Björn Andrésen obit

Björn Andrésen, Teen Actor in 1971’s ‘Death in Venice,’ Dies at 70

He was the subject of the 2021 documentary 'The Most Beautiful Boy in the World,' a quote about him from Luchino Visconti, his Italian director on the film. 

He was not on the list.

Björn Andrésen, the Swedish actor and musician best known for his breakout role as a youngster in 1971’s Death in Venice, has died. He was 70.

Andrésen died Saturday, Kristian Petri, co-director of The Most Beautiful Boy in the World, a 2021 documentary about the actor, told the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter. No cause of death was revealed.

Andrésen broke out as a 15-year-old actor in Italian director Luchino Visconti’s Death in Venice, an adaptation of the 1912 novella of the same name by German author Thomas Mann. He played Tadzio, with whom an older man played by Dirk Bogarde becomes obsessed.

At the premiere of the film, Visconti referred to Andrésen as “the most beautiful boy in the world,” a moniker that followed him throughout his life, much to his chagrin.

Andrésen spoke about his negative experiences with Visconti and the effects of overnight worldwide fame. He said the director took him to a gay nightclub with a group of grown men when he was just 16. Andrésen, who was straight, said he was not homophobic, but the way he was treated there, especially at such a young age, made him “very uncomfortable.”

“The waiters at the club … looked at me uncompromisingly as if I was a nice meaty dish,” he said. “I knew I couldn’t react. It would have been social suicide. But it was the first of many such encounters.”

After the film was released, Visconti never spoke with Andrésen again, and the actor talked openly about how the “most beautiful” label affected him personally and professionally. “I felt like an exotic animal in a cage,” he told The Guardian in 2003.

Four years ago in another piece in The Guardian, he said he would have told Visconti to “fuck off” if he were still alive and that the director “didn’t give a fuck” about his feelings.

“I’ve never seen so many fascists and assholes as there are in film and theaer,” Andrésen said. “Luchino was the sort of cultural predator who would sacrifice anything or anyone for the work.”

In that same interview, he said Death in Venice “screwed up my life quite decently” and lamented the fact that he would forever be known primarily for that one film.

In fact, Andrésen was an accomplished pianist and musician. He also became a pop star in Japan after the release of Death in Venice and performed and toured regularly with the Sven Erics dance band.

Years later, Petri and Kristina Lindström used the “most beautiful” quote as the title of their documentary about Andrésen, which also focused on the tragedies that befell him throughout his life. The doc, which premiered at Sundance, won the World Cinema Documentary Grand Jury Prize at the festival.

Petri told Dagens Nyheter that Andrésen was a “brave person.”

“Kristina and I had long talked about wanting to make a full-length film about Björn,” Petri said. “The idea was that he would tell his story himself, and we talked to him for a whole year before we started filming. Then we filmed for several years — and it was both a fun and at times painful shoot.”

Andrésen’s dad died in an accident when Andrésen was young, and his mom died by suicide when he was 10.

He had two children with his ex-wife, poet Susanna Roman: a daughter, Robine, and a son, Elvin, who died of sudden infant death syndrome at 9 months old. Andrésen was reportedly lying next to his son, drunk, when he died; the actor then went into a period of deep depression and alcohol abuse.

While Andrésen once described his career as “chaos,” he appeared in more than 30 movies and TV series, including a small role in the 2019 folk horror film Midsommar.

 

Actor

Fimbulvinter

Björn von Stannow

Filming

 

Björn Andrésen in Bilskådaren (2022)

Bilskådaren

9.4

Short

Lennart

2022

 

Hanna Alström and Johan Rheborg in Agatha Christie's Hjerson (2021)

Agatha Christie's Hjerson

6.3

TV Series

Oscar

2021

8 episodes

 

Florence Pugh in Midsommar (2019)

Midsommar

7.1

Dan

2019

 

Kjell Bergqvist and Julia Ragnarsson in Springfloden (2016)

Springfloden

7.5

TV Series

Benseman (as Björn Andresen)

2016–2018

6 episodes

 

Moa Gammel in Jordskott (2015)

Jordskott

7.1

TV Series

Mannen under isen

2017

3 episodes

 

The Lost Ones (2016)

The Lost Ones

8.2

Rolf Svensson

2016

 

Shelley (2016)

Shelley

5.3

Leo

2016

 

Gentlemen & Gangsters (2016)

Gentlemen & Gangsters

7.0

TV Mini Series

Varg-Larsson (as Björn Andresen)

