Lasse Hallström

For the Swedish ice hockey player, see Lars Hallström (ice hockey).

Lasse Hallström
Born
Lars Sven Hallström

(1946-06-02) 2 June 1946 (age 78)
Stockholm, Sweden
Occupation(s)Film director, screenwriter
Years active1973–present
Spouses
  • Malou Hallström
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1974; div. 1981)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1994)​
Children2

Lars Sven "Lasse" Hallström (Swedish: [ˈlâsːɛ ˈhâlːstrœm]; born 2 June 1946) is a Swedish film director. He first became known for directing almost all the music videos by the pop group ABBA, and subsequently became a feature film director. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director for My Life as a Dog (Mitt liv som hund) (1985) and later for The Cider House Rules (1999). His other celebrated directorial works include What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) and Chocolat (2000).

Early life and education

Hallström was born on 2 June 1946 in Stockholm, Sweden.[1][2][3] His father was a dentist[4] and keen amateur videographer; his mother was the author and poet Karin Lyberg.[5]

He attended Adolf Fredrik's Music School in Stockholm,[6] where he made his first music video[5] and 8 mm films.[7]

Career

Hallström at a Career Achievement Tribute at the 2013 Miami International Film Festival

In the late 1960s, Hallström worked as a director of short pop music clips at Sveriges Television.[7]

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[7] 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, but 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 and 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".[8]

Awards and nominations

Personal life

Hallström married media personality and actress Malou Hallström [sv] (née Nordgren; 1941–2005) in 1974, and the couple had one child, Johan, in 1976. They divorced in 1981.

In 1990, he met actress Lena Olin; they married on 18 March 1994. They have a daughter Tora (b. 1995). The couple currently resides in Bedford, New York. They also have a home located in the Stockholm Archipelago.[11][12][4] Olin has a son, F. Auguste Rahmberg (b. 1984), from her earlier relationship with actor Örjan Ramberg.

Hallström turned vegan in 2014.[13]

He divides his time between Sweden and the US.[2]

Videography

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

Filmography

See also

References

  1. ^ "Lasse Hallström". Brockhaus Enzyklopädie (in German).
  2. ^ a b "Lasse Hallström biography and filmography". Tribute. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Hallström, Lasse". Proleksis enciklopedija (in Croatian). Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Lasse Hallstroem Biography (1946-)". Film Reference. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  5. ^ a b Forsman, Michael (1994). "Gilbert Grape: Filmhandledning" (PDF). Svenska Filminstitutet.
  6. ^ Stefan Westrin (10 October 2014). "Lars Erik Brännström". Fokus (Swedish weekly news magazine). Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  7. ^ a b c "Lasse Hallström". ABBA. 13 April 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  8. ^ "A Dog's Purpose filmmakers face animal cruelty accusations – BBC News", Bbc.com, 19 January 2017, retrieved 21 January 2017
  9. ^ Schneider, Steven Jay, ed. (2007). 501 Movie Directors. London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 495. ISBN 9781844035731. OCLC 1347156402.
  10. ^ "Lasse Hallstrom's 'The Hypnotist' is Sweden's Oscar Candidate". The Hollywood Reporter. 6 September 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  11. ^ Olevik, Josefin (4 April 2011). "Så förgörs en regissör". Fokus (in Swedish). Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  12. ^ "Lena Olin: Gudarna ska veta att passionen kan vara plågsam". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 23 May 2011. Archived from the original on 10 February 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  13. ^ Cordova, Randy (7 August 2014). "Lasse Hallström talks 'Hundred-Foot Journey'". azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
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