The actress Agneta Ekmanner is dead

Agneta Ekmanner was born in Stockholm in 1938. During her studies in Lund, she was involved in the student theater while studying political science and history. There was no degree there - instead she trained as an actor at the Drama School in Malmö.

Agneta Ekmanner was part of the permanent ensemble at the Stockholm City Theater for 20 years, between 1968 and 1989. She then played in plays such as Anton Chekhov's "Three Sisters", Molière's "The Misanthrope" and David Hare's "According to Amy". She also worked with Suzanne Osten on Unga Klara.

She then appeared in several performances at Dramaten and worked with, among others, the directors Ingmar Bergman and Pia Forssgren. Among the most famous performances is Bergman's production of "The Marchioness de Sade", where she played the Countess Saint-Fond.

Agneta Ekmanner was also politically active and took part, among other things, in the union building occupation in 1968. Later, she participated in several debate programs on television.

- Mother was always intellectually curious, both in her private life and in her profession. It was not least noticeable in her roles. She had such breadth. It was very fun and exciting to have her as a mother, says daughter Frida Cornell.

An example Frida Cornell cites is when Agneta Ekmanner played the monologue of Joan Didion's "A Year of Magical Thinking" at the Gothenburg City Theatre, which was the first production in Sweden.

In 1965, Agneta Ekmanner married the film and theater director Jonas Cornell. The pair also worked together. The film "Puss & kram" from 1967 was one such collaboration that had a big impact. It was one of Agneta Ekmanner's first major film roles. During her career, she played in about 40 films and television series.

Theater critic Leif Zern was a close friend of Agneta Ekmanner.

- Agneta Ekmanner was something of a star. She played all the major roles and was extremely interested in what acting is. She loved to discuss theatre, he says.

The drama actor Elin Klinga made a foray into "The Marchioness they said" in her 20s and remembers how nicely she was greeted by Agneta Ekmanner, how she was immediately there for a young employee.

- Agneta was incredible to meet as a mentor, colleague and actor on stage. She had a peculiar intensity and a depth that made both us on stage and the audience see the images she presented. She was engaged and loved the conversation. Her artistry increased tolerance for each other's differences, says Elin Klinga.

Through her professional life, Agneta Ekmanner was awarded several prizes and awards, including Svenska Dagbladet's Thalia prize. In 1994, she received the Sankt Eriksmedaljen, the city of Stockholm's finest award.

Agneta Ekmanner was 87 years old.