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Cactus Flower

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75-433: Cactus Flower may refer to: Cactus Flower (play) , a farce by Abe Burrows Cactus Flower (film) , a 1969 comedy film directed by Gene Saks adapted from the play Cactus Flower (2017 film) , a 2017 drama film directed by Hala Elkoussey  [ it ] Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with

150-609: A German mother, Frieda "Friedel" Henriette Auguste Louise Bergman ( née Adler), who was born in Kiel . Her parents married in Hamburg on 13 June 1907. She was named after Princess Ingrid of Sweden . Although she was raised in Sweden, she spent her summers in Germany and spoke fluent German. Bergman was raised as an only child, as two older siblings had died in infancy before she was born. When she

225-592: A Hollywood film. Her performance is both "devastating and wonderful to see". Gaslight opened on 4 May 1944. Bergman won her first Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance. Under the direction of George Cukor , she portrayed a "wife driven close to madness" by her husband, played by Charles Boyer . The film, according to Thomson, "was the peak of her Hollywood glory." Reviewers noted her sympathetic and emotional performance, and that she exercised restraint, by not allowing emotion to "slip off into hysteria". The New York Journal-American called her "one of

300-451: A brief segment of his 1953 documentary film, Siamo donne ( We, the Women ) , which was devoted to film actresses. His biographer, Peter Bondanella, notes that problems with communication during their marriage may have inspired his films' central themes of "solitude, grace, and spirituality in a world without moral values". In December 1953, Rossellini directed her in the play Joan of Arc at

375-588: A canny combination of charm, understanding, restraint and sheer acting ability." On 30 July 1941 at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara, Bergman made her second stage appearance in Anna Christie . She was praised for her performance as a whore in the play based on Eugene O'Neill's work. A San Francisco paper said she was as unspoiled as a fresh Swedish snowball. Selznick called her "The Palmolive Garbo ",

450-569: A country estate. She didn't like the part, calling it "a piece of rubbish". She only agreed to appear if only she could star in the studio's next film project, En kvinnas ansikte . She later acted in Dollar (1938), a Scandinavian screwball comedy. Bergman had just been voted Sweden's most admired movie star in the previous year and received top billing. Svenska Dagbladet wrote in its review: "Ingrid Bergman's feline appearance as an industrial tycoon's wife overshadows them all." In her next film,

525-409: A few moments of distinction, but on the whole it is a dull slow-paced piece, badly edited and mediocre in writing, direction and acting." John McCarten of The New Yorker found that there was "nothing whatsoever in the footage that rises above the humdrum", and felt that Bergman "doesn't really seem to have her heart in any of the scenes." Richard L. Coe of The Washington Post lamented, "It's

600-622: A fisherman's daughter, and then in Swedenhielms , where she had the opportunity to work alongside her idol Gösta Ekman . Next, she starred in Walpurgis Night (1935). She played Lena, a secretary in love with her boss, Johan, who is unhappily married. Throughout, Lena and the wife vie for Johan's affection, with the wife losing her husband to Lena at the end. In 1936, in On the Sunny Side , Bergman

675-461: A guilt-ridden Julian rashly proposes he leave his wife so the couple can be together. However, Julian has never revealed to Toni that his "marriage" is actually an elaborate lie concocted to keep Toni at arm's length. Toni refuses to break up his household without first meeting and talking with Julian's soon-to-be-ex, so Julian enlists the aid of his shy spinster assistant Stephanie to pose as his non-existent wife. Complications arise when Toni decides

750-727: A huge scandal in the United States, where it led to Bergman being denounced on the floor of the United States Senate . On 14 March 1950, Senator Edwin C. Johnson insisted that his once-favorite actress "had perpetrated an assault upon the institution of marriage", and went so far as to call her "a powerful influence for evil". "The purity that made people joke about Saint Bergman when she played Joan of Arc," one writer commented, "made both audiences and United States senators feel betrayed when they learned of her affair with Roberto Rossellini." Art Buchwald , permitted to read her mail during

825-528: A pity that many people who never go to foreign-made pictures will be drawn into this by the Rossellini-Bergman names and will think that this flat, drab, inept picture is what they've been missing." Recent assessments have been more positive. Reviewing the film in 2013 in conjunction with its DVD release as part of The Criterion Collection , Dave Kehr called the film "one of the pioneering works of modern European filmmaking." In an expansive analysis of

