete list of all the ABBA music videos that were directed by Lasse Hallström.)

1974 – "Waterloo" 1974 – "Ring Ring" 1975 – "Mamma Mia" 1975 – "SOS" 1975 – "Bang-A-Boomerang" 1975 – "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" 1976 – "Fernando" 1976 – "Dancing Queen" 1976 – "Money, Money, Money" 1977 – "Knowing Me, Knowing You" 1977 – "That's Me" 1977 – "The Name of the Game" 1978 – "Take a Chance on Me" 1978 – "Eagle" 1978 – "One Man, One Woman" 1978 – "Thank You for the Music" 1978 – "Summer Night City" 1979 – "Does Your Mother Know" 1979 – "Voulez-Vous" 1979 – "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" 1979 – "Estoy Soñando" 1980 – "Conociéndome, Conociéndote" 1980 – "Gracias por la Música" 1980 – "The Winner Takes It All" 1980 – "Super Trouper" 1980 – "Happy New Year" 1980 – "Felicidad" 1981 – "When All Is Said and Done" 1981 – "One of Us" 1981 – "No Hay A Quien Culpar" 1982 – "Head over Heels"

Filmography

1975 – A Guy and a Gal 1977 – ABBA: The Movie 1979 – Father to Be 1981 – Tuppen 1983 – Two Boys and a Girl 1985 – My Life as a Dog 1986 – The Children of Noisy Village 1987 – More About the Children of Noisy Village 1991 – Once Around 1993 – What's Eating Gilbert Grape 1995 – Something to Talk About 1999 – The Cider House Rules 2000 – Chocolat 2001 – The Shipping News 2005 – An Unfinished Life 2005 – Casanova 2006 – The Hoax 2009 – Hachi: A Dog's Tale 2010 – Dear John 2011 – Salmon Fishing in the Yemen 2012 – The Hypnotist 2013 – Safe Haven 2014 – The Hundred-Foot Journey 2017 – A Dog's Purpose 2018 – The Nutcracker and the Four Realms 2022 – 2024 – The Darkness (TV series) 2025 – The Map That Leads to You

Lasse Hallström

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