2016

3 episodes

 

Reya (2014)

Reya

7.9

Bar patron

2014

 

Sverrir Gudnason, David Dencik, Ruth Vega Fernandez, and David Fukamachi Regnfors in Gentlemen (2014)

Gentlemen

6.2

Varg-Larsson (as Björn Andresen)

2014

 

Krister Henriksson in Wallander (2005)

Wallander

7.6

TV Series

Andreas Manrell

2010

1 episode

 

Världarnas bok (2006)

Världarnas bok

7.6

TV Series

Alexander

2006

5 episodes

 

David Dencik in Lasermannen (2005)

Lasermannen

7.9

TV Mini Series

Nilsson

2005

2 episodes

 

Kjell Bergqvist in Graven (2004)

Graven

7.4

TV Mini Series

Nattportier (as Björn Andresen)

2004–2005

2 episodes

 

Pelikaanimies (2004)

Pelikaanimies

5.9

Pianist

2004

 

Belinder auktioner (2003)

Belinder auktioner

7.1

TV Series

Advokaten (as Björn Andresen)

2003

1 episode

 

Gösta Prüzelius, Suzanne Reuter, and Kenneth Söderman in Rederiet (1992)

Rederiet

6.4

TV Series

Kriminalpolis (as Björn Andresen)

1994

1 episode

 

Strax

Short

Theo

1993

 

Kojan (1992)

Kojan

Short

1992

 

Agnes Cecilia - En sällsam historia (1991)

Agnes Cecilia - En sällsam historia

6.7

Nora's father (uncredited)

1991

 

Lucifer: Sensommer gult og sort (1990)

Lucifer: Sensommer gult og sort

6.3

Mannen

1990

 

Helene Egelund, Helena Bergström, and Per Morberg in 1939 (1989)

1939

6.1

(as Björn Andreesen)

1989

 

Sara Sommerfeld in Maskrosbarn (1989)

Maskrosbarn

5.8

TV Movie

Fredrik

1989

 

Det var då... (1989)

Det var då...

6.1

TV Series

Magnus Ljung (as Björn Andresen)

1989–1990

 

Stig Grybe and Örjan Ramberg in Lysande landning (1987)

Lysande landning

6.2

TV Movie

Alex Lenke (as Björn Andresen)

1987

 

Morrhår & ärtor (1986)

Morrhår & ärtor

6.0

Pianist

1986

 

Svenska brott

TV Series

Alex (as Björn Andresen)

1985

1 episode

 

Smugglarkungen (1985)

Smugglarkungen

4.8

Tennis Player (as Björn Andresen)

1985

 

Gräsänklingar (1982)

Gräsänklingar

5.4

Åsa (as Björn Andresen)

1982

 

The Simple-Minded Murderer (1982)

The Simple-Minded Murderer

7.5

Ängel (1)

1982

 

Bluff Stop (1977)

Bluff Stop

5.0

Stefan

1977

 

Björn Andrésen and Dirk Bogarde in Death in Venice (1971)

Death in Venice

7.3

Tadzio (as Björn Andresen)

1971

 

Ann-Sofie Kylin and Rolf Sohlman in A Love Story (1970)

A Love Story

7.3

Pär's Buddy

1970

 

Soundtrack

Björn Andrésen in The Most Beautiful Boy in the World (2021)

The Most Beautiful Boy in the World

6.8

performer: "You and I, Forever", "To Love", "Ack värmeland, du sköna", "Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp Minor Op. 66"

2021

 

Self

Björn Andrésen in The Most Beautiful Boy in the World (2021)

The Most Beautiful Boy in the World

6.8

Self

2021

 

The Hotel (2016)

The Hotel

6.4

Self (as Björn Andresen)

2016

 

Arena (1975)

Arena

7.6

TV Series

Self

2001

1 episode

 

À la recherche de Tadzio

6.9

Short

Self

1990

 

Alla ricerca di Tadzio (1970)

Alla ricerca di Tadzio

6.4

TV Movie

Self (uncredited)

1970

 

Archive Footage

Banda sonora (2007)

Banda sonora

7.3

TV Series

Self - Tadzio (archive footage)

2011

1 episode

 

Luchino Visconti (1999)

Luchino Visconti

6.2

Self (archive footage)

1999

 

Temporada de Caça (1988)

Temporada de Caça

7.7

Video

Self - Tadzio (archive footage)

1988