Ernst-Hugo Järegård
Encyclopedia
Ernst-Hugo Alfred Järegård, (born 12 December 1928 in Ystad
, died 6 September 1998 in Lidingö
, Stockholm County
) was a Swedish
cult actor
.
, where he came to perform a number of much celebrated parts: his eccentric Hitler in Schweik in the Second World War
by Bertolt Brecht
(1963), Estragon in the legendary 1966 Dramaten-staging of Samuel Beckett
's Waiting for Godot
, Thersites in Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida
1967, Orgon in Molière
's Tartuffe
1971, Hjalmar Ekdahl in Ingmar Bergman
's 1972 production of Ibsen's The Wild Duck
, Nero in Jean Racine
's Britannicus
(1974), a spot-on portrayal of August Strindberg
in play Tribadernas natt (The Night of the Tribades) by Per Olov Enquist
, the title role in Richard III
by Shakespeare
(1980) and the extremely creepy - and slightly perverted - boss Sven in VD ("CEO") by Stig Larsson in 1985, among others.
Järegård had a taste for villainous and dark characters, and enjoyed playing them. But he also had a very lyrical and soft side to him as an actor, something he showed in the TV production of Hans Christian och sällskapet (where he plays a village priest who suffers a great personal tragedy as his wife loses her mind after having a baby) and in the TV adaptation of Birger Sjöberg
's Frida och hennes vän (based on Sjöberg's Frida's Book) where he plays the light-hearted, daydreaming early 1900s love-struck suitor of Frida. Adding the fact that Järegård also had a beautiful and expressive singing voice (he performed in a number of stage musicals during his career) gave him an incredible range and versatility as an actor. He originated the role of Guido in the first European staging of the musical Nine
, for example (Oscarsteatern
, Stockholm, 1983). His distinct and original voice (with traces of the unmistakable Skåne-dialect) also made him a much appreciated and beloved narrator of children's cartoons and audio books. Particularly popular are his audio book (originally radio) recordings of Roald Dahl
's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
, Robert Louis Stevenson
's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and the narration of Sergei Prokofiev
's Peter and the Wolf
.
Järegård went on to play the villanous character Elaka Måns(Mean Mike in the English dub) in the Swedish animated movie Peter-No-Tail and it's sequel Peter-No-Tail in Americat
.
Järegård gained international attention when he took on the role of Doctor Helmer in Lars von Trier
's highly acclaimed mini-series Riget and Riget II (aka The Kingdom I & II). He also appeared in von Trier's Europa. He participated in about 20 movies and 40 TV productions: aside from the Riget-series; some of his greatest roles are in the Skånska mord-series, in the 1975 Hasseåtage
comedy Släpp fångarne loss, det är vår! (Release the Prisoners to Spring)
, in the 1962 cult movie Raggargänget, in Kådisbellan (aka The Slingshot) in 1993 and as the pompous old drag queen
Ragnar Rönn in the teleplay Cheek to Cheek (written and directed by Jonas Gardell
), 1997.
For his acting work, he was awarded with the Thalia prize
(1967) and the Eugene O'Neill Award
(1975), two of Sweden's finest and most prestigious theatre awards.
Järegård married Karin Nordström (b. 1923) in 1950. They had a son called Johannes.
In his director's commentary on the DVD release of Europa, Lars von Trier
says that Järegård was difficult to work with, frequently sulking and making outrageous demands such as insisting on staying in one specific room in a specific hotel of his choice. He also says that Järegård was a compulsive scene-stealer who could not help attracting the focus even when he was supposed to be in the background of a scene. Von Trier claims that he eventually 'trained' Järegård by rewarding him with cigars for good behaviour. However, von Trier also refers to the actor as "dear Ernst-Hugo" and says that he misses him terribly.
A famous quote
from Järegård is "When I get up at night to grab a sandwich, it only takes a ray of light from the fridge lamp for me to start acting."
Ystad
Ystad is a "locality", or town, and the seat of Ystad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden, with 17,286 inhabitants .Settlement dates back to the 11th century and the town has become a busy ferryport, local administrative centre and tourist attraction...
, died 6 September 1998 in Lidingö
Lidingö Municipality
Lidingö Municipality is a municipality just east of Stockholm in Stockholm County in east central Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Lidingö...
, Stockholm County
Stockholm County
Stockholm County is a county or län on the Baltic sea coast of Sweden. It borders Uppsala County and Södermanland County. It also borders Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The city of Stockholm is the capital of Sweden. Stockholm County is divided by the historic provinces of Uppland and Södermanland...
) was a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
cult actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Biography
Järegård was since 1962 an actor in Sweden's prominent Royal Dramatic TheatreRoyal Dramatic Theatre
The Royal Dramatic Theatre is Sweden's national stage for "spoken drama", founded in 1788. Around one thousand shows are put on annually on the theatre's eight running stages....