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900-550: A publicized divorce and custody battle for their daughter. Bergman and Rossellini were married on 24 May 1950. In the United States, the film Stromboli was a box office bomb but did better overseas, where Bergman and Rossellini's affair was considered less scandalous. In all, RKO lost $ 200,000 on the picture. In Italy, it was awarded the Rome Prize for Cinema as the best film of the year. The initial reception in America, however,

975-474: A reference to a popular soap, and a well-known Swedish actress of the time. Thornton Delaharty said, "Lunching with Ingrid is like sitting down to an hour or so of conversation with an intelligent orchid." Casablanca , by Michael Curtiz , opened on 26 November 1942. Bergman co-starred with Humphrey Bogart in the film; this remains her best-known role. She played the role of Ilsa, the former love of Rick Blaine and wife of Victor Laszlo, fleeing with Laszlo to

1050-509: A result, Bergman became a star. Ratoff, said, "She is sensational." This was the "sentiment of the entire set", wrote a retrospective, adding that workmen went out of their way to do things for her and that the cast and crew "admired the quick, alert concentration she gave to direction and to her lines". Film historian David Thomson notes that this became "the start of an astonishing impact on Hollywood and America", where her lack of make-up contributed to an "air of nobility". According to Life ,

1125-419: A role created especially for her,  En kvinnas ansikte ( A Woman's Face ), she played against her usual casting, as a bitter, unsympathetic character, whose face had been hideously burned. Anna Holm is the leader of a blackmail gang that targets the wealthy folk of Stockholm for their money and jewellery. The film required Bergman to wear heavy make-up, as well as glue, to simulate a burned face. A brace

1200-446: A scholarship to the state-sponsored Royal Dramatic Training Academy , where Greta Garbo had some years earlier earned a similar scholarship. After several months, she was given a part in a new play, Ett Brott ( A Crime ), written by Sigfrid Siwertz . This was "totally against procedure" at the school, where girls were expected to complete three years of study before getting such acting roles. During her first summer break, Bergman

1275-597: A seedy hotel, being pursued by the leading man, Edvin Adolphson . Critics called her "hefty and sure of herself", and "somewhat overweight ... with an unusual way of speaking her lines". The unflatteringly striped costume that she wore may have contributed to the unfavorable comments regarding her appearance. Soon after Munkbrogreven , Bergman was offered a studio contract and placed under director Gustaf Molander . Bergman starred in Ocean Breakers , in which she played

1350-517: A smaller suite. She went into ecstasies over it and said she had never had such a suite in her life ... All of this is completely unaffected and completely unique and I should think would make a grand angle of approach to her publicity ... so that her natural sweetness and consideration and conscientiousness become something of a legend ... and is completely in keeping with the fresh and pure personality and appearance which caused me to sign her. Intermezzo became an enormous success and as

1425-458: A startling resemblance to an imaginable human being; she really knows how to act, in a blend of poetic grace with quiet realism, which almost never appears in American pictures." He speaks movingly of her character's confession of her rape, and her scene of farewell, "which is shattering to watch". Agee believed that Bergman has truly studied what Maria might feel and look like in real life, and not in

1500-566: A supporting actor. According to Roger Ebert , Notorious is the most elegant expression of Hitchcock's visual style. " Notorious is my favorite Hitchcock", he asserted. Writing for the BFI , Samuel Wigley called it a "perfect" film. Notorious was selected by the National Film Registry in 2006 as culturally and significantly important. On 5 October 1946, Bergman appeared in Joan of Lorraine at

1575-546: A young woman with a bright future ahead of her. Bergman's first acting role in the United States was in Intermezzo: A Love Story by Gregory Ratoff which premiered on 22 September 1939. She accepted the invitation of Hollywood producer David O. Selznick , who wished her to star in the English-language remake of her earlier Swedish film Intermezzo (1936). Unable to speak English, and uncertain about her acceptance by

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1650-434: Is a farcical play by Abe Burrows . It played for years on Broadway before being adapted by I.A.L. Diamond into a 1969 feature film directed by Gene Saks . Based on the play Fleur de cactus by Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pierre Gredy , the comedy focuses on the relationship between young, wild Toni and her older, married lover Julian, a dentist. Convinced the two have no future together, Toni attempts suicide , and

