The Swedish actor was active on stage, on TV and in film for many decades. In Norway, he is probably best known for his role as police investigator Martin Beck’s neighbor in fifty “Beck” films. The film series is broadcast on TV 2 in Norway, and Norwegian actors such as Kristofer Hivju and Pia Tjelta have also been involved. The “Beck” series “Beck” was originally a crime book series of ten books written by the married couple Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö between 1965 and 1975. The main character is Martin Beck, a Swedish police investigator in Stockholm. In 1997, the first film about Beck came out. There, it is mainly the characters Martin Beck and his colleague Gunvald Larsson (played for a long time by Mikael Persbrandt) who are from the books. The film series has spanned 9 seasons. It is broadcast on TV4 in Sweden and TV 2 in Norway. In April 2023, Hirdwall passed away, aged 88. His colleague Peter Haber, who plays the main role as Martin Beck, told Aftonbladet that his death came like “lightning from the blue”. Wants transparency Now Hirdwall’s widow is speaking about the death to Värmland’s folk newspaper and Aftonbladet. MARRIED FOR 50 YEARS: Ingvar Hirdwall and Marika Lindström at the premiere of the film “Young Astrid” in Stockholm in September 2018. Photo: Hanna Franzén / TT / NTB Marika Lindström (77), who is also an actress, says that Hirdwall took his own life. – There is a kind of stigma around what is difficult for us who are left, she tells Aftenbladet. The widow also says she wants more transparency around suicide. – We didn’t mean to keep it a secret… but it’s not easy to talk about, she says and adds: – It’s not a topic you open up when you meet people. Therefore it is difficult. It is death, and it is difficult to talk about in itself. Need someone to talk to? Mental Helse, 116 123 (also offers chat) Kirkens SOS, 22 40 00 40 (also offers chat) National association for relatives in mental health counseling telephone, 22 49 19 22 LEVE (national association for survivors of suicide), 22 36 17 00 Film with suicide – theme She points out that suicide happens at all ages, and she thinks it is important to talk about it. Lindström herself takes one day at a time after her husband’s death. Now she is currently filming a new Swedish cinema film, “Biodlaren”, which is about the consequences of not talking about suicide. – I will try to use my experiences in a good way, she says. Missing in “Beck” The last “Beck” film Hirdwall played in is “Dödläge” or “Deadlock”. It came in February this year and is the 50th in a row. DISTINCTIVE STYLE: Screenshot of Ingvar Hirdwall as many are used to seeing him, as Martin Beck’s neighbour. Here in film number 26, “Buried alive”. Photo: Screenshot / TV 2 Play Both Hirdwall and Peter Haber have played in all of them. Haber has no plans to retire, and this spring two new films were recorded. But Haber misses his film neighbour. – It is a huge loss. Both for me privately, because we also had a private relationship, and for the films. There is a big hole that no one can fill, says Haber to Aftonbladet. Published 22.07.2024, at 12.53
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