Mimi Pollak

Maria Helena "Mimi" Pollak (9 April 1903 – 11 August 1999) was a Swedish actress and theatre director.

Mini biography 
Maria Helena Pollak was born in Karlstad, Värmland to  Austrian-Jewish parents and was trained in the performing arts at the prestigious Dramatens elevskola  (the Royal Dramatic Theatre's acting school) in Stockholm 1922-24.

Pollak worked in the 1920s and 1930s as a film actress and as stage actress mainly on Helsingborg City Theatre and The Blanche Theatre, Stockholm, but she returned as an actress to Royal Dramatic Theatre ( Dramaten) 1942.

Pollak became in 1948 the first contracted female director at the Dramaten with the production of Jean Genet's Jungfruleken (Les Bonnes/The Maids), starring Anita Björk and Maj-Britt Nilsson in the leads. Pollak became a very successful director at Dramaten and staged altogether 60 plays at the national stage over the years.

She appeared since her 1922 debut in the film Amatörfilmen in about 30 film and TV productions. Notable film roles are her supporting parts in Schamyl Bauman's film comedy Skolka skolan (1949), in Vilgot Sjöman's Klänningen (a.k.a. The Dress, 1964), in Ingmar Bergman's Autumn Sonata (starring Ingrid Bergman) as the piano teacher, in Flight of the Eagle (1982), starring Max von Sydow and directed by Jan Troell and in the very popular Swedish TV mystery Agnes Cecilia - en sällsam historia (1991), adapted from the successful books by Maria Gripe.

She retired in 1975, but made a stage comeback in 1991, age 87, in Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya.

Sometimes credited as Mimmi Pollak, Mimi Pollack or Mimmi Pollack.

Personal life 
Pollak attended the Royal Dramatic Theatre school in Stockholm, Sweden with fellow actress Greta Garbo from 1922 to 1924. Garbo moved to the US in 1925 and Pollak married in 1927 and later had children, although they did maintain contact for over 60 years.
Their relationship and letters are portrayed (published in parts) in the Swedish book Djävla älskade unge! (Bloody Beloved Kid), written by Po Tin Andersén Axell (2005), and in Garbo's personal writings, released in Sweden the same year.

Pollak was married 1927-1938 to Swedish actor Nils Lundell (1889–1943).

Selected filmography 
1991 – Agnes Cecilia - en sällsam historia
1986 – Amorosa
1985 - August Strindberg ett liv (TV)
1982 – The Flight of the Eagle (Ingenjör Andrées luftfärd)
1978 – Autumn Sonata (Höstsonaten)
1979 – I frid och värdighet
1979 - Christopher's House
1971 – Emil i Lönneberga
1965 – Nattmara
1955 – Mord, lilla vän
1951 – Sommarlek
1949 – Skolka skolan (a.k.a. Playing Truant)
1949 – Bara en mor (a.k.a. Only A Mother)
1949 – Gatan
1947 – Den långa vägen
1947 – Supé för två
1942 – Lågor i dunklet
1942 – Vi hemslavinnor
1941 – Spökreportern
1940 – Med dej i mina armar
1940 – One, But a Lion!
1926 – Sven Klingas levnadsöde
1923 – Andersson, Pettersson och Lundström
1922 – Amatörfilmen

Footnotes

Further reading

External links

 Mimi Pollak

Category:1903 births
Category:1999 deaths
Category:Bisexual actresses
Category:Bisexual women
Category:LGBT Jews
Category:LGBT entertainers from Sweden
Category:Swedish film actresses
Category:Swedish Jews
Category:Swedish people of Austrian-Jewish descent
Category:Swedish silent film actresses
Category:20th-century Swedish actresses
Category:Swedish theatre directors