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Mai Zetterling

Mai Zetterling

Known For Acting
Birthday May 24, 1925
Died Mar 17, 1994 (68)
Birthplace Västerås, Västmanlands län, Sweden
Popularity 0.5 (history)
Updated Jun 29, 2025 (Update)
Entry Date Apr 13, 2024
Links TMDb IMDb
Biography

Mai Elisabeth Zetterling ( May 24, 1925 – March 17, 1994) was a Swedish actress and film director. She began directing in the early 1960s, starting with political documentaries and a short film called The War Game (1962), which was nominated for a BAFTA award, and won a Silver Lion at Venice. Her f ... irst feature film Älskande par (1964, "Loving Couples"), based on the novels of Agnes von Krusenstjerna, was banned at the Cannes Film Festival for its sexual explicitness and nudity. Kenneth Tynan of The Observer later called it "one of the most ambitious debuts since Citizen Kane." It was not the only film she made that would stir up controversy for its frank sexuality (early pioneer on voyeurism). When critics reviewing her debut feature said that "Mai Zetterling directs like a man," she began to explore feminist themes more explicitly in her work. The Girls, which had an all-star Swedish cast including Bibi Andersson and Harriet Andersson, discussed women's liberation (or lack thereof) in a society controlled by men, as the protagonists compare their lives to characters in the play Lysistrata, and find that things have not progressed very much for women since ancient times.

Known For

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Filmography

The Witches

The Witches

1990

as Helga Eveshim

Hidden Agenda

Hidden Agenda

1990

as Moa

Visions of Eight

Visions of Eight

1973

as Narrator

The Man Who Finally Died

The Man Who Finally Died

1963

as Lisa von Deutsch

Only Two Can Play

Only Two Can Play

1962

as Liz

The Main Attraction

The Main Attraction

1962

as Gina

Offbeat

Offbeat

1961

as Ruth Lombard

Faces in the Dark

Faces in the Dark

1960

as Christiane Hammond

Piccadilly Third Stop

Piccadilly Third Stop

1960

as Christine Preedy

Jet Storm

Jet Storm

1959

as Carol Tilley

The Master Builder

The Master Builder

1958

as Hilda Wangel

Abandon Ship

Abandon Ship

1957

as Nurse Julie White

The Truth About Women

The Truth About Women

1957

as Julie Eaton

A Prize of Gold

A Prize of Gold

1955

as Maria

Knock on Wood

Knock on Wood

1954

as Ilse Nordstrom

Dance Little Lady

Dance Little Lady

1954

as Nina Gordon

Desperate Moment

Desperate Moment

1953

as Anna DeBurg

Tall Headlines

Tall Headlines

1952

as Doris Rickardson

The Ringer

The Ringer

1952

as Lisa

Blackmailed

Blackmailed

1951

as Mrs. Carol Edwards

Hell Is Sold Out

Hell Is Sold Out

1951

as Valerie Martin

The Bad Lord Byron

The Bad Lord Byron

1949

as Teresa Guiccioli

The Lost People

The Lost People

1949

as Lily

Naughty Arlette

Naughty Arlette

1949

as Arlette Tessereau

Portrait from Life

Portrait from Life

1948

as Lidia

Quartet

Quartet

1948

as Jeanne

Frieda

Frieda

1947

as Frieda

Scrubbers

Scrubbers

1982

Writer

Love

Love

1982

Writer

The War Game

The War Game

1963

Screenplay

Sunday Pursuit

Sunday Pursuit

1990

Director

Scrubbers

Scrubbers

1982

Director

Love

Love

1982

Director

Visions of Eight

Visions of Eight

1973

Director

Vincent the Dutchman

Vincent the Dutchman

1972

Director

The War Game

The War Game

1963

Director

The War Game

The War Game

1963

Producer

Organization Category Movie
Television Credits

Studio One

as Gabrielle

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Nov 07, 1948

Interpol Calling

as Carol

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 13, 1959

Svenska noveller

as Gerda

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Feb 06, 1978

The Third Man

Episodes: 2

First Aired: Oct 02, 1959

Popularity Metrics

Popularity History


Year Month Avg Max Min
2024 6 8 16 5
2024 7 16 27 4
2024 8 12 22 5
2024 9 12 30 3
2024 10 5 8 2
2024 11 5 9 2
2024 12 5 10 3
2025 1 7 11 4
2025 2 5 9 1
2025 3 3 8 1
2025 4 0 0 0
2025 5 1 1 0
2025 6 0 1 0
2025 7 0 0 0
2025 8 0 0 0

Trending Rank


Year Month Avg Rank Max Rank
No trending metrics available.

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