Eva Dahlbeck was born in Saltsjö-Duvnäs near Stockholm. She attended the prestigious acting school of the Royal Dramatic Theatre (in Swedish: Dramatens elevskola) from 1941 to 1944, and acted on the Theatre's stage from 1944 to 1964. She made her film debut in the role of Botilla in Rid i natt! in 1942.
Among her most notable roles in Swedish films were the shrewd celebrity reporter Vivi in Kärlek och störtlopp (1946), the working-class mother Rya-Rya in the drama Bara en mor (1949); Mrs. Larsson, the warmhearted mother of seven in the popular children's film Kastrullresan (1950), and the young primary school teacher in Gustaf Molander's Trots (1952) (screenplay by Vilgot Sjöman). In the mid-1950s Dahlbeck was one of Sweden's most popular and successful actresses. She became internationally known for her strong female leads in a number of Ingmar Bergman's films, in particular his comedies Secrets of Women (1952), A Lesson in Love (1954) and Smiles of a Summer Night (1955). In 1965 she won the award for Best Actress at the 2nd Guldbagge Awards for her role in the film The Cats.
In the 1960s Dahlbeck moved away from acting as she started to write. She retired from the stage in 1964 and made her final appearance on screen in the Danish film Tintomara, released in 1970). She published several novels and poems in her native Sweden, and wrote the screenplay for Arne Mattsson's dark film Yngsjömordet (The Yngsjö murder) in 1966.
Dahlbeck married Sven Lampell, an air force officer, in 1944. The marriage produced two children. She lived out the last years of her life in Hässelby Villastad, Stockholm, where she died at age 87.
Awards
1961 - Eugene O'Neill Award for her stage work.
Novels
1999 - Sökarljus ("Searching Lights")
1996 - På kärlekens villkor: en vandring i ett laglöst land
1991 - Vapenhandlarens död: ett reportage från insidan ("The Armsdealer's Death: An Inside Story")
1988 - Serveto och den eviga elden ("Serveto and the Eternal Flame")
1980 - I våra tomma rum ("In Our Empty Rooms")
1979 - Maktspråket ("The Language of Power")
1976 - Saknadens dal
1974 - Hjärtslagen ("The Heartbeats")
1972 - Med seende ögon ("With Eyes That See")
1967 - Domen ("The Verdict")
1966 - Den sjunde natten: detaljer (The Seventh Night: Details")
1965 - Sista spegeln: preludier ("The Last Mirror: Preludes")
1964 - Hem till kaos ("Home To Chaos")
Filmography
Actress
1970
Tintomara as
Baroness
1970
A Day at the Beach as
Cafe Proprietress
1968
Markurells i Wadköping (TV Mini Series) as
Fru Markurell
- Episode #1.4 (1969) - Fru Markurell
- Episode #1.3 (1969) - Fru Markurell
- Episode #1.2 (1969) - Fru Markurell
- Episode #1.1 (1968) - Fru Markurell
1967
People Meet and Sweet Music Fills the Heart as
Devah Sørensen
1967
The Red Mantle as
The Queen
1966
The Creatures as
Michele Quellec
1965
Morianna as
Anna Vade
1965
The Cats as
Marta Alleus
1964
Loving Couples as
Mrs. Landborg
1964
All These Women as
Adelaide
1962
The Counterfeit Traitor as
Ingrid Erickson
1962
Biljett till paradiset as
Rita Carol
1960
Tre önskningar as
Adèle Linton
1960
Kärlekens decimaler as
Astrid
1960
A Matter of Morals as
Eva Walderman
1958
Brink of Life as
Stina Andersson
1957
Sommarnöje sökes as
Ingeborg Dahlström
1957
Möten i skymningen as
Irma Sköld
1956
Last Pair Out as
Susanna Dahlin
1956
Tarps Elin as
Elin Tarp
1953
Foreign Intrigue (TV Series) as
Barbara Vale / Nina Richter / Hilda / ...
- The Model Lady (1955) - Barbara Vale
- Nina (1955) - Nina Richter
- The Broken Wishbone (1955) - Nina Richter
- A Game of Chance (1955) - Barbara Vale
- Reunion in Berlin (1953) - Hilda
- The Linetski Forest Massacre (1953) - Nurse
1955
Smiles of a Summer Night as
Desiree Armfeldt
1955
Paradiset as
Ulla Karlsson
1955
Dreams as
Susanne
1955
Resa i natten as
Birgitta Lundberg
1954
A Lesson in Love as
Marianne Erneman
1953
Göingehövdingen as
Kristina Ulfstand
1953
Caged Women as
Isa
1953
Skuggan as
Vivianne
1953
The Village as
Wanda Piwonska
1953
Barabbas as
The Mother
1952
Secrets of Women as
Karin
1952
Trots as
Teacher
1952
Ubåt 39 as
Maria Friberg
1952
Sabotage as
Gun
1951
Sköna Helena as
Helena
1951
Bärande hav as
Lucie
1950
Kastrullresan as
mamma Larsson
1950
Hjärter knekt as
Gun Lovén
1950
Fästmö uthyres as
Margit Berg
1949
Only a Mother as
Maria, aka Rya-Rya
1949
Kvinna i vitt as
Solveig Rygård
1948
Eva as
Susanne
1948
Flickan från fjällbyn as
Isa
1948
Lars Hård as
Inga
1948
Var sin väg as
Karin Brofeldt
1947
Folket i Simlångsdalen as
Ingrid Folkesson
1947
Två kvinnor as
Sonja Bergman
1947
Nyckeln och ringen as
Eva Berg
1946
Möte i natten as
Marit
1946
Kärlek och störtlopp as
Vivi Boström
1946
Brita i grosshandlarhuset as
Brita
1945
Den allvarsamma leken as
Dagmar Randel
1945
Svarta rosor as
Per Bergström's wife
1945
Oss tjuvar emellan eller En burk ananas as
Astrid (uncredited)
1944
Räkna de lyckliga stunderna blott as
Hedvig
1942
Rid i natt! as
Botilla
1941
Det sägs på stan as
Dancing woman (uncredited)
1941
Bara en kvinna as
Guest at the masquerade (uncredited)
Writer
1966
Yngsjömordet (screenplay)
Soundtrack
1951
Bärande hav (performer: "Bel ami", "Stellen sie sich vor, ich bin ein wilder Räuber")
1947
Två kvinnor (performer: "Jag är ändå din", "Kärlekens egen musette")
1946
Pengar - En tragikomisk saga (performer: "Riddaren och jungfrun" - uncredited)
Self
1993
Die Frauen in Ingmar Bergmans Filmen (TV Movie documentary) as
