Famous People Born In Stockholm

One of the greatest Swedish actresses ever, Ingrid Bergman is the only Triple Crown winner with three Academy Awards under her belt. Such is her impact that her character Ilsa Lund, which she portrayed in Casablanca, inspired the character of Ilsa Faust in the Mission Impossible franchise. An actress with a deep sense of freedom, Bergman voiced her views against racial segregation.

Iconic Swedish-American movie star Greta Garbo is remembered for her melancholic characters. She soared to fame with silent movies such as A Woman of Affairs and talkies such as Mata Hari and Anna Karenina. The three-time Academy Award nominee quit films at 35 and lived a private life.

Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist, engineer, and inventor. A prolific inventor, he held 355 different patents. Most popular as the inventor of dynamite, he was concerned with how he would be remembered after his death and bequeathed his fortune to the Nobel Prize institution. A wide traveler, he was proficient in several languages.

Regarded as one of the best tennis players from Sweden, Björn Borg won 11 Grand Slam singles titles during his playing career. He started off as a teenage sensation and helped popularize tennis during the 1970s. The 2017 film Borg vs McEnroe was inspired by his rivalry against John McEnroe.

Avicii was a Swedish international DJ, remixer, musician and songwriter. He attained fame with his single, Levels, in 2011. His debut studio album, True, released in 2013 received positive reviews. His second studio album, Stories, was released in 2015. He suffered from mental health issues and died by suicide at age 28. His third album, Tim, was released posthumously in 2019.

Record producer and songwriter Karl Martin Sandberg, better known as Max Martin, has created many 90s’ masterpieces such as Baby One More Time by Britney Spears and I Want It That Way by Backstreet Boys. He is also an 11-time winner of the ASCAP Songwriter of the Year award.

Alexander Skarsgård is a Swedish actor best known for his portarayal of Perry Wright in the American drama television series Big Little Lies, which earned him a Golden Globe Award, Primetime Emmy Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Critics' Choice Television Award. Alexander Skarsgård has also played important roles in popular films like Zoolander and Godzilla vs. Kong.

Rebecca Ferguson achieved international recognition after playing Elizabeth Woodville in the TV miniseries, The White Queen. Her performance in the miniseries was so impressive that Tom Cruise handpicked her to star in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation after watching her portray Elizabeth Woodville. Thanks to her impressive stunts, she was chosen to reprise her role in Mission: Impossible – Fallout.

Swedish actor Bill Skarsgård is best known for portraying Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the supernatural horror film It. Even though he has acted in a few comedy films, he prefers roles in horror films. The son of actor Stellan Skarsgård, he was introduced to acting at a young age and decided to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Malin Akerman is a Swedish-American model, actress, singer, and producer. She is known for playing important roles in such films like The Heartbreak Kid and Watchmen in which her nude scenes garnered much attention. She also works closely with a nonprofit organization called Opportunity International.

Joel Kinnaman is an actor who holds Swedish and American citizenships. He has played important roles in popular films like RoboCop and Suicide Squad. He has also been a household name in the United States for many years with portrayals of prominent roles in TV series like House of Cards.

Born into a family of accordion players, Benny Andersson grew up to become a member of the iconic Swedish band ABBA, known for legendary chartbusting tracks such as Dancing Queen and Mamma Mia. Even after ABBA disbanded, he continued working on projects such as the musical Chess.

Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden reigned as the King of Sweden from 30 October 1611 until his death on 6 November 1632, at the age of 37. He is credited with transforming Sweden into a great European power. Considered one of the greatest modern military commanders, Gustavus Adolphus turned Sweden into one of Europe's primary military forces during the Thirty Years' War.

Britt Ekland is a Swedish actress, singer, and model. One of the leading actresses in Sweden during the 1960s and 1970s, Ekland also established herself as a sex symbol and achieved international prominence when she appeared as a Bond girl in The Man with the Golden Gun. Britt Ekland was also one of the most photographed actresses during the 1970s.

Inger Stevens was a Swedish-American actress whose promising career was cut short when she committed suicide at age 35. Stevens is remembered for her performance in TV series like The Farmer's Daughter, for which she received the Golden Globe for Best TV Star – Female in 1963. Her performance in the series also earned her an Emmy nomination in 1964.

August Strindberg was a Swedish playwright, painter, essayist, novelist, and poet. He wrote over 30 works of fiction and more than 60 plays in an illustrious career that spanned 40 years. Widely regarded as the father of modern Swedish literature, Strindberg is best remembered for his work The Red Room, which is considered the first modern Swedish novel.

Hanna Alström is a Swedish actress who achieved international prominence after playing Crown Princess Tilde of Sweden in the 2014 action spy comedy film Kingsman: The Secret Service. Hanna Alström went on to reprise her role in the film's 2017 sequel, Kingsman: The Golden Circle.

