# Pernilla August
**Pernilla August** is a Swedish actress, screenwriter and film director, known for her work with [Ingmar Bergman](https://www.edgepedia.org/ingmar-bergman) on stage and screen, her Cannes-winning performance as Bergman's mother in *The Best Intentions* (1992), and her role as Shmi Skywalker in two *Star Wars* films. From the mid-1980s she was one of Ingmar Bergman's favored actresses, and she later became an awarded director in her own right.[1](https://www.ingmarbergman.se/en/person/pernilla-august)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Mia Pernilla Wallgren, 1958, Stockholm, Sweden; she was born Hertzman-Ericson and later used the surnames Wallgren, Östergren, and August[1](https://www.ingmarbergman.se/en/person/pernilla-august) • [2](https://www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/3417501) |
| Training | Accepted at the National Academy of Acting in Stockholm in 1979; graduated 1982[1](https://www.ingmarbergman.se/en/person/pernilla-august) • [3](https://www.filminstitutet.se/globalassets/2.-fa-kunskap-om-film/svensk-film-i-utlandet/swedish-film-magazine/swedishfilm-2012_2.pdf) |
| Fanny and Alexander | The limping nursemaid in Ingmar Bergman's *Fanny and Alexander* (1982), offered while she was still a drama student[1](https://www.ingmarbergman.se/en/person/pernilla-august) |
| Cannes 1992 | Best Actress for playing Bergman's mother Anna in *The Best Intentions* (*Den goda viljan*), directed by Bille August[4](https://snl.no/Pernilla_August) |
| International roles | Shmi Skywalker in *Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace* (1999) and *Episode II – Attack of the Clones* (2002)[5](https://www.filminstitutet.se/globalassets/2.-fa-kunskap-om-film/svensk-film-i-utlandet/swedish-film-magazine/swedish_film_1_2016_sidor.pdf) |
| Directing | Short film debut in 2005; feature debut *Beyond* (*Svinalängorna*, 2010) won the International Critics' Week Award at Venice and the Guldbagge for Best Direction (2011)[1](https://www.ingmarbergman.se/en/person/pernilla-august) |
| Academic roles | Honorary doctor at Lund University's Faculty of Fine and Performing Arts (2024); adjunct professor teaching acting students from 2025[6](https://www.thm.lu.se/en/article/pernilla-august-appointed-honorary-doctor-may-31) • [7](https://www.thm.lu.se/artikel/pernilla-august-adjungerad-professor) |
## Early life and training
August began acting as a child at Vår Teater, a children's theater in Stockholm, when she was eight years old.[1](https://www.ingmarbergman.se/en/person/pernilla-august) During her upper secondary school years, theater took precedence: she often cut classes at Södra Latin to act, and as a 16-year-old she was offered a role in Roy Andersson's film *Giliap*, which became her first film appearance.[1](https://www.ingmarbergman.se/en/person/pernilla-august) • [8](https://www.femina.se/intervju/pernilla-august-om-scenskracken-och-tredje-aktenskapet/8909931) After graduation she worked with physically challenged children, then returned to acting and was accepted at the National Academy of Acting in Stockholm in 1979.[1](https://www.ingmarbergman.se/en/person/pernilla-august)
While still a student she received the offer to play the limping nursemaid in *Fanny and Alexander* (1982). The same year the film premiered, she married the author Klas Östergren and took his surname.[1](https://www.ingmarbergman.se/en/person/pernilla-august) After the drama school she was engaged at Gävle Folk Theatre in 1983–84, and in 1986 she moved to the [Royal Dramatic Theatre](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-dramatic-theatre) (Dramaten) in Stockholm.[1](https://www.ingmarbergman.se/en/person/pernilla-august) One source gives her start at Vår Teater as age ten, in 1968, at the children's theater school on [Södermalm](https://www.edgepedia.org/sodermalm).[9](https://fallback.www.voguescandinavia.com/articles/august-escape)
## Ingmar Bergman and the Swedish stage
The year after joining Dramaten, August played Ophelia in Ingmar Bergman's production of *Hamlet*; at the guest performance in London, the *Financial Times* praised her as "the most touching" Ophelia one could see.[1](https://www.ingmarbergman.se/en/person/pernilla-august) She also played Ophelia in Ragnar Lyth's 1985 television film *Den tragiska historien om Hamlet – prins av Danmark* and Gina in Bo Widerberg's television version of Ibsen's *The Wild Duck* (1989).[1](https://www.ingmarbergman.se/en/person/pernilla-august) • [10](https://www.ne.se/uppslagsverk/encyklopedi/l%C3%A5ng/pernilla-august)
