About

Known credits:
83
Birthday:
1925-05-24
Place of birth:
Västerås, Västmanlands län, Sweden
Website:
N/A

Mai Zetterling

Overview

Mai Elisabeth Zetterling ( May 24, 1925 – March 17, 1994) was a Swedish actress and film director.

She began directing in the early 1960s, starting with political documentaries and a short film called The War Game (1962), which was nominated for a BAFTA award, and won a Silver Lion at Venice. Her first feature film Älskande par (1964, "Loving Couples"), based on the novels of Agnes von Krusenstjerna, was banned at the Cannes Film Festival for its sexual explicitness and nudity. Kenneth Tynan of The Observer later called it "one of the most ambitious debuts since Citizen Kane." It was not the only film she made that would stir up controversy for its frank sexuality (early pioneer on voyeurism).

When critics reviewing her debut feature said that "Mai Zetterling directs like a man," she began to explore feminist themes more explicitly in her work. The Girls, which had an all-star Swedish cast including Bibi Andersson and Harriet Andersson, discussed women's liberation (or lack thereof) in a society controlled by men, as the protagonists compare their lives to characters in the play Lysistrata, and find that things have not progressed very much for women since ancient times.

Known for

Acting
2022 Prejudice and Pride: Swedish Film Queer Actor Self (archive footage) 58
Average
2015 Regissören: en film om Mai Zetterling Actor Self (archival footage) 59
Average
1996 Meeting with Mai Actor N/A
N/A
1993 Minns ni? Actor (archive footage) N/A
N/A
1993 Morfars resa Actor Elin Fromm N/A
N/A
1992 Sellers' Best Actor Self N/A
N/A
1990 Hidden Agenda Actor Moa 60
Fair
1990 The Witches Actor Helga Eveshim 66
Fair
1990 The Making of 'Hidden Agenda' Actor Self N/A
N/A
1989 Maybe I Really Am a Sorceress Actor Self 58
Average
1988 Calling the Shots Actor Self N/A
N/A
1978 Stulet nyår Actor Gerda N/A
N/A
1978 Mai Zetterling's Stockholm Actor 58
Average
1977 My Heart Is Red Actor Nietzsche 58
Average
1976 We Have Many Names Actor Lena 59
Average
1973 Visions of Eight Actor Narrator 59
Average
1965 Lianbron Actor N/A
N/A
1963 The Man Who Finally Died Actor Lisa von Deutsch 58
Average
1963 The Bay of St. Michel Actor N/A
N/A
1962 The Main Attraction Actor Gina 58
Average
1962 Only Two Can Play Actor Liz 58
Average
1961 Lords of Little Egypt: Mai Zetterling Among the Gypsies Actor N/A
N/A
1961 Offbeat Actor Ruth Lombard 59
Average
1960 Faces in the Dark Actor Christiane Hammond 59
Average
1960 Piccadilly Third Stop Actor Christine Preedy 59
Average
1959 Jet Storm Actor Carol Tilley 59
Average
1959 The Traitor Actor Frau Caypor N/A
N/A
1958 Playing on the Rainbow Actor N/A
N/A
1958 The Master Builder Actor Hilda Wangel N/A
N/A
1957 The Truth About Women Actor Julie Eaton 58
Average
1957 Abandon Ship Actor Nurse Julie White 59
Average
1956 Ett dockhem Actor Gurli Pall N/A
N/A
1955 A Prize of Gold Actor Maria 58
Average
1954 Dance Little Lady Actor Nina Gordon 59
Average
1954 Knock on Wood Actor Ilse Nordstrom 59
Average
1953 Desperate Moment Actor Anna DeBurg 58
Average
1952 The Ringer Actor Lisa 59
Average
1952 Tall Headlines Actor Doris Rickardson 59
Average
1951 Hell Is Sold Out Actor Valerie Martin 59
Average
1951 Blackmailed Actor Mrs. Carol Edwards 58
Average
1949 Naughty Arlette Actor Arlette Tessereau 58
Average
1949 The Lost People Actor Lily 59
Average
1949 The Bad Lord Byron Actor Teresa Guiccioli 58
Average
1948 Portrait from Life Actor Lidia 59
Average
1948 Quartet Actor Jeanne 58
Average
1948 Nu börjar livet Actor Vera Ullman 58
Average
1948 Music in Darkness Actor Ingrid Olofsson 58
Average
1947 Frieda Actor Frieda 58
Average
1946 Sunshine Follows Rain Actor Marit Germundsdotter 58
Average
1946 Iris and the Lieutenant Actor Iris Mattson 59
Average
1944 Prince Gustaf Actor Anna Maria Wastenius N/A
N/A
1944 Torment Actor Bertha Olsson 60
Fair
1943 Jag dräpte Actor Miss Peters 58
Average
1941 Lasse-Maja Actor Fanny N/A
N/A

Directing
1990 Sunday Pursuit Directing Director N/A
N/A
1986 Concrete Grandma Directing Director N/A
N/A
1986 Amorosa Directing Director 58
Average
1982 Scrubbers Directing Director 58
Average
1982 Love Directing Director 59
Average
1981 Of Seals and Men Directing Director N/A
N/A
1978 Mai Zetterling's Stockholm Directing Director 58
Average
1977 The Moon Is a Green Cheese Directing Director 58
Average
1976 We Have Many Names Directing Director 59
Average
1973 Visions of Eight Directing Director 59
Average
1972 Vincent the Dutchman Directing Director 59
Average
1968 The Girls Directing Director 58
Average
1968 Doctor Glas Directing Director 59
Average
1966 Night Games Directing Director 58
Average
1964 Loving Couples Directing Director 59
Average
1963 The War Game Directing Director 58
Average
1961 Lords of Little Egypt: Mai Zetterling Among the Gypsies Directing Director N/A
N/A

Writing
1986 Amorosa Writing Writer 58
Average
1982 Scrubbers Writing Writer 58
Average
1982 Love Writing Writer 59
Average
1981 Of Seals and Men Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1977 The Moon Is a Green Cheese Writing Writer 58
Average
1968 The Girls Writing Writer 58
Average
1968 Doctor Glas Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1966 Night Games Writing Writer 58
Average
1964 Loving Couples Writing Writer 59
Average
1963 The War Game Writing Screenplay 58
Average

Production
1963 The War Game Production Producer 58
Average

Editing
1986 Amorosa Editing Editor 58
Average