Daniel Ek is a Swedish technologist and entrepreneur best known as the co-founder of Spotify. He is the current CEO of the popular music streaming service. In 2017, he was named by Billboard magazine as the most powerful person in the music industry. 

A Swedish electric guitarist/ neo-classical metal artist, Yngwie Johann Malmsteen rose to popularity in the 1980s and has, since then, released over 22 studio albums in his four decades of career till now. His solo debut album Rising Force, which won a nomination at the 1986 Grammy Awards, is regarded a significant release in the shred and neoclassical metal genres.

Robyn is a Swedish singer, record producer, songwriter, and DJ. Her debut album Robyn Is Here helped launch Karl Martin Sandberg's career in pop music. She has also been recognized as an influence by artistes like Taylor Swift, Lorde, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Christine and the Queens. Robyn has won many awards like AMFT Awards, GAFFA Awards, and Grammis Awards.

Swedish singer, songwriter, and record producer Loreen soared to fame after winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2012. Born Lorine Zeineb Nora Talhaoui, the Moroccan-origin singer created chartbusting tracks such as Crying Out Your Name and My Heart Is Refusing Me. Politically and socially conscious, she was also a Swedish Committee for Afghanistan ambassador.

Former prime minister of Sweden, Olof Palme led the Swedish Social Democratic Workers’ Party and rose to be one of Sweden’s most internationally renowned politicians. A prominent lawyer, he started his political career as PM Tage Erlander’s personal secretary. He had also held the ministries of education and communications.

Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland is the only son of Queen Silvia and King Carl XVI Gustaf. He is best known for his interest in various sports, such as football, sailing, swimming, and skiing. Prince Carl Philip is also a patron of various organizations like The Swedish Rural Economy and Agricultural Societies and The Swedish National Dyslexia Association.

Folke Bernadotte was a Swedish diplomat and nobleman. He is best remembered for negotiating the release of over 30,000 prisoners from German concentration camps during World War II. Folke Bernadotte was assassinated at the age of 53 by a Zionist paramilitary organization called Lehi.

Emanuel Swedenborg was a Swedish pluralistic-Christian philosopher, mystic, theologian, and scientist. Swedenborg started hogging the limelight after writing a book on the afterlife titled Heaven and Hell, which released in 1758. A prolific scientist and inventor, Swedenborg experienced spiritual awakening after which he started working on reforming Christianity. He even claimed that he could converse with angels and demons.

Neneh Cherry is a Swedish rapper, singer, songwriter, occasional DJ, and broadcaster. After starting her musical career in the early 1980s in London, Cherry went on to become one of the most decorated Swedish musicians of her generation. Over the years, Neneh Cherry has received many prestigious awards such as Brit Awards, MTV Europe Music Award, and NME Award.

Fredrik Eklund is a Swedish real estate broker, TV personality, and former IT entrepreneur. He achieved international recognition when he became one of five brokers to be featured on the popular American reality television series, Million Dollar Listing New York. Fredrik Eklund is also credited with founding a real estate brokerage firm called Eklund Stockholm New York.

Eagle-Eye Cherry is a Swedish stage performer and singer. He achieved international fame when his 1997 single Save Tonight became famous in the United Kingdom, the United States, Ireland, and New Zealand. Apart from creating his own music, Eagle-Eye Cherry also contributes to the success of other artistes by co-writing songs for their albums. 

Eva Ekeblad was a Swedish countess, agronomist, salon hostess, and scientist. In 1746, she discovered a method to make flour and alcohol from potatoes which earned her popularity. Her discovery made her the first female inductee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1748.

Gustaf Skarsgard is a Swedish actor best known for his association with the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm where he has performed in many of Shakespeare’s, Söderberg’s and Chekhov's works. The son of popular actor Stellan Skarsgård, Gustaf has also played important roles in popular films like Evil, The Way Back, and Kon-Tiki.

Popularly known as The Nordic Nightmare, Finnish boxer Robert Helenius was born in Sweden and moved to Finland with his parents at age 2. He was 5 when he began training in boxing and grew up to win a silver at the 2006 European Championships. He has played for both Sweden and Finland,

Swedish sailor Carl Emil Pettersson, who worked for Neuguinea-Compagnie, was shipwrecked while on a work trip in the Pacific. He was washed ashore and eventually became the ruler of Tabar Island in Papua New Guinea, after marrying the princess of the island. He also owned plantations and unearthed a gold deposit.

Henning Mankell was a Swedish dramatist, children's author, and crime writer. He is best reemembered for penning a series of mystery novels which featured the popular character, Inspector Kurt Wallander. Henning Mankell is also remembered for highlighting injustices in Sweden and social inequality issues through his plays and books. He was a recipient of many awards like the Gumshoe Award.