# RIP Max von Sydow **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [March 9, 2020, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-max-von-sydow/849148 "2020-03-09T14:43:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-max-von-sydow/849148/1 "2020-03-09T14:43:31Z")
Actor Max von Sydow, the title character in _The Exorcist_, [has died](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/09/movies/max-von-sydow-dead.html?action=click&module=News&pgtype=Homepage) at 90. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-max-von-sydow/849148/2 "2020-03-09T14:47:52Z")
At least he can look forward to some of [his mother’s socks](https://www.google.com/search?q=your+mother+knits+socks+in+hell&oq=Mother+knits+&gs_l=mobile-heirloom-hp.1.2.0i22i30l5.1510.6400.0.8268.14.13.0.1.1.0.838.4610.1j2j4j1j3j0j2.13.0....0...1c.1.34.mobile-heirloom-hp..5.9.2469.mArdk4t3k5M). ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-max-von-sydow/849148/3 "2020-03-09T15:23:17Z")
I was watching him in Shutter Island this weekend. Wasn’t a huge role but he was excellent as always. 10 years ago already. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-max-von-sydow/849148/4 "2020-03-09T15:59:46Z")
He was great as the knight in_The Seventh Seal._ He was great as Jesus in _The Greatest Story Ever Told._ He was still pretty darn good as Ming the Merciless in _Flash Gordon._ He was still entertaining as King Osric in _Conan the Barbarian._ ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-max-von-sydow/849148/5 "2020-03-09T16:04:53Z")
He was great as Esbern in Skyrim. (I know, it was just a video game, but he created a wonderful, fully-formed character). ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-max-von-sydow/849148/6 "2020-03-09T16:06:58Z")
He was great as Esbern in Skyrim. (I know, it was just a video game, but he created a wonderful, fully-formed character). ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-max-von-sydow/849148/7 "2020-03-09T16:16:27Z")
The end…? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-max-von-sydow/849148/8 "2020-03-09T16:19:20Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > He was great as the knight in_The Seventh Seal._ > He was great as Jesus in _The Greatest Story Ever Told._ > > He was still pretty darn good as Ming the Merciless in _Flash Gordon._ > He was still entertaining as King Osric in _Conan the Barbarian._ He was so good, he was great hamming it up in Strange Brew. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-max-von-sydow/849148/9 "2020-03-09T16:27:43Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > He was great as Esbern in Skyrim. > > (I know, it was just a video game, but he created a wonderful, fully-formed character). Yes. Every time I get to this part of the game I’m always “oh, I love Max v.S.'s voice, looking forward to seeing Esbern again…” ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-max-von-sydow/849148/10 "2020-03-09T16:37:27Z")
He apparently also played the three-eyed raven in GOT, but I don’t recall that. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-max-von-sydow/849148/11 "2020-03-09T16:41:10Z")
I liked him as missionary Abner Hale in _Hawai’i_. He did a good job of making the character three-dimensional rather than just a narrow-minded bible thumper. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-max-von-sydow/849148/12 "2020-03-09T17:08:20Z")
Did he lose a chess game? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-max-von-sydow/849148/13 "2020-03-09T17:11:34Z")
I’ll always remember him as Joubert in _Three Days of the Condor._ It’s seems odd that he was only 45 when he made that film. He was also really good in _Pelle the Conqueror._ R.I.P., Max. > [@Chefguy](#): > > He apparently also played the three-eyed raven in GOT, but I don’t recall that. He was the old man who shepherded Bran through some flashbacks, for instance when Hodor’s origin was revealed. Or perhaps you’ll remember the ancient dude dispensing wisdom while stuck in the roots of a tree? ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-max-von-sydow/849148/14 "2020-03-09T17:13:58Z")
Aw man… Just last night, I was watching Three Days of the Condor and thinking about his peculiar demeanor. Always entertaining to watch and listen to. Whoa…ninjaed. ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-max-von-sydow/849148/15 "2020-03-09T18:55:36Z")
IMO, the world’s greatest living actor until yesterday, Mr. von Sydow conveyed a sense of absolute authenticity no matter the part. Perhaps there is no greater testament to his abilities than _Flash Gordon_, a silly, campy Dino De Horrendous production - which I personally found very entertaining (“Not the bore worms!”) - in which he successfully faced off two critical challenges: retaining his dignity and living up to the iconic Ming the Merciless of the serials, Charles Middleton (if anything, von Sydow is even better in the role). Some lesser known of his many excellent performances include: Vogler in _The Magician_ (he dominates the film despite being off-screen for much of its latter half); convict Salem in _The Night Visitor_, dashing through the snow in his underwear on his way to extract a terrible revenge; and Samuel in _Intacto_, the world’s luckiest man, who meets his match at the climax of a bizarre series of games. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-max-von-sydow/849148/16 "2020-03-09T19:21:33Z")
**Merrin!** ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-max-von-sydow/849148/17 "2020-03-09T19:23:53Z")
So embarrassed that I thought first of **Strange Brew,** and only after of **The Seventh Seal** and **The Emigrants.** ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-max-von-sydow/849148/18 "2020-03-09T20:47:13Z")
Well, he does have an IMDb [page](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001884/)\*, you know. So right away I think of _The Seventh Seal_, of course. But _The Emigrants/The New Land_ looms large. Small but nice role in _Hannah and Her Sisters_. Like Michael Caine, he has the attitude of just take the job and keep working and working. So a lot of cruft on his resume. He did the voice of Vigo in the 2009 _Ghostbusters_ game. Gotta search out a clip of that. - His IMDb “nm…” number seems sort of low. I checked and he’s between Jenna von Oÿ and Lars von Trier. Hmmm. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-max-von-sydow/849148/19 "2020-03-09T21:55:58Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > So embarrassed that I thought first of **Strange Brew,** and only after of **The Seventh Seal** and **The Emigrants.** You could have thought of Flash Gordon first. I thought Exorcist first. Strange Brew was pretty high on my list though. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-max-von-sydow/849148/20 "2020-03-09T22:21:26Z")
He also did the voice of Vigo in _Ghostbusters II,_ not just the video game. **"I, Vigo, the Scourge of Carpathia, the Sorrow of Moldavia, commands you!"** “Oh, command me, lord!” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-max-von-sydow/849148.md?page=2)