Björn Andrésen Movies, TV Shows, and Filmography
Björn Andrésen
Acting
Biography
Björn Johan Andrésen (26 January 1955 – 25 October 2025) was a Swedish actor and musician. He was best known for playing the fourteen-year-old Tadzio in Luchino Visconti's 1971 film adaptation of the Thomas Mann novella Death in Venice. Andrésen had only appeared in one film, En kärlekshistoria (1970) at the time he was cast in Death in Venice, which gained him international recognition. While the film performed relatively poorly at the box office, Andrésen was noted for his performance as Tadzio, the beautiful young Polish boy with whom the film's older protagonist Gustav von Aschenbach becomes obsessed. Film historian Lawrence J. Quirk commented in his study The Great Romantic Films (1974) that some shots of Andrésen "could be extracted from the frame and hung on the walls of the Louvre or the Vatican". Rumors circulated in America at the time of the film's release as to whether or not Andrésen was homosexual (as the role demanded that he appear to exchange romantic glances with the protagonist, and on another occasion, be kissed and caressed by another teenage boy). Andrésen emphatically denied these, and later recounted his discomfort at being forced by director Luchino Visconti during filming to visit a gay bar, where he attracted the attention of a number of older men. Eager to dispel the rumors regarding his sexuality and to shed his "pretty boy" image, Andrésen thereafter avoided homosexual roles and parts which he felt would play off of his good looks, and was angry when feminist writer Germaine Greer used a photograph of him on the cover of her book The Beautiful Boy (2003) without first obtaining his personal permission. Although Greer did consult photographer David Bailey (who owned the copyright for the image) before publishing the book, Andrésen maintained that it is common practice when a party uses an image of a person which has been copyrighted by a different individual to inform the individual and that he would not have given his consent for Greer to use his picture if she had informed him of her plans. Andrésen has also appeared in several other films. These include Pelikaanimies (2004), Kojan (1992) and Smugglarkungen (1985).
Filmography Movies
Acting
Death in Venice
Composer Gustav von Aschenbach travels to Venice for health reasons. There, he becomes obsessed with the stunning beauty of an adolescent Polish boy named Tadzio who is staying with his family at the same Grand Hôtel des Bains on the Lido as Aschenbach.
Wallander: The Heritage
When Manfred Stjarne is stabbed to death outside the Brada cider factory his wife Claire has inherited - suspicion falls on Polish worker Jan Kowalski, with whose wife Manfred was having an affair, but Jan is found hanged - later evidence suggesting foul play. Benjamin Wilkes, an ex-psychologist who helped Manfred select redundancy candidates, is killed in the same way as Manfred, putting disgruntled ex-Brada employees in the frame, but a third slaying implicates a former patient of Wilkes, who has connections to the Stjarne family. A newly loved-up Isabelle and Pontius start to fool around whilst on surveillance, taking their eye off the ball and allowing this suspect to confront Claire.
1939
When the war breaks out, Annika lives with her parents in Värmland, close to the border to Norway. Her cousin Harald is a dealer in the black market but has to escape from the police to Norway. Annika moves to Stockholm and gets a job as a waitress. She meets the happy-go-lucky Berit and together they have a wonderful time. She also meets a young man, Bengt, whom she marries. But almost immediately she discovers that her husband is different from the man who was courting her. Plot by Mattias Thuresson.
Peas & Whiskers
Life isn't easy for the indecisive 40-year-old Claes-Henrik. Should he choose his mom or his girlfriend?
Agnes Cecilia - En sällsam historia
Nora is 15 years old. Her parents died when she was young and now she lives with Anders and Karin and their son Dag. They move into an old apartment in an old house in Enköping. Behind a wall they find some old items from people who lived there a long time ago. They also discover that their apartment is haunted by a ghost. Together with Dag, Nora tries to find out more about the people who lived there.
The Smuggler King
It's the early 20s, just after World War I. In Sweden, restrictions on alcohol are harder than most people like and so, smuggling is abundant. In this particular little town, smuggling is ruled by one man, who is the king of smugglers. The smugglers who work for him don't get to keep much of the profit themselves, but if they don't work for him, they get in trouble, which his henchmen make sure. However, Albert Jansson arrives in town and starts taking up the competition with the smuggler king. Meanwhile, the police, together the customs office, try to catch the smugglers.
One-Week Bachelors
Gary's wife goes away for a week and Gary expects a week of hard work at the office. After having left her at the airport, he misses the bus. But the car mechanic Lasse gives him a ride. Although they are unlike each other, they get to know each other. Gary makes a mess of everything and can't avoid Lasse.
Shelley
Louise and Kasper want to become parents, but Louise cannot have children. She seals a pact with her Romanian maid, Elena, to bear her child, but things don't turn out quite as planned...
Pelicanman
Wanting to know the ways of people, a pelican turns into a gawky young man who soon learns to speak, thanks to his outstanding talent in imitation. He befriends Emil and Elsa, two children who--unlike adults--see that their new neighbor "Mr Berd" is not human but a big bird wearing a suit. The Pelican Man lands a job at the opera and falls in love with a pretty ballerina, looking so much like a bird herself. Troubles start when adults too find out about "Mr Berd's" ornithological origin.
The Hotel
The Hotel is the last part of a trilogy about travelling. The first two were The Atlantic (Atlanten, 1995) and The Lighthouse (Fyren, 2000). The hotel is a different kind of home. It can be a refuge, cul-de-sac, castle, nightmare, creative space...The first hotel was created as protection against the elements. Weary travellers could find shelter and rest. But it was also a place for legends and anecdotes.
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