, where he came to perform a number of much celebrated parts: his eccentric Hitler in Schweik in the Second World War
Schweik in the Second World War
Schweik in the Second World War is a play by German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht. It was written by Brecht in 1943 while in exile in California, and is a sequel to the 1923 novel The Good Soldier Švejk by Jaroslav Hašek. It is set in Prague and on the Russian Front during World War II...
by Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
(1963), Estragon in the legendary 1966 Dramaten-staging of Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet. He wrote both in English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.Beckett is widely regarded as among the most...
's Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot is an absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait endlessly and in vain for someone named Godot to arrive. Godot's absence, as well as numerous other aspects of the play, have led to many different interpretations since the play's...
, Thersites in Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida
Troilus and Cressida
Troilus and Cressida is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1602. It was also described by Frederick S. Boas as one of Shakespeare's problem plays. The play ends on a very bleak note with the death of the noble Trojan Hector and destruction of the love between Troilus...
1967, Orgon in Molière
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
's Tartuffe
Tartuffe
Tartuffe is a comedy by Molière. It is one of his most famous plays.-History:Molière wrote Tartuffe in 1664...
1971, Hjalmar Ekdahl in Ingmar Bergman
Ingmar Bergman
Ernst Ingmar Bergman was a Swedish director, writer and producer for film, stage and television. Described by Woody Allen as "probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera", he is recognized as one of the most accomplished and...
's 1972 production of Ibsen's The Wild Duck
The Wild Duck
The Wild Duck is an 1884 play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen.-Plot:The first act opens with a dinner party hosted by Håkon Werle, a wealthy merchant and industrialist. The gathering is attended by his son, Gregers Werle, who has just returned to his father's home following a self-imposed...
, Nero in Jean Racine
Jean Racine
Jean Racine , baptismal name Jean-Baptiste Racine , was a French dramatist, one of the "Big Three" of 17th-century France , and one of the most important literary figures in the Western tradition...
's Britannicus
Britannicus
Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus was the son of the Roman emperor Claudius and his third wife Valeria Messalina. He became the heir-designate of the empire at his birth, less than a month into his father's reign. He was still a young boy at the time of his mother's downfall and Claudius'...
(1974), a spot-on portrayal of August Strindberg
August Strindberg
Johan August Strindberg was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg's career spanned four decades, during which time he wrote over 60 plays and more than 30 works of fiction, autobiography,...
in play Tribadernas natt (The Night of the Tribades) by Per Olov Enquist
Per Olov Enquist
Per Olov Enquist, better known as P. O. Enquist, is a Swedish author. He has worked as a journalist, playwright and novelist...
, the title role in Richard III
Richard III (play)
Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
by Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
(1980) and the extremely creepy - and slightly perverted - boss Sven in VD ("CEO") by Stig Larsson in 1985, among others.
Birger Sjöberg
Birger Sjöberg was a modern Swedish poet and songwriter.Originally a journalist, Sjöberg wrote songs in his spare time. His first collection Frida's Book was extremely popular...
's Frida och hennes vän (based on Sjöberg's Frida's Book) where he plays the light-hearted, daydreaming early 1900s love-struck suitor of Frida. Adding the fact that Järegård also had a beautiful and expressive singing voice (he performed in a number of stage musicals during his career) gave him an incredible range and versatility as an actor. He originated the role of Guido in the first European staging of the musical Nine
Nine (musical)
Nine is a musical with a book by Arthur Kopit, music and lyrics by Maury Yeston. The story is based on Federico Fellini's semi-autobiographical film 8½...
, for example (Oscarsteatern
Oscarsteatern
Oscarsteatern or "Oscars" is one of Stockholm's finest private theatres and the most well-known musical theatre in Sweden. It's located at Kungsgatan 63 in central Stockholm....
, Stockholm, 1983). His distinct and original voice (with traces of the unmistakable Skåne-dialect) also made him a much appreciated and beloved narrator of children's cartoons and audio books. Particularly popular are his audio book (originally radio) recordings of Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, fighter pilot and screenwriter.Born in Wales to Norwegian parents, he served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in which he became a flying ace and intelligence agent, rising to the rank of Wing Commander...
's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 1964 children's book by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of the eccentric chocolatier, Willy Wonka....
, Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and the narration of Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
's Peter and the Wolf
Peter and the Wolf
Peter and the Wolf , Op. 67, is a composition written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936 in the USSR. It is a children's story , spoken by a narrator accompanied by the orchestra....
.