1725-512: Is guilty of murder. Artist Salvador Dalí was hired to create a dream sequence but much of what had been shot was cut by Selznick. During the film, she had the opportunity to appear with Michael Chekhov , who was her acting coach during the 1940s. This would be the first of three collaborations she had with Hitchcock. Next, Bergman starred in Saratoga Trunk , with Gary Cooper, a film originally shot in 1943, but released on 30 March 1946. It

1800-459: Is married to Adare's childhood friend Lady Henrietta (Bergman), an alcoholic kept locked in their mansion. Soon, Flusky becomes jealous of Adare's affection for his wife. The film met with negative reactions from critics. Some of the negativity may have been based on disapproval of Bergman's affair with the Italian director Roberto Rossellini . Their scandalous relationship became apparent, shortly after

1875-420: Is stripped of her pride and reduced — or elevated — to the condition of a crying child, a kind of first human being who, divested of the trappings of self, must learn to see and speak again from a personal "year zero" (to borrow from another Rossellini film title). The Venice Film Festival ranked Stromboli among the 100 most important Italian films (" 100 film italiani da salvare ") from 1942 to 1978. In 2012,

1950-434: Is that one with Bogart." In later years, she stated, "I feel about Casablanca that it has a life of its own. There is something mystical about it. It seems to have filled a need, a need that was there before the film, a need that the film filled". Despite her personal views regarding her performance, Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote that "Bergman was surprisingly lovely, crisp and natural ... and lights

2025-691: The American Film Institute recognised Bergman as the fourth greatest female screen legend of Classic Hollywood Cinema . Born in Stockholm to a Swedish father and German mother, Bergman began her acting career in Swedish and German films. Her introduction to the U.S. audience came in the English-language remake of Intermezzo (1939). Known for her naturally luminous beauty, she starred in Casablanca (1942) as Ilsa Lund. Bergman's notable performances in

2100-544: The British Film Institute 's Sight & Sound critics' poll also listed it as one of the 250 greatest films of all time. In 1952, Rossellini directed Bergman in Europa '51 , where she plays Irene Girard who is distraught by the sudden death of her son. Her husband played by Alexander Knox soon copes, but Irene seems to need a purpose in life to assuage her guilt of neglecting her son. Rossellini directed her in

2175-621: The 1940s include the dramas For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943), Gaslight (1944), The Bells of St. Mary's (1945), and Joan of Arc (1948), all of which earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress ; she won for Gaslight . She made three films with Alfred Hitchcock : Spellbound (1945), Notorious (1946), and Under Capricorn (1949). In 1950, she starred in Roberto Rossellini 's Stromboli , released after

2250-709: The Alvin Theatre in New York. Tickets were fully booked for a twelve-week run. It was the greatest hit in New York. After each performance, crowds were in line to see Bergman in person. Newsweek called her 'Queen of the Broadway Season.' She reportedly received roughly $ 129,000 plus 15 percent of the grosses. The Associated Press named her "Woman of the Year". Gallup certified her as the most popular actress in America. On 17 February 1948, Arch of Triumph , by Lewis Milestone

2325-576: The American audience, she expected to complete this one film and return home to Sweden. Her husband, Petter Aron Lindström, remained in Sweden with their daughter Pia (born 1938). In Intermezzo , she played the role of a young piano accompanist, opposite Leslie Howard , who played a famous violin virtuoso. Bergman arrived in Los Angeles on 6 May 1939 and stayed at the Selznick home until she could find another residence. According to Selznick's son Danny, who

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2400-644: The Orient Express (1974). During this period she also starred in Indiscreet (1958), Cactus Flower (1969), and Autumn Sonata (1978) receiving her sixth Best Actress nomination. Bergman won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for the Maxwell Anderson play Joan of Lorraine (1947). She also won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for The Turn of

2475-519: The Screw (1960), and A Woman Called Golda (1982). In 1974, Bergman discovered she was suffering from breast cancer but continued to work until shortly before her death on her sixty-seventh birthday in 1982. Bergman spoke five languages – Swedish, English, German, Italian, and French – and acted in each. Ingrid Bergman was born on 29 August 1915 in Stockholm, to a Swedish father, Justus Samuel Bergman, and

