Johanna Sällström

Johanna Sällström
Johanna Sällström in 2006
Born
Johanna Maria Ellinor Berglund

(1974-12-30)30 December 1974
Stockholm, Sweden
Died13 February 2007(2007-02-13) (aged 32)
Malmö, Sweden
Years active1993–2006
Spouse
Albin Sällström
​
​
(m. 2000; div. 2002)​
Children1
RelativesBjörn Gedda (stepfather)

Johanna Maria Ellinor Berglund-Sällström (30 December 1974 – 13 February 2007) was a Swedish actress, best known for her portrayal of Linda Wallander in Wallander. She worked as an actress for more than 15 years, before her death in 2007.[1]

Early life

Sällström was born in Stockholm. She was the stepdaughter of Björn Gedda.[2]

Career

Sällström made her first stage appearance in Hudiksvall at the age of 15, in A Midsummer Night's Dream. She became famous in Sweden in the 1990s, after portraying the teenage girl Victoria Bärnsten in the soap opera Tre kronor. Thereafter, she appeared in numerous productions, and received a Guldbagge Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for the 1997 film Under ytan. Later that same year, unable to cope with her new-found celebrity, she took a break from filming and moved to Copenhagen, where she worked in a café.

In 2000, Sällström returned to Sweden to continue her acting career. She did not enjoy the success of previous years until, in 2005, she played the role of detective constable Linda Wallander in the first season of the Swedish TV series Wallander. Sällström's last role was in an Ystad theatre production of Anton Chekhov's play The Seagull, which she left prematurely due to illness.[3]

Personal life

Sällström married Albin Sällström in 2000; they were divorced in 2002, about a year after the birth of their daughter Talulah. In 2004, Sällström and Talulah experienced the December 2004 tsunami while on holiday in Thailand.[4] Talulah died in 2014 from suicide, like her mother did.[5]

Death

Sällström was found dead in her Malmö home on 13 February 2007.[6] She had recently been released from a psychiatric unit where she had been receiving treatment for depression.[7] Her lifelong struggle with depression was exacerbated by her experience in Thailand. In a 2006 interview with the editor of the magazine Tove, she said, "I always thought I would be dead by the age of 30."[8][9]

Henning Mankell's grief and guilt over her death swayed him from writing the last two novels of his projected Linda Wallander trilogy. Instead, he published a final novel focused on Kurt, before his own death in 2015. The character of Linda Wallander did not appear in the second Wallander series produced for Swedish TV: as another main character had just been written out because of suicide, Linda was "kept" off-screen, but said to be working elsewhere.[8][10]

References

  1. ^ Tagesson, Pelle (20 June 2007). "De förstod inte att hon ville dö" [They didn't realize she wanted to die]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 29 June 2007.
  2. ^ Olsson, Lena; Baas, David (15 February 2007). "Jag saknar henne djupt" [I miss her deeply]. Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  3. ^ Hellberg, Magnus (17 February 2007). "Jag mår så himla dåligt" [I feel so damn bad]. Expressen (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 27 February 2007.
  4. ^ Cassel, Annika Sohlander; Tagesson, Eric & Tagesson, Pelle (15 February 2007). "Hon jobbade väldigt hårt" [She worked very hard]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  5. ^ Löwengren, Karin (7 March 2016). "Pappa Roy berättar om sorgen efter Johanna Sällström". www.allas.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  6. ^ Lentz, Harris M. III (2008). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2007. McFarland Inc. p. 329. ISBN 978-0-7864-3481-7.
  7. ^ Westerberg, Olof (23 April 2007). "Johanna Sällströms död utreds" [Johanna Sällström's death is being investigated]. Sydsvenskan. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  8. ^ a b Gallagher, Paul (27 December 2009). "Henning Mankell creates a 'female Wallander' following star's suicide". The Observer. London, UK. Retrieved 27 December 2009.
  9. ^ Triches, Robert; Edgar, Johan; et al. (14 February 2007). "Johanna Sällström är död: Skådespelerskan avled i sitt hem" [Johanna Sällström is dead: The actress passed away in her home]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 16 February 2007.
  10. ^ "Hon kände aldrig riktigt att hon dög" [She never really felt like she was good enough]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). 15 April 2007. Archived from the original on 20 May 2007.