Järegård went on to play the villanous character Elaka Måns(Mean Mike in the English dub) in the Swedish animated movie Peter-No-Tail and it's sequel Peter-No-Tail in Americat
Peter-No-Tail in Americat
Peter-No-Tail in Americat |Peter-No-Tail]], and is known in Sweden for its extremely surreal content.- Plot :Peter-No-Tail is a cat who was born without a tail. He compensates this by studying hard and, much to the dismay of his arch-rival Magnus , he receives a fancy university degree very few...
.
Järegård gained international attention when he took on the role of Doctor Helmer in Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier is a Danish film director and screenwriter. He is closely associated with the Dogme 95 collective, although his own films have taken a variety of different approaches, and have frequently received strongly divided critical opinion....
's highly acclaimed mini-series Riget and Riget II (aka The Kingdom I & II). He also appeared in von Trier's Europa. He participated in about 20 movies and 40 TV productions: aside from the Riget-series; some of his greatest roles are in the Skånska mord-series, in the 1975 Hasseåtage
Hasseåtage
Hasseåtage is the commonly used name for the popular Swedish comedy-duo featuring Hans "Hasse" Alfredson and Tage Danielsson. The term was created by the Swedish press in the 1960s, and was never used by the duo themselves...
comedy Släpp fångarne loss, det är vår! (Release the Prisoners to Spring)
Release the Prisoners to Spring
Release the Prisoners to Spring is a 1975 Swedish film comedy directed by Tage Danielsson....
, in the 1962 cult movie Raggargänget, in Kådisbellan (aka The Slingshot) in 1993 and as the pompous old drag queen
Drag queen
A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
Ragnar Rönn in the teleplay Cheek to Cheek (written and directed by Jonas Gardell
Jonas Gardell
Jonas Gardell, born 2 November 1963 in Enebyberg, Stockholm County, is a Swedish novelist, playwright, screenwriter and comedian. He is the brother of religion scholar Mattias Gardell....
), 1997.
For his acting work, he was awarded with the Thalia prize
Thaliapriset
Thaliapriset or The Thalia Award is regarded to be one of Sweden's finest theatre awards and is each year given to an actor, director and/or a theatre personality of the stage.It was instituted, and is handed out, by the daily Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet Thaliapriset (Svenska Dagbladets...
(1967) and the Eugene O'Neill Award
Eugene O'Neill Award
The Eugene O'Neill Award , is one of Sweden's finest acting awards for actors of the stage...
(1975), two of Sweden's finest and most prestigious theatre awards.
Järegård married Karin Nordström (b. 1923) in 1950. They had a son called Johannes.
Personality
Järegård was a very colourful theatre personality who loved to stand out and celebrated originality. He loved clothes and Italian designers and was picky with designer labels in private - only the best would do. He was of the old belief that as an actor you not only represent yourself as a public person but also the theatre and the art as a whole; as being part of a public institution there for people; and therefore it is an actor's responsibility to "scrub up".In his director's commentary on the DVD release of Europa, Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier is a Danish film director and screenwriter. He is closely associated with the Dogme 95 collective, although his own films have taken a variety of different approaches, and have frequently received strongly divided critical opinion....
says that Järegård was difficult to work with, frequently sulking and making outrageous demands such as insisting on staying in one specific room in a specific hotel of his choice. He also says that Järegård was a compulsive scene-stealer who could not help attracting the focus even when he was supposed to be in the background of a scene. Von Trier claims that he eventually 'trained' Järegård by rewarding him with cigars for good behaviour. However, von Trier also refers to the actor as "dear Ernst-Hugo" and says that he misses him terribly.
A famous quote
Quote
Quotation is the repetition of someone else's statement/thoughts. This can be in the form of words, songs, American Sign Language, written, or any other form of communication. Quotation marks are punctuation marks used in text to indicate the words of another speaker or writer...
from Järegård is "When I get up at night to grab a sandwich, it only takes a ray of light from the fridge lamp for me to start acting."
Selected filmography
- Raggargänget (1962)
- Svenska bilder (1964)
- ÖnÖnÖn is a 1966 Swedish drama film directed by Alf Sjöberg. It was entered into the 1966 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Per Myrberg - Count Magnus* Bibi Andersson - Marianne* Karin Kavli - Old countess* Marian Gräns - Helen Andersson...
(1966) - TartuffeTartuffeTartuffe is a comedy by Molière. It is one of his most famous plays.-History:Molière wrote Tartuffe in 1664...
(TV theatre) (1966) - Waiting for GodotWaiting for GodotWaiting for Godot is an absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait endlessly and in vain for someone named Godot to arrive. Godot's absence, as well as numerous other aspects of the play, have led to many different interpretations since the play's...