2550-582: The Stake in Naples, Italy. They took the play to Barcelona, London, Paris and Stockholm. Her performance received generally good reviews. Their following effort was Viaggio in Italia (Journey to Italy) in 1954. It follows a couple's journey to Naples, Italy to sell off an inherited house. Trapped in a lifeless marriage, they are further unnerved by the locals' way of living. According to John Patterson of The Guardian ,

2625-472: The United States. The film premiered on 26 November 1942 at New York's Hollywood Theater . The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "The events are shot with sharp humor and delightful touches of political satire." It went into more general release, in January 1943. Casablanca was not one of Bergman's favorite performances. "I made so many films which were more important, but the only one people ever want to talk about

2700-404: The character so vividly and credibility that it becomes the core of [the] narrative." Bergman made her stage debut in 1940 with Liliom opposite Burgess Meredith , at a time when she was still learning English. Selznick was worried that his new starlet's value would diminish if she received bad reviews. Brooks Atkinson of The New York Times reviewed that Bergman seemed at ease, and commanded

2775-540: The film started The French New Wave. Martin Scorsese picked this film to be among his favorites in his documentary short in 2001. On 17 February 1955, Joan at the Stake opened at the Stockholm Opera House. The play was attended by the prime minister and other theatrical figures in Sweden. Swedish Daily reported that Bergman seems vague, cool and lacking in charisma. Bergman was hurt by mostly negative reviews from

2850-713: The film was still in theatres. Even worse, it received disastrous reviews, and, although nominated for several Academy Awards, did not receive a Best Picture nomination. It was subsequently cut by 45 minutes, but restored to full length in 1998, and released in 2004 on DVD. Under Capricorn premiered on 9 September 1949, as another Bergman and Hitchcock collaboration. The film is set in the Australia of 1831. The story opens as Charles Adare, played by Michael Wilding , arrives in New South Wales with his uncle. Desperate to find his fortune, Adare meets Sam Flusky ( Joseph Cotten ), who

2925-481: The film's release. Stromboli was released by Italian director Roberto Rossellini on 18 February 1950. Bergman had greatly admired two films by Rossellini. She wrote to him in 1949, expressing her admiration and suggesting that she make a film with him. As a consequence, she was cast in Stromboli . During the production, they began an affair, and Bergman became pregnant with their first child. This affair caused

3000-414: The film, critic Fred Camper wrote of the drama, Like many of cinema's masterpieces, Stromboli is fully explained only in a final scene that brings into harmony the protagonist's state of mind and the imagery. This structure...suggests a belief in the transformative power of revelation. Forced to drop her suitcase (itself far more modest than the trunks she arrived with) as she ascends the volcano, Karin

3075-494: The film, she played one of four ambitious young women, attempting to set up a graphic design agency. The film was a light-hearted combination of comedy and romance. At first, she did not comprehend the political and social situation in Germany. Later, she said: "I saw very quickly that if you were anybody at all in films, you had to be a member of the Nazi party." By September, she was back in Sweden, and gave birth to her daughter, Pia. She

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3150-516: The finest actresses in filmdom" and said that "she flames in passion and flickers in depression until the audience – becomes rigid in its seats". The Bells of St. Mary's premiered on 6 December 1945. Bergman played a nun opposite Bing Crosby , for which she received her third consecutive nomination for Best Actress. Crosby plays a priest who is assigned to a Roman Catholic school where he conflicts with its headmistress, played by Bergman. Reviewer Nathan Robin said: 'Crosby's laconic ease brings out

3225-416: The impishness behind Bergman's fine-china delicacy, and Bergman proves a surprisingly spunky and spirited comic foil for Crosby'. The film was the biggest box office hit of 1945. Alfred Hitchcock 's Spellbound premiered on 28 December 1945. In Spellbound , Bergman played Dr. Constance Petersen, a psychiatrist whose analysis could determine whether or not Dr. Anthony Edwardes, played by Gregory Peck ,

3300-405: The impression that she left on Hollywood, after she returned to Sweden, was of a tall girl "with light brown hair and blue eyes who was painfully shy, but friendly, with a warm, straight, quick smile". Selznick appreciated her uniqueness. Bergman was hailed as a fine new talent, and received many positive reviews. The New York Times noted her "freshness and simplicity and natural dignity" and

