Per Ragnar
Encyclopedia
Per Ragnar, Per-Erik Ragnar (born 29 May 1941 in Kalmar
), is a Swedish
actor, director and author.
(The Royal Dramatic Theatre's acting school) in 1962-65. The following year he got a job as director's assistant to Ingmar Bergman
(on his stage production of Peter Weiss
' play The Investigation
), where Ragnar states he learned a lot on the art of acting and directing from "the master", just by watching and listening when Bergman worked with his actors and the script. In 1968 Per Ragnar had his breakthrough as an actor, earning much critical acclaim and audience praise for his performances in the Arnold Wesker
"trilogy" staged that year in Sweden: Hönssoppa med korngryn (Chicken Soup with Barley
), Rötter (Roots
) and Jag talar om Jerusalem (I'm talking about Jerusalem). The same year he also made his film-breakthrough with Korridoren (The Corridor), Jan Haldoff's social commenting film on hospitals and the health care system in Sweden, where Ragnar plays a young doctor, new on the job, facing the dilemmas of prioritizing patients.
In the 1970s his collaborating with TV director Bengt Lagerkvist led to notable performances on TV, first as Arvid Falk in Lagerkvist's TV adaption of Strindberg
's The Red Room
) (Röda rummet), and in the popular Swedish TV-series Någonstans i Sverige (~Somewhere In Sweden), a series covering the years in Sweden during the timeof WW2 in Europe, where Ragnar played the character of fänrik
Ancker.
For a young audience today, in Sweden, he became unforgettable when playing the religious psycho Sten Frisk in the popular and long running 1990s TV series Tre Kronor (1994) on Swedish channel TV4, a role that followed him for long and for more than a decade led to him often being typecast as evil characters and crazy psychos in various roles on film and TV. Even though being cast in a Swedish vampire film, his character of Håkan was this time a bit more complex then just "evil"; in director Tomas Alfredson
's popular success feature Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right One In) in 2008. Previously he had worked with Tomas Alfredson and his "Killinggänget" group in their film En liten film.. (A Little Film..) in 1999, where he had a small key part as an absent minded boss.
Being versatile in the entertainment field, Per Ragnar has also worked as a TV presenter and host for the Swedish morning show "Gomorron Sverige!" (Good Morning Sweden!). He has also written a number of books, including a book on Hitler and his closed community of friends and party members, and one on Martin Luther
's Christian philosophy. His most recent book is called Om bland tusen stjärnor: en tankebok om döden (~Among Thousand Stars: A Book On Death), which deals with how differently all of us deals with - and approaches - the subect of death; children and adults, different religions; scientifically, spiritually and logically.
Per Ragnar is also an appreciated lecturer and gives many lectures and public readings around Sweden, in various assembly halls; both on acting and around the subjects from his books and research. He is a longtime vegetarian and an outspoken pacifist, inspired by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi's non-violence philosophy. He is also attracted to the ideas and concept of Martinus
cosmology
.
In 2009 he will play the character of Emperor Zing, Master of The Universe, in the Swedish children's sci-fi film feature Kenny Begins, a film adaption of the popular Swedish children's TV-series Kenny Starfighter; about the space super hero Kenny Starfighter.
Per Ragnar is married, and has one daughter (born 2001).
Kalmar
Kalmar is a city in Småland in the south-east of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 62,767 inhabitants in 2010 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total of 233,776 inhabitants .From the thirteenth to the...
), is a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
actor, director and author.
Biography
Per Ragnar trained at Dramatens elevskolaDramatens elevskola
Dramatens elevskola, i.e. Kungliga Dramatiska Teaterns Elevskola, or in Eng: The Royal Dramatic Theatre's acting school, was the acting school of Sweden's national stage, The Royal Dramatic Theatre, and for many years seen as the foremost theatre school and drama education for Swedish stage actors...
(The Royal Dramatic Theatre's acting school) in 1962-65. The following year he got a job as director's assistant to Ingmar Bergman
Ingmar Bergman
Ernst Ingmar Bergman was a Swedish director, writer and producer for film, stage and television. Described by Woody Allen as "probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera", he is recognized as one of the most accomplished and...
(on his stage production of Peter Weiss
Peter Weiss
Peter Ulrich Weiss was a German writer, painter, and artist of adopted Swedish nationality. He is particularly known for his plays Marat/Sade and The Investigation and his novel The Aesthetics of Resistance....
' play The Investigation
The Investigation (play)
The Investigation is a play by Peter Weiss written in 1965 which depicts the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials of 1963-1965. It premiered on October 19, 1965 on stages in fourteen West and East German cities and at the Royal Shakespeare Company in London. It carries the subtitle "Oratorio in 11 Cantos"...
), where Ragnar states he learned a lot on the art of acting and directing from "the master", just by watching and listening when Bergman worked with his actors and the script. In 1968 Per Ragnar had his breakthrough as an actor, earning much critical acclaim and audience praise for his performances in the Arnold Wesker
Arnold Wesker
Sir Arnold Wesker is a prolific British dramatist known for his contributions to kitchen sink drama. He is the author of 42 plays, 4 volumes of short stories, 2 volumes of essays, a book on journalism, a children's book, extensive journalism, poetry and other assorted writings...