Her film breakthrough came with the role of Ingmar Bergman's mother, Anna, in *The Best Intentions* (*Den goda viljan*, 1991), Bille August's adaptation of Bergman's script about his own parents; when the film version of the television series screened at Cannes in 1992, August received the festival's female acting prize.[1](https://www.ingmarbergman.se/en/person/pernilla-august) She played Bergman's mother twice more, in *Private Confessions* (*Enskilda samtal*, 1996), directed by [Liv Ullmann](https://www.edgepedia.org/liv-ullmann), and in Bergman's *In the Presence of a Clown* (*Larmar och gör sig till*, 1997).[1](https://www.ingmarbergman.se/en/person/pernilla-august) • [4](https://snl.no/Pernilla_August) At Dramaten she took large character roles under Bergman's direction, including the title role in *Maria Stuart* and Mrs Helene Alving in *[Ghosts](https://www.edgepedia.org/ghosts-play)*, Bergman's farewell to the theater.[1](https://www.ingmarbergman.se/en/person/pernilla-august) August described Bergman as the person who most influenced her acting career, saying he shaped her "entire life as a woman from 21 to 45, from Ophelia in Hamlet to Nora in A Doll House to Mrs Alving in Ghosts."[1](https://www.ingmarbergman.se/en/person/pernilla-august)
## International film work
International recognition followed the Bergman films. Through the project she appeared in two episodes of *The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles*, which led to her casting as Shmi Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker's mother, in *Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace* (1999) and *Episode II – Attack of the Clones* (2002).[5](https://www.filminstitutet.se/globalassets/2.-fa-kunskap-om-film/svensk-film-i-utlandet/swedish-film-magazine/swedish_film_1_2016_sidor.pdf) Her other screen work includes Bille August's *Jerusalem* (1996), Ole Bornedal's *I Am Dina* (2002), Björn Runge's *Daybreak* (*Om jag vänder mig om*, 2003), Per Fly's *Dråpet* (2005), Mikael Marcimain's *Call Girl* (2012), and Jan Troell's *The Last Sentence* (*Dom över död man*, 2012).[4](https://snl.no/Pernilla_August) • [11](https://agentfirman.com/client/pernilla-august/)
Television audiences of recent years know her as Queen Kristina in the Netflix series *Young Royals* (2021–2024), and as Annie Raft in *Blackwater* (*Händelser vid vatten*, 2023), in which her daughters [Asta Kamma August](https://www.edgepedia.org/asta-kamma-august) and [Alba August](https://www.edgepedia.org/alba-august) also appeared.[11](https://agentfirman.com/client/pernilla-august/) • [12](https://www.aftonbladet.se/a/VPmqn4)
## Directing
August moved behind the camera in mid-career. She directed the short film *Blindgångare* in 2005.[13](https://www.ingmarbergman.se/person/pernilla-august) Her feature directorial debut, *Beyond* (*Svinalängorna*, 2010), an adaptation of Susanna Alakoski's novel, won the International Critics' Week Award at the [Venice Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/venice-film-festival) and several Swedish Guldbagge Awards the following year, including the Guldbagge for Best Direction for the film for which she also wrote the screenplay.[1](https://www.ingmarbergman.se/en/person/pernilla-august) • [6](https://www.thm.lu.se/en/article/pernilla-august-appointed-honorary-doctor-may-31) • [14](https://www.guldbaggen.se/nominering/pernilla-august/) Her second feature, *A Serious Game* (*Den allvarsamma leken*, 2016), adapted [Hjalmar Söderberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/hjalmar-soderberg)'s classic 1912 novel from a screenplay by Lone Scherfig, and premiered in the Special Gala section of the Berlinale.[5](https://www.filminstitutet.se/globalassets/2.-fa-kunskap-om-film/svensk-film-i-utlandet/swedish-film-magazine/swedish_film_1_2016_sidor.pdf) She also directed episodes of the acclaimed Danish television series *The Legacy* (*Arvingerne*), a project she joined in 2011.[5](https://www.filminstitutet.se/globalassets/2.-fa-kunskap-om-film/svensk-film-i-utlandet/swedish-film-magazine/swedish_film_1_2016_sidor.pdf)