3375-441: The lines real nor the emotion sufficiently motivated to seem more than an exercise ... The only visible touch of the famed Italian director is in the hard photography, which adds to the realistic, documentary effect of life on the rocky, lava-blanketed island. Rossellini's penchant for realism, however, does not extend to Bergman. She's always fresh, clean and well-groomed. Harrison's Reports wrote: "As entertainment, it does have

3450-592: The maturity of her acting which was nonetheless, free of "stylistic traits – the mannerisms, postures, precise inflections – that become the stock in trade of the matured actress". Variety noted that she was warm and convincing, and provided an "arresting performance" and that her "charm, sincerity" ...and "infectious vivaciousness" would "serve her well in both comedy and drama". There was also recognition of her natural appearance, in contrast to other film actresses. The New York Tribune critic wrote: "Using scarcely any make-up, but playing with mobile intensity, she creates

3525-543: The media of her native land. Stig Ahlgren was the most harsh when he labelled her a clever businesswoman, not an actress. "Ingrid is a commodity, a desirable commodity which is offered in the free market." Another effort they released that year was Giovanna d'Arco al rogo (Joan of Arc at the Stake) . Their final effort in 1954 was La Paura ( Fear ) , based on a play by Austro-Jewish writer Stefan Zweig's 1920 novella Angst about adultery and blackmail. In Fear , Bergman plays

3600-568: The prism of one's personal life". Spoto notes that Bergman had, by virtue of her roles and screen persona, placed herself "above all that". She had played a nun in The Bells of St. Mary's (1945), and a virgin saint in Joan of Arc (1948). Bergman later said, "People saw me in Joan of Arc , and declared me a saint. I'm not. I'm just a woman, another human being." As a result of the scandal, Bergman returned to Italy, left her first husband, and went through

3675-665: The revelation that she was having an affair with Rossellini; that and her pregnancy before their marriage created a scandal in the U.S. that prompted her to remain in Europe for several years. During this time, she starred in Rossellini's Europa '51 and Journey to Italy (1954), the former of which won her the Volpi Cup for Best Actress . She returned to Hollywood, earning two more Academy Awards for her roles in Anastasia (1956) and Murder on

3750-578: The role, she received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress . The film was adapted from Ernest Hemingway 's novel of the same title and co-starred Gary Cooper . When the book was sold to Paramount Pictures , Hemingway stated that "Miss Bergman, and no one else, should play the part". His opinion came from seeing her in her first American role, Intermezzo . They met a few weeks later, and after studying her, he declared, "You are Maria!". James Agee , writing in The Nation , said Bergman "bears

3825-419: The romantic passages with a warm and genuine glow". Other reviewers said that she "[plays] the heroine with ... appealing authority and beauty" and "illuminates every scene in which she appears" and compared her to "a youthful Garbo." For Whom the Bell Tolls had its New York premiere on 14 July 1943. With "Selznick's steady boosting", she played the part of Maria, it was also her first color film. For

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3900-771: The run. Both Vaccaro and Brinckerhoff were nominated for Tony Awards for their featured performances. The play was adapted for film several times: first in 1969 as the Egyptian movie Half an Hour of Marriage , ( Arabic : نص ساعة جواز"); then, the same year, as Cactus Flower with Walter Matthau , Ingrid Bergman and Goldie Hawn (for which Hawn won an Academy Award); in 2005 as a Bollywood movie Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya? (Why did I fall in love?) with Salman Khan , Sushmita Sen and Katrina Kaif ; and again in 2011, as Just Go With It starring Adam Sandler , Jennifer Aniston and Brooklyn Decker . Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman (29 August 1915 – 29 August 1982)

3975-518: The same title, starring Joan Crawford . Bergman signed a three-picture contract with UFA, the German major film company, although she only made one picture. At the time, she was pregnant, but, nonetheless, she arrived in Berlin to begin filming The Four Companions ( Die vier Gesellen ) (1938), directed by Carl Froelich . The film was intended as a star vehicle to launch Bergman's career in Germany. In

