Elsa Viveca Torstensdotter Lindfors (December 29, 1920 – October 25, 1995) was a Swedish-American stage, film, and television actress. She won an Emmy Award and a Silver Bear for Best Actress.
Biography Lindfors was born in Uppsala, Sweden, the daughter of Karin Emilia Therese (née Dymling) and Axel Torsten Lindfors.Nättidningen RÖTTER – för dig som släktforskar! Viveca Lindfors genealogy site, genealogi.se; accessed May 4, 2017 (in Swedish)., Hollywood.com; accessed May 4, 2017.
She trained at the Royal Dramatic Training Academy, Stockholm. Soon after, she became a theater and film star in Sweden. She moved to the United States in 1946 after being signed by Warner Bros., and began working in Hollywood.Connelly, Charlie (18 October 2023). "Viveca Lindfors: The Hollywood outsider with a second act on stage". The New European. Retrieved 18 September 2024. She appeared in more than 100 films, including Night Unto Night, No Sad Songs for Me, Dark City, The Halliday Brand, King of Kings, An Affair of the Skin, Creepshow, The Sure Thing, and Stargate. She appeared with actors including Stewart Granger, Ronald Reagan, Jeffrey Hunter, Charlton Heston, Glenn Ford, Lizabeth Scott, and Errol Flynn.
In 1952, she appeared on Broadway alongside Edmond O'Brien in John Van Druten's I've Got Sixpence. Two years later, she made her West End debut in J. B. Priestley's poorly received play The White Countess.
Lindfors appeared frequently on television, usually as a guest star, though she played the title role in the miniseries Frankenstein's Aunt. Most of her TV appearances were in the 1950s and 1960s, with a resurgence in the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1990, she won an Emmy Award for her guest appearance on the series Life Goes On. She was nominated for an Emmy in 1978 for her supporting role in the TV movie A Question of Guilt.
In 1962, she shared the Silver Bear for Best Actress award with Rita Gam at the Berlin Film Festival, for their performances in Tad Danielewski's No Exit. Among her later film roles, she played the kindly and worldly wise Professor Taub in The Sure Thing (1985).
In the last years of her life, she taught acting at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, and had a lead role (essentially playing herself) in Henry Jaglom's Last Summer in the Hamptons (1995). The same year, she returned to the Strindberg Festival in Stockholm to perform in the play In Search of Strindberg.
Personal life and death Lindfors was married four times, to Swedish cinematographer Harry Hasso, Swedish attorney and World Chess Federation president Folke Rogard, director Don Siegel, and Hungarian writer, producer, and director George Tabori. She had three children – two sons (John Tabori with Hasso, and actor Kristoffer Tabori, with Siegel) and a daughter (Lena Tabori, with Rogard).
Lindfors was a naturalized U.S. citizen and a liberal Democrat, who supported the presidency of Jimmy Carter.
Lindfors died from complications of rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 74 in Uppsala.