## Awards and recognition
August's awards include the Cannes Best Actress prize (1992), Guldbagge Awards as Best Actress for *The Best Intentions* and as Best Supporting Actress for *Där regnbågen slutar* (1999), the Silver Bear at the Berlinale for the acting ensemble of *Daybreak* (2004), best-actress prizes at Rouen (2004) and at the [Valladolid](https://www.edgepedia.org/valladolid) and Chicago festivals for *Private Confessions* (1997), the royal medal [Litteris et Artibus](https://www.edgepedia.org/litteris-et-artibus) (2002), and the Gösta Ekman scholarship from the Swedish Theatrical Association (1998).[1](https://www.ingmarbergman.se/en/person/pernilla-august) • [4](https://snl.no/Pernilla_August) • [15](https://kaspersennyfikenpa.se/wiki/skadespelare/pernilla-august/) The Guldbagge profile of the awards gala dates her Best Actress award for *Den goda viljan* to 1993, while the Bergman estate's profile lists it under 1992.[14](https://www.guldbaggen.se/nominering/pernilla-august/) • [13](https://www.ingmarbergman.se/person/pernilla-august)
In 2024 [Lund University](https://www.edgepedia.org/lund-university)'s Faculty of Fine and Performing Arts appointed her honorary doctor, with the title conferred on 31 May in Lund; from 2025 she has served as an adjunct professor, teaching workshops on film acting at the Malmö Theatre Academy several times per semester.[6](https://www.thm.lu.se/en/article/pernilla-august-appointed-honorary-doctor-may-31) • [7](https://www.thm.lu.se/artikel/pernilla-august-adjungerad-professor)
## Family
August's three marriages produced the sequence of surnames by which she has been known: Hertzman-Ericson at birth, then Wallgren, Östergren, and August.[2](https://www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/3417501) She was married to Klas Östergren from 1982 to 1989 and to the Danish director Bille August from 1991 to 1997; their daughters Asta Kamma August and Alba August are both actors, while her daughter Agnes works as a set designer.[4](https://snl.no/Pernilla_August) • [16](https://www.vi.se/artikel/kan-man-arva-talang) • [9](https://fallback.www.voguescandinavia.com/articles/august-escape) She has since married Isac Larsson.[8](https://www.femina.se/intervju/pernilla-august-om-scenskracken-och-tredje-aktenskapet/8909931)
## References
1. [Pernilla August, Actor and director, Ingmar Bergman Foundation](https://www.ingmarbergman.se/en/person/pernilla-august)
2. [Dagens gäst – Pernilla August, Sveriges Radio](https://www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/3417501)
3. [Swedish Film #2 2012, Swedish Film Institute (facts box on Pernilla August)](https://www.filminstitutet.se/globalassets/2.-fa-kunskap-om-film/svensk-film-i-utlandet/swedish-film-magazine/swedishfilm-2012_2.pdf)
4. [Pernilla August, Store norske leksikon](https://snl.no/Pernilla_August)
5. [Swedish Film #1 2016, Swedish Film Institute (Pernilla August profile)](https://www.filminstitutet.se/globalassets/2.-fa-kunskap-om-film/svensk-film-i-utlandet/swedish-film-magazine/swedish_film_1_2016_sidor.pdf)
6. [Pernilla August Appointed Honorary Doctor on May 31, Malmö Theatre Academy, Lund University](https://www.thm.lu.se/en/article/pernilla-august-appointed-honorary-doctor-may-31)
7. [Pernilla August adjungerad professor, Teaterhögskolan, Lund University](https://www.thm.lu.se/artikel/pernilla-august-adjungerad-professor)
8. [Pernilla August om beslutet att åldras naturligt, Femina](https://www.femina.se/intervju/pernilla-august-om-scenskracken-och-tredje-aktenskapet/8909931)
9. [Pernilla and Alba August on living your career, Vogue Scandinavia](https://fallback.www.voguescandinavia.com/articles/august-escape)
10. [Pernilla August, Nationalencyklopedin](https://www.ne.se/uppslagsverk/encyklopedi/l%C3%A5ng/pernilla-august)
11. [Pernilla August, Agentfirman CV](https://agentfirman.com/client/pernilla-august/)
12. [Alba August talar ut om rollen som actionhjältinna, Aftonbladet](https://www.aftonbladet.se/a/VPmqn4)
13. [Pernilla August, Skådespelare och regissör - Personer - Ingmar Bergman](https://www.ingmarbergman.se/person/pernilla-august)
14. [Pernilla August, Guldbaggegalan](https://www.guldbaggen.se/nominering/pernilla-august/)
15. [Pernilla August: skådespelare, fakta och historia, Nyfiken På](https://kaspersennyfikenpa.se/wiki/skadespelare/pernilla-august/)
16. [Kan man ärva talang?, Vi om Släkten August](https://www.vi.se/artikel/kan-man-arva-talang)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › Nordic actors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license