4050-459: The scandal, reflected in an interview, "Oh, that mail was bad, ten, twelve, fourteen huge mail bags. 'Dirty whore.' 'Bitch.' 'Son of a bitch.' And they were all Christians who wrote it." Ed Sullivan chose not to have her on his show, despite a poll indicating that the public wanted her to appear. However, Steve Allen , whose show was equally popular, did have her as a guest, later explaining "the danger of trying to judge artistic activity through

4125-506: The stage that evening. That same year she starred in June Night ( Juninatten ), a Swedish language drama film directed by Per Lindberg . She plays Kerstin, a woman who has been shot by her lover. The news reaches the national papers. Kerstin moves to Stockholm under the new name of Sara, but lives under the scrutiny and watchful eye of her new community. Öresunds-Posten wrote, "Bergman establishes herself as an actress belonging to

4200-499: The time she is doing a picture ... She practically never leaves the studio, and even suggested that her dressing room be equipped so that she could live here during the picture. She never for a minute suggests quitting at six o'clock or anything of the kind ... Because of having four stars acting in Gone with the Wind , our star dressing-room suites were all occupied and we had to assign her

4275-480: The title Cactus Flower . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cactus_Flower&oldid=898232400 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Cactus Flower (play) Cactus Flower

4350-748: The two must find her a new beau so everyone concerned can live happily ever after. After two previews, the Broadway production, directed by Burrows, opened on December 8, 1965, at the Royale Theatre . There it ran for two years and nine months before transferring to the Longacre , for a total run of 1,234 performances, ending on November 23, 1968. The original cast included Lauren Bacall , Barry Nelson , Brenda Vaccaro , and Burt Brinckerhoff . Lloyd Bridges , Kevin McCarthy , and Betsy Palmer were replacements later in

4425-455: The vagueness of the script and partly to the dullness and monotony with which Rossellini has directed her." The staff at Variety agreed, writing, Director Roberto Rossellini purportedly denied responsibility for the film, claiming the American version was cut by RKO beyond recognition. Cut or not cut, the film reflects no credit on him. Given elementary-school dialog to recite and impossible scenes to act, Ingrid Bergman's never able to make

4500-522: The world elite." Bergman was loaned out of David O. Selznick's company, to appear in three films which were released in 1941. On 18 February, Robert Sherwood Productions' released her second collaboration with Gregory Ratoff, Adam Had Four Sons . On 7 March, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer released W. S. Van Dyke 's Rage in Heaven . On 12 August, Victor Fleming 's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde , another Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer production, had its New York opening. Bergman

4575-531: The young girl called Mutti (Mom) according to family lore. She later said, "I have wanted to be an actress almost as long as I can remember", sometimes wearing her deceased mother's clothing, and staging plays in her father's empty studio. Bergman spoke Swedish and German as first languages , English and Italian (acquired later, while living in the US and Italy), and French (learned in school). She acted in each of these languages at various times. Bergman received

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4650-463: Was a Swedish actress. With a career spanning five decades, Bergman is often regarded as one of the most influential screen figures in cinematic history. She won numerous accolades , including three Academy Awards , two Primetime Emmy Awards , a Tony Award , four Golden Globe Awards , BAFTA Award , and a Volpi Cup . She is one of only four actresses to have received at least three acting Academy Awards (only Katharine Hepburn has four). In 1999,

4725-547: Was a child at the time, his father had concerns about Bergman: "She didn't speak English, she was too tall, her name sounded too German, and her eyebrows were too thick". Bergman was soon accepted without having to modify her looks or name, despite some early suggestions by Selznick. "He let her have her way", notes a story in Life magazine. Selznick understood her fear of Hollywood make-up artists, who might turn her into someone she wouldn't recognize, and "instructed them to lay off". He

4800-512: Was also aware that her natural good looks would compete successfully with Hollywood's "synthetic razzle-dazzle". During the following weeks, while Intermezzo was being filmed, Selznick was also filming Gone with the Wind . In a letter to William Hebert, his publicity director, Selznick described a few of his early impressions of Bergman: Miss Bergman is the most completely conscientious actress with whom I have ever worked, in that she thinks of absolutely nothing but her work before and during

4875-626: Was based on the Maxwell Anderson play Joan of Lorraine , which had earned her a Tony Award earlier that year. Produced by Walter Wanger and initially released through RKO . Bergman had championed the role since her arrival in Hollywood, then chose to appear on the Broadway stage in Anderson's play. The film was not a big hit with the public, partly because of the Rossellini scandal, which broke while

