Hasse Ekman

Who was Hasse Ekman?

Hasse Ekman was a Swedish director, actor, writer and producer for film, stage and television.

Hasse Ekman is probably Sweden's most successful and critically acclaimed film director pre Ingmar Bergman and post Sjöström and Stiller, with his peak in mid-1940s to the year 1950. Much influenced by filmmaker Orson Welles and also by episodic-films. His most successful film as a director is often said to be the 1950 film Flicka och hyacinter, a crime/mystery drama about a young woman committing suicide by hanging herself in her apartment. His 1957 film Summer Place Wanted was entered into the 1st Moscow International Film Festival.

Hasse Ekman is part of the prominent "Ekman acting family" in Sweden: He was the son of Swedish star actor Gösta Ekman and father of actor Gösta Ekman, actor Stefan Ekman and stage/film director Mikael Ekman. Also grandfather of actress Sanna Ekman.

As an actor Ekman also came to act in most of his own films, as the leading man and in a number of strong supporting roles, and he also acted in three early Ingmar Bergman films. He also played opposite his famous father in Intermezzo; the original Swedish 1936 film starring Ingrid Bergman in the female lead.