Remembering Ingrid Bergman 100 Years Later

This year marks the 100th birthday of legendary actress Ingrid Bergman. From humble beginnings, Bergman would go on to become one of the most famous actresses in Hollywood history.

In honor of the 100th anniversary of her birth, we take a look back on the life of the Hollywood legend.

The only surviving child of Justus Bergman and Frieda Adler, Bergman was born on August 29, 1915 in Stockholm, Sweden. She was named “Ingrid” after Princess Ingrid of Sweden, the daughter of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and his first wife Princess Margaret of Connaught.

She experienced great loss at a young age. When she was two, her mother passed and eleven years later, she would lose her father as well. After his death, Bergman was sent to live with an aunt, who died of heart disease just six months later. It was then that she moved in her aunt and uncle.

Bergman in her first film role at the age of 19 /  Wikimedia Commons

Already a star in Sweden, Bergman was introduced to U.S. audiences in the 1939 film Intermezzo: A Love Story. A remake of her earlier Swedish film Intermezzo, the film became a big success and instantly made Bergman a star.

Casablanca

Bergman then went on to star in her most iconic role opposite Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca. Although she didn’t think much of it at the time, the film would go down in history as a beloved Hollywood classics. Considered one of the top actresses in the business, Bergman continued her successful streak with the film For Whom the Bell Tolls, for which she received her first Academy Award nomination. The following year she would win the coveted statue for the film Gaslight.

Bergman and Rossellini / Wikimedia Commons

After staring in a string of Alfred Hitchcock movies, Bergman sought out work with Italian director Roberto Rossellini, whose work she had long admired. She was cast his film, Stromboli, and the couple’s working relationship evolved into something much more. At the time, Bergman was still married to her husband, Petter Lindström, with whom she had a daughter. Their affair caused a great scandal in the United States. Bergman became pregnant with Rossellini’s son and the couple moved to Italy to escape the scrutiny of the American public. They married on May 24, 1950. In addition to their son, the couple also had twin daughters Isotta and Isabella Rossellini. Bergman and Rossellini divorced six years later.

In 1956, Bergman made a triumphant return to Hollywood as the star of the film Anastasia. She would win a second Best Actress Oscar for her performance.

She married for a third time in 1958 to Lars Schmidt, a theatrical entrepreneur from a wealthy Swedish shipping family. The marriage lasted nearly two decades until their divorce in 1975.

On August 29, 1982, Bergman died of breast cancer on her 67th birthday. Today she is remembered as one of the greatest actors in history.

What’s your favorite film?

Check out Ingrid Bergman’s family tree on Geni!