4950-612: Was cast as an orphan from a good family who marries a rich older gentleman. Also in 1936, she appeared in Intermezzo , her first lead performance, where she was reunited with Gösta Ekman. This was a pivotal film for the young actress and allowed her to demonstrate her talent. Director Molander later said: "I created Intermezzo for her, but I was not responsible for its success. Ingrid herself made it successful." In 1938, she starred in Only One Night , playing an upper-class woman living on

5025-573: Was first released to the armed forces overseas. In deference to more timely war-themed and patriotic films, Warner Bros held back the theatrical opening in the United States. On 6 September premiered Hitchcock's Notorious . In it, Bergman played a US spy, Alicia Huberman, who had been given an assignment to infiltrate the Nazi sympathizers in South America . Along the way, she fell in love with her fellow spy, played by Cary Grant . The film also starred Claude Rains in an Oscar-nominated performance by

5100-519: Was hired by Swedish film studio Svensk Filmindustri , which led her to leave the Royal Dramatic Theatre after just one year to work in films full-time. Bergman's first film experience was as an extra in the 1932 film Landskamp , an experience she described as "walking on holy ground". Her first speaking role was a small part in Munkbrogreven (1935). Bergman played Elsa, a maid in

5175-488: Was never to work in Germany again. Bergman appeared in eleven films in her native Sweden before the age of twenty-five. Her characters were always plagued with uncertainty, fear, and anxiety. The early Swedish films were not masterpieces, but she worked with some of the biggest talents in the Swedish film industry, such as Gösta Ekman, Karin Swanström, Victor Sjöström, and Lars Hanson. It showcased her immense acting talent, as

5250-659: Was perhaps the most photographed child in Scandinavia," quipped Bergman in her later years. In 1929, when Bergman was around 14, her father died of stomach cancer. Losing her parents at such a young age was a trauma that Bergman later described as "living with an ache", an experience of which she was not even aware. After her father's death, Bergman was sent to live with her paternal aunt, Ellen, who died of heart disease six months later. Bergman then lived with her paternal uncle Otto and his wife Hulda, who had five children of their own. She also visited her maternal aunt, Elsa Adler, whom

5325-406: Was put in place to distort the shape of one cheek. In her diary, she called the film "my own picture, my very own. I have fought for it.". The critics loved her performance, citing her as an actor of great talent and confidence. The film was awarded a Special Recommendation at the 1938 Venice Film Festival , for its "overall artistic contribution". It was remade in 1941 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer with

5400-566: Was released with Bergman and Charles Boyer as the leading roles Based on Erich Maria Remarque 's book, it follows a story of Joan Madou, an Italian-Romanian refugee who works as a cabaret singer in a Paris nightclub. Distressed by her lover's sudden death, she attempts suicide by plunging into the Seine, but rescued by Dr Ravic, a German surgeon (Charles Boyer). On 11 November 1948, Joan of Arc had its world premiere. For her role, Bergman received another Best Actress nomination. The independent film

5475-409: Was supposed to play the "good girl" role of Dr Jekyll's fiancée but pleaded with the studio that she should play the "bad girl" Ivy, the saucy barmaid. Reviews noted that "she gave a finely-shaded performance". A New York Times review stated that "the young Swedish actress proves again, that a shining talent can sometimes lift itself above an impossibly written role". Another review said: "she displays

5550-665: Was two and a half years old, her mother died. She learned to create imaginary friends as a child. Justus Bergman had wanted his daughter to become an opera star and had her take voice lessons for three years. He sent her to the Palmgrenska Samskolan , a prestigious girls' school in Stockholm where Bergman was reportedly neither a good student nor popular. Justus was a photographer and loved documenting his daughter's birthdays with his camera. He made his daughter one of his favorite photographic subjects. She enjoyed dancing, dressing up, and acting in front of her father's lenses. "I

5625-523: Was very negative. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times opened his review by writing: "After all the unprecedented interest that the picture Stromboli has aroused — it being, of course, the fateful drama which Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini have made — it comes as a startling anticlimax to discover that this widely heralded film is incredibly feeble, inarticulate, uninspiring and painfully banal." Crowther added that Bergman's character "is never drawn with clear and revealing definition, due partly to

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