Max Von Sydow, actor, dies

Actor Max Von Sydow, a frequent flyer in the science fiction and fantasy genre (among a legendary and very storied history of work in film and TV), dies at the age of 90. Rising to prominence in Ingmar Bergman’s influential 1957 movie The Seventh Seal, Von Sydow’s other major roles included Christ in 1965‘s The Greatest Story Ever Told, Father Merrin in 1973‘s The Exorcist and 1977‘s Exorcist II. In 1980, Von Sydow became a genre fixture with his near-definitive portrayal of Ming the Merciless in Flash Gordon. Later genre entries included King Osric in 1982‘s Conan The Barbarian, roles in Dune and Dreamscape (both in 1984), The Minority Report (2002), episodes of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, The Tudors, and Game Of Thrones (the latter for which he received an Emmy nomination), and a brief but pivotal role in the opening scenes of 2015‘s Star Wars: The Force Awakens.