Hasse Ekman

Hasse Ekman is probably Sweden's most successful and critically acclaimed film director pre Ingmar Bergman (and aside from him) and post Sjöström and Stiller, with his peak in mid-1940s to the year 1950. Much influenced by filmmaker Orson Welles and also by episodic-films. His most successful film as a director is often said to be the 1950 film Flicka och hyacinter (Girl with Hyacinths), a crime/mystery drama about a young woman committing suicide by hanging herself in her apartment.

Hasse Ekman is part of the prominent "Ekman acting family" in Sweden: He was the son of Swedish star actor Gösta Ekman (senior) and father of actor Gösta Ekman (junior), actor Stefan Ekman and stage/film director Mikael Ekman. Also grandfather of actress Sanna Ekman.

As an actor Ekman also came to act in most of his own films, as the leading man and in a number of strong supporting roles, and he also acted in a three of early Ingmar Bergman-films (Prison, Thirst and Sawdust and Tinsel). He also played opposite his famous father in Intermezzo; the original Swedish 1936 film starring Ingrid Bergman in the female lead. Overall he made 50 roles in Swedish films.