"trilogy" staged that year in Sweden: Hönssoppa med korngryn (Chicken Soup with Barley
Chicken Soup with Barley
Chicken Soup with Barley is a 1956 play by British playwright Arnold Wesker. It is the first of a trilogy and was first performed on stage in 1958 at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry, where Wesker's two other plays of that trilogy—Roots and I'm Talking About Jerusalem—also premiered...
), Rötter (Roots
Roots (play)
Roots is the second play by Arnold Wesker in The Wesker Trilogy. The first part is Chicken Soup with Barley and the final play I'm Talking about Jerusalem. Roots focuses on Beatie Bryant as she makes the transition from being an uneducated working-class woman obsessed with Ronnie, her unseen...
) and Jag talar om Jerusalem (I'm talking about Jerusalem). The same year he also made his film-breakthrough with Korridoren (The Corridor), Jan Haldoff's social commenting film on hospitals and the health care system in Sweden, where Ragnar plays a young doctor, new on the job, facing the dilemmas of prioritizing patients.
In the 1970s his collaborating with TV director Bengt Lagerkvist led to notable performances on TV, first as Arvid Falk in Lagerkvist's TV adaption of Strindberg
August Strindberg
Johan August Strindberg was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg's career spanned four decades, during which time he wrote over 60 plays and more than 30 works of fiction, autobiography,...
's The Red Room
The Red Room (Strindberg)
The Red Room is a Swedish novel by August Strindberg that was first published in 1879. A satire of Stockholm society, it has frequently been described as the first modern Swedish novel. While receiving mixed reviews in Sweden, it was acclaimed in Denmark, where Strindberg was hailed as a genius. ...
) (Röda rummet), and in the popular Swedish TV-series Någonstans i Sverige (~Somewhere In Sweden), a series covering the years in Sweden during the timeof WW2 in Europe, where Ragnar played the character of fänrik
Fänrik
-Professional officer:A minimum of 11 months of basic military training or 6 months as an aspirant followed by a three year programme at an officer school . - Conscript officer :...
Ancker.
For a young audience today, in Sweden, he became unforgettable when playing the religious psycho Sten Frisk in the popular and long running 1990s TV series Tre Kronor (1994) on Swedish channel TV4, a role that followed him for long and for more than a decade led to him often being typecast as evil characters and crazy psychos in various roles on film and TV. Even though being cast in a Swedish vampire film, his character of Håkan was this time a bit more complex then just "evil"; in director Tomas Alfredson
Tomas Alfredson
Tomas Alfredson is a Swedish film director, best known internationally for directing the 2008 vampire film Let the Right One In...
's popular success feature Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right One In) in 2008. Previously he had worked with Tomas Alfredson and his "Killinggänget" group in their film En liten film.. (A Little Film..) in 1999, where he had a small key part as an absent minded boss.
Being versatile in the entertainment field, Per Ragnar has also worked as a TV presenter and host for the Swedish morning show "Gomorron Sverige!" (Good Morning Sweden!). He has also written a number of books, including a book on Hitler and his closed community of friends and party members, and one on Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
's Christian philosophy. His most recent book is called Om bland tusen stjärnor: en tankebok om döden (~Among Thousand Stars: A Book On Death), which deals with how differently all of us deals with - and approaches - the subect of death; children and adults, different religions; scientifically, spiritually and logically.
Per Ragnar is also an appreciated lecturer and gives many lectures and public readings around Sweden, in various assembly halls; both on acting and around the subjects from his books and research. He is a longtime vegetarian and an outspoken pacifist, inspired by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi's non-violence philosophy. He is also attracted to the ideas and concept of Martinus
Martinus Thomsen
Martinus Thomsen, referred to as Martinus was a Danish writer and mystic.Thomsen was born to a poor family and had a simple education. He worked as a dairyman....
cosmology
Cosmology
Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
.
In 2009 he will play the character of Emperor Zing, Master of The Universe, in the Swedish children's sci-fi film feature Kenny Begins, a film adaption of the popular Swedish children's TV-series Kenny Starfighter; about the space super hero Kenny Starfighter.
Per Ragnar is married, and has one daughter (born 2001).
Selected filmography
- Korridoren (1968)
- Tre KronorTre kronor (TV series)Tre kronor was a Swedish soap opera that aired on TV4 during the period 1994-1999. The series took place in the fictive middle class suburb Mälarviken, located in the vicinity of Stockholm. The exteriors were filmed in Sätra, a suburb of Stockholm, and the interiors were filmed in a studio in...
(1994) (TV-series) - Under ytan (1997)
- The Last Contract (1998)
- Storm (2005)
- Let the Right One In (2008)
Books
- Om bland tusen stjärnor: en tankebok om döden (2009)
- Så tänker mitt hjärta (2006)
- Hitler: Hans folk (2006)
- Till min älskade dotter (2002)
- Luther: död eller levande (2000)
- Du som är: meditationer och dikter (1999)
- När ska jag ha tid att leva (1996)
- Hitler (1994)
- Datorer - herrar eller tjänare (1980)
- Sommar vid Bråviken: Dikter (1980)
- Därför är jag vegetarian (1976)
- Julresan (1973)
- Brevet till mormor (1972)