Björn Andrésen, a Swedish actor and musician known for his performance in Luchino Visconti's award-winning Death in Venice (1971), has died at the age of 70, an associate has told AFP.
At the age of 15, Andrésen was approached by the Italian director, who was searching for an actor to play Tadzio, a beautiful adolescent that composer Gustav von Aschenbach, played by Dirk Bogarde, becomes obsessed with in the historical drama.
Andrésen passed away on Saturday from cancer, Kristina Lindström, who directed a documentary about the Swedish actor's life, The Most Beautiful Boy in the World, told AFP.
The director said news of Andrésen's death had come from his daughter.
Lindström called Andrésen a "courageous" person for sharing the difficulties of his life with the public.
"It's a particular situation when you spend so much time together over so many years. Even though I knew he was ill, it's still a type of dismay," she said.
Andrésen's role in the famous Franco-Italian film, which earned him the epithet "The Most Beautiful Boy in the World," propelled him to worldwide fame.
He later recounted how this experience plunged him into depression and addiction.
Born on 26 January, 1955, in Stockholm, he grew up without a father, and his mother took her own life when he was 10. He was then raised by his grandparents.
In 2019, Andrésen had a role in Ari Aster's horror film Midsommar, where he played the role of the elderly Dan.
Source: AFP
If you have been affected by issues raised in this story, please visit: www.rte.ie/helplines.