Selected filmography
Year Title Role Notes 1940The Crazy Family Lisa 1941 If I Could Marry the Minister Eva Örn 1941 In ParadiseAngelica Jansson 1942 Tomorrow's Melody Maj-Lis Wassberg 1942 The Woman of Sin The Young Woman 1942 The Yellow ClinicNurse Doris 1943 The Brothers' WomanEmma 1943 The Sin of Anna Lans Anna Lans 1944 Appassionata Maria 1944 Mist on the Sea Maria Rosati 1944 I Am Fire and Air Jenny Ahrman 1945Black Roses Märta Lind 1945 The Serious Game Lydia Stille 1945 Maria of Kvarngarden Maria 1946 Interlude Vellamo Toivonen1948To the VictorChristine Lund Lestrac1948Adventures of Don JuanQueen Margaret1949SingoallaSingoalla1949Night Unto NightAnn Gracie1950Dark CityVictoria Winant1950BackfireLysa Radoff1950This Side of The LawEvelyn Taylor1950No Sad Songs for MeChris Radna1950The Flying MissileKarin Hansen1951Four in a JeepFranziska Idinger1951Journey Into LightChristine Thorssen1952Riders of VengeanceElena de Ortegaaka The Raiders1955MoonfleetMrs. Minton1955Run for CoverHelga Swenson1957The Halliday BrandAleta Burris1958I Accuse!Lucie Dreyfus1958TempestCaterine II1959RawhideLuisa Esquivel Y Hadley1 episode1960Johnny MidnightSimone in episode "X Equals Murder")1960The Story of RuthEleilat1960Weddings and BabiesBea1961King of KingsClaudia Procula Pontius Pilate's wife1961TempestCatherine the Great1961The UntouchablesMrs. Jarreau1961Naked CityLulu Kronen1 episode1962No ExitInezaka Sinners Go to Hell1962–1964The DefendersMady Lorne / Madeline Flanders2 episodes1963The DamnedFreya Neilsonaka These Are the Damned1964Voyage to the Bottom of the SeaDr. Laura Rettig1 episode196412 O'Clock HighNicole Trouchard1 episode1965BrainstormDr. Larstadt1965BonanzaAngela BergstromEpisode: "The Spotlight"1965–1966Ben CaseyMrs. Boone / Vivian Bennett2 episodes1967The Diary of Anne FrankPetronella van DaanTV movie1967Coronet Blue (TV series)Magician's Wife1967–1969The F.B.I.Ida Salzman / Eva Bolen2 episodes 1969 Coming ApartMonica1970 Cauldron of BloodTania1970The InternsJennie1 episode1972A House Without BoundariesSeñorita Elvira1973The Bell from HellMarta1973The Way We WerePaula Reisner1976Welcome to L.A.Susan Moore1978A Question of GuiltDr. RosenTV movie.Emmy Award nomination for OutstandingPerformance by a Supporting Actressin a Drama or Comedy Special1978GirlfriendsBeatrice1978A WeddingIngrid Hellstrom1979VoicesMrs. Lemon1981The HandDoctress1982Inside the Third ReichGypsy womanTV movie1982CreepshowAunt BedeliaSegment: "Father's Day"1982Divorce Wars: A Love Story Barbara HarperTV movie1982DynastyAdriana1 episode1983Dies rigorose LebenAda1984Trapper John, M.D.Zella Korevechi1 episode1984PassionsLilaTV movie1984Silent MadnessMrs. Collins1985The Sure ThingProfessor Taub1987Frankenstein's AuntHannah von Frankenstein7 episodes1987Rachel RiverHarriet White1989MisplacedZofia1989Flickan vid stenbänkenStorrådaTV series 1990Life Goes OnMrs. Doubcha1 episode.Emmy Award for Outstanding GuestActress in a Drama Series1990The Exorcist IIINurse X1990China BeachIlsa1 episode1991ZandaleeTatta1991 Child of Darkness, Child of LightIda Walsh1991The Linguini Incident Miracle1992North of PittsburghRosa AndrettiGenie Award nomination for Best Actress1993Law & OrderHelga Holtz1 episode1994StargateCatherine Langford1995Last Summer in the HamptonsHelena Mora
Major stage appearances Year Title Role Theatre 1952 I've Got Sixpence Inez Cabral Ethel Barrymore Theatre 1954–55 Anastasia Anna Lyceum Theatre 1956 Miss Julie Miss Julie Phoenix Theatre 1956 The Stronger Miss Y Phoenix Theatre 1956 King Lear Cordelia New York City Center 1959 I Rise in Flames, Cried the Phoenix Frieda Lucille Lortel Theatre 1962 Brecht on Brecht n/a Lucille Lortel Theatre 1963 Pal Joey Vera Simpson New York City Center 1965 Postmark Zero n/a Brooks Atkinson Theatre 1967 The Niggerlovers The God, Angela Lucille Lortel Theatre 1971 Dance of Death Alice Ritz Theatre
References
Further reading
External links
Viveca Lindfors at the University of Wisconsin's Actors Studio audio collection Edward Winter, The FIDE President and the Actress, ChessBase.com; retrieved 2009-01-20. Photographs and literature Viveca Lindfors papers, 1945–1990, held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts