By John H. Foote

The great Swedish actor Max Von Sydow has died.

The man who came to fame in the works of Swedish Director Ingmar Bergman and was chosen to portray Jesus Christ in George Steven’s box office flop The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), but Von Sydow continued to work internationally. His most famous role was as Father Lankester Merin in The Exorcist (1973) for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Supporting Actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actor for Pelle the Conqueror (1988), with a second nomination coming for Supporting Actor in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011).

Most recently he appeared as the Three Eyed Raven on HBO’s Game of Thrones.

Widely admired, his gentle, towering presence will be missed.

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