Olof Thunberg

Fritz-Olof Thunberg (21 May 1925 – 24 February 2020) was a Swedish actor, voice actor and director, perhaps best known as the voice of the cartoon character Bamse.

Olof Thunberg
Thunberg in 1959
Born
Fritz-Olof Thunberg

(1925-05-21)21 May 1925
Västerås, Sweden
Died24 February 2020(2020-02-24) (aged 94)
Stockholm, Sweden
NationalitySwedish
Occupation
  • Actor
  • voice actor
  • director
Spouse(s)
Ingrid Johansson
​
​
(m. 1950; div. 1954)​
[1]
Mona Andersson
​
​
(m. 1978; div. 1990)​
[2]
Partner(s)Lena Granhagen
(engaged 1959–?)[3]
Children2
RelativesGreta Thunberg (granddaughter)
Malena Ernman (daughter-in-law)

Life and career

Thunberg was born Fritz-Olof Thunberg in Västerås, where he formed a theatre club called Scenklubben which also included Lars Ekborg and the poet Bo Setterlind. He studied at Calle Flygare's drama school in Stockholm and then from 1950 to 1952 at Dramatens elevskola; between the two, in the late 1940s, he performed in public parks.[4]

After finishing drama school, Thunberg joined the Östgötateatern regional theatre, where he directed in addition to acting, then became a freelance actor.[5] In the 1950s he became known for his work on the radio programme Mannen i svart ("The Man in Black"), where he presented all kinds of stories of horror and the supernatural in his deep voice, accompanied by a variety of sound effects.[4] In 1963, he had a supporting role in Ingmar Bergman's drama Winter Light as the church organist Fredrik.[6]

Thunberg appeared in a variety of films, often in a supporting role as a confident charmer, and is the voice of both Bamse and Agaton Sax in children's films and recordings.[4] He also voiced Shere Khan in the Swedish-dubbed versions of both the 1967 Disney The Jungle Book and its 2003 sequel, The Jungle Book 2.[5]

In 2006, Thunberg was a host of Sommar on Sveriges Radio P1.[7]

Thunberg also directed for television.[4]

Personal life
Olof Thunberg with Mona Andersson and their first-born daughter Amanda at their home in Värmdö, 1967.

Thunberg was previously married to Ingrid Johansson.[1] He had a later cohabitation with actress Mona Andersson, whom he got to know in connection with a radio play.[8] He was the father of actor Svante Thunberg[9][10] and father-in-law of opera singer Malena Ernman, from whom his granddaughter is the climate activist Greta Thunberg.[11]

In 1959, Thunberg became engaged to actress Lena Granhagen, whom he had met while directing a play in which she acted in at Intiman.[12] They lived together into the 1960s, and they acted together as a couple in the television series Villervalle i Söderhavet in 1963.[13]

Thunberg died on 24 February 2020 at the age of 94.[14][15]

Selected filmography

Selected television appearances
  • 1963 – Villervalle i Söderhavet (series)
  • 1965 – En historia till fredag (series)
  • 1965 – Niklasons (series)
  • 1966 - Mästerdetektiven Blomkvist på nya äventyr
  • 1968 – Lärda fruntimmer
  • 1968 – Pygmalion
  • 1968 – Markurells i Wadköping (series)
  • 1969 – Biprodukten
  • 1969 – Håll polisen utanför (series)
  • 1970 – Röda rummet (series)
  • 1970 – Regnbågslandet (series)
  • 1970 – Ett dockhem
  • 1972–1974 – Bröderna Malm (series)
  • 1972–1973 – Bamse (series): narrator, voices
  • 1973 – Ett köpmanshus i skärgården (TV-serie)
  • 1981 – Bamse och den lilla åsnan: narrator, voices
  • 1982 – Dubbelsvindlarna (series)
  • 1991 – Bamse i Trollskogen: narrator, voices
  • 1991 – Storstad (series)
  • 1991 – Sunes jul (series)
  • 1993 – Allis med is (series)
  • 1994 – Tre Kronor (series)
  • 1995 – Sjukan (series)
  • 1995 – Jeppe på berget (series)
  • 2001 – Återkomsten (series)
  • 2003 – Solbacken: Avd. E (series)
  • Sources:[16][17]

Selected directions
  • 1972 – Söndagspromenaden (TV)[18]
  • 1969 – Galgmannen (TV)[19]

References
  1. "Svenska Dagbladet: Bröllop" [Swedish Daily News: Wedding]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Stockholm. 24 October 1950. p. 11. Archived from the original on 6 October 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  2. "Expressen" [The Express]. Expressen (in Swedish). Stockholm. 23 October 1978. p. 32.
  3. "Förlovade". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 17 May 1959. p. 2. Archived from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.; "Skådespelerskan, fil. kand. [...]". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 20 May 1959. p. 15. Archived from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  4. "Olof Thunberg" Archived 25 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Swedish Film Database, 2004, updated 16 December 2013 (in Swedish).
  5. "Olof Thunberg död – gjorde rösten till Bamse". Aftonbladet. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  6. "Skådespelaren Olof Thunberg är död". Dagens Nyheter. 25 February 2020. Archived from the original on 27 February 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  7. Olof Thunberg Archived 27 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Sommer & Vinter i P1, 6 August 2006 (in Swedish).
  8. Allas Veckotidning [All Weekly] (in Swedish). No. 46. Stockholm: Allers förlag. 1967. p. 11. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. Wigardt, Gaby (8 June 1983). "Svenska Dagbladet: "Svensk" Shakespeare i parkerna" [Swedish Daily News: "Swedish" Shakespeare in the parks]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Stockholm. p. 11. Archived from the original on 6 October 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  10. Sjöström, Stefan (11 July 1983). "Expressen: 4 × Thunberg = Shakespeare" [The Express: 4 × Thunberg = Shakespeare]. Expressen (in Swedish). Stockholm. p. 24.
  11. "Olof Thunberg är död – gjorde rösten till Bamse". www.expressen.se. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  12. Myrberg 1961, p. 20.
  13. "Skådespelaren Olof Thunberg är död – gav röst åt Bamse och blev farfar åt Greta Thunberg". dt.se. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  14. "Skådespelaren Olof Thunberg är död". SVT Nyheter. 25 February 2020. Archived from the original on 25 February 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  15. "Greta Thunberg's grandfather, veteran Swedish actor Olof Thunberg, dies". dw.com. 25 February 2020. Archived from the original on 27 February 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  16. "Olof Thunberg - SFdb". Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  17. "Filmer och serier med Olof Thunberg". tv.nu. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  18. "Söndagspromenaden". Archived from the original on 26 November 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2020 – via www.oppetarkiv.se.
  19. "Svenska Skräckfilmer". iFokus. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
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