Iconic Swedish actor Max Von Sydow dead at 90-years-old.

The death of Swedish actor Max Von Sydow broke the news earlier today from his agent, Jean Diamond.

BREAKING: Max von Sydow, an actor known to art house audiences through his work with Swedish director Ingmar Bergman and later to moviegoers everywhere when he played the priest in the horror classic “The Exorcist,” has died at age 90. https://t.co/irbHUHflSK

— The Associated Press (@AP) March 9, 2020

The Swedish-born French citizen was primarily known by his work with director Ingmar Bergman along with his role in the classic horror picture, The Exorcist, but his career spanned from 1949 to 2018 with one more film in post-production according to IMDB.

A self-described “shy boy,” the actor was born Carl Adolf Von Sydow in Lund, Sweden, taking the name Max later in life.  He studied acting at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm.

Von Sydow’s acting career began while he was still a student in Stockholm with two films directed by Alf Sjöberg: Only a Mother (1949) and Miss Julie (1951).  After graduating from Royal Dramatic, he joined the Municipal Theatre in Helsingborg, which lead to a meeting with legendary Swedish director Ingmar Bergman.  He continued as an actor into his 80s winning two Academy Awards (Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor) as well as a recent Emmy Award for his role in HBO’s Game of Thrones.

Actor Inga Landgre, who appeared with Von Sydow in Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal, describes the actor’s stage presence: “There was a sense of security in his radiance, his presence was his strength.”

Von Sydow’s Hollywood debut came in 1965 with the role of Jesus Christ in The Greatest Story Ever Told, and he gained international acclaim with his role as a priest in The Exorcist.  The actor once admitted that portraying Jesus was the most challenging role he’s ever played because the time it took to get into and keep up the image – it took him six months to rid himself of that role after the filming had been completed.

Von Sydow was twice married – first to Christina Olin from 1951 to 1979, then to Catherine Brelet from 1997 until his death – his four sons survive him.