(TV theatre) (1971) - Kvartetten som sprängdes (aka "The Quartet That Broke Up") (mini series) (1973)
- De tre från Haparanda (mini series) (1974)
- En handfull kärlek (1974)
- FimpenFimpenFimpen is a 1974 Swedish family film written and directed by Bo Widerberg and starring Johan Bergman.-Plot:...
(1974) - Släpp fångarne loss, det är vår! (Release the Prisoners to Spring)Release the Prisoners to SpringRelease the Prisoners to Spring is a 1975 Swedish film comedy directed by Tage Danielsson....
(1975) - Chez Nous (1978)
- Clownen Jac (TV theatre; monologue) (1981)
- Hans Christian och sällskapet (TV) (1981)
- Gråtvalsen (TV theatre) (1982)
- Skånska mord (aka "Skåne Murders") (TV series) (1986)
- VD (TV theatre) (1988)
- Europa (1991)
- Den goda viljan (Best Intentions) (1992)
- KådisbellanKådisbellanKådisbellan is a 1989 Swedish autobiography written by Roland Schütt. The book is about Schütt's life as child during the 1920s. His mother Zipa Schütt sells condoms, which was forbidden then, and Roland steals the condoms and makes slingshots and balloons of them. There is also a film from 1993...
(1993) - Nästa man till rakning (TV series) (1993)
- Riget (1994)
- Cheek to Cheek (TV theatre) (1997)
- Riget II (1997)
- CHOCKChock (TV Series)Chock was a Swedish horror television series that aired in 1997. It was done in the style of horror shows as Tales from the Crypt.Each episode was presented by Swedish cult actor and horror host Ernst-Hugo Järegård and episodes was directed by Mikael Håfström, Daniel Bergman ans Ulf Malmros.-1...
(1997)
Stage work
Trivia
- Järegård received but turned down role offers (for various reasons) from, among others, Arne MattssonArne MattssonArne Mattsson was a Swedish film director, born in Uppsala.His early movies were mostly comedies. His biggest success was Hon dansade en sommar , which earned him the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival and a nomination for the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1952...
, Ingmar BergmanIngmar BergmanErnst Ingmar Bergman was a Swedish director, writer and producer for film, stage and television. Described by Woody Allen as "probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera", he is recognized as one of the most accomplished and...
(various projects), Alfred HitchcockAlfred HitchcockSir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
and Luc BessonLuc BessonLuc Besson is a French film director, writer, and producer. He is the creator of EuropaCorp film company. He has been involved with over 50 films, spanning 26 years, as writer, director, and/or producer.-Early life:...
(E-H was offered a role in The Fifth ElementThe Fifth ElementThe Fifth Element is a 1997 French science fiction film directed, co-written, and based on a story by Luc Besson, starring Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, and Milla Jovovich...
but was busy with Riget II). - Did not have a driver's license but could drive fairly well; which he did in a few movies/TV parts, for example in the Riget-series. He used taxis and trains to move around in Stockholm and Sweden.
- Cinema-commercials for the margarine Flora (Milda today) with Margaretha KrookMargaretha KrookMargaretha Krook was a Swedish stage and film actress. She won the Eugene O'Neill Award in 1974. In 1976, she won the Guldbagge Award for Best Actress for the film Release the Prisoners to Spring.-Selected Filmography:...
. - Loved Frank SinatraFrank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
and had most of his original records and CDs. - The cat Måns in the beloved children's cartoon Pelle Svanslös was one of Järegård's all-time favourite parts.
- The post-punk band TEXTTEXTTEXT is the band founded by Kristofer Steen, David Sandström, Fredrik Bäckström and Jon F Brännström. All, except Bäckström, were ex-members of hardcore band Refused. Stylistically, they have little in common with Refused. Their debut album, Text, is a mix of spoken word, music of various styles,...
began their self-titled album, Text, with a track titled Requiem For Ernst Hugo (1928–1998).
Source and references
- Wennerholm, Eric: Ernst-Hugo - inte lik någon annan, Bonniers, Stockholm, 1983 (biography) (Sweden)
- "Filmerna kunde vara dåliga men aldrig han" by Jan Lumholt, Cinema magazine, 1998 (article) (Swedish)
External links
Audio/Video
- Ernst-Hugo Järegård in Riget/The Kingdom; "Compulsive lobotomy" - @YouTube
- Ernst-Hugo Järegård - Den första gång jag såg dig (1969) - @YouTube
- Ernst-Hugo Järegård - Dover-Calais (1987) - @YouTube
- Ernst-Hugo Järegård - I Spaniens månsken (1969) - @YouTube
- Bo Kaspers Orkester feat. Ernst-Hugo Järegård (live 1996) - @YouTube
- Ernst-Hugo Järegård featured here in the intro for Swedish cult film "Släpp fångarne loss det är vår" (Release the Prisoners to Spring) by Hasseåtage - @YouTube