Mimi Pollak

Maria Helena "Mimi" Pollak (9 April 1903 – 11 August 1999) was a Swedish actress and theatre director.

Biography
Pollak was born in Karlstad, Värmland to Austrian-Jewish parents and was trained in the performing arts at the prestigious Royal Dramatic Training Academy in Stockholm 1922–24.

Pollak worked in the 1920s and 1930s as a film actress and as stage actress mainly on Helsingborg City Theatre and The Blanche Theatre, Stockholm, but she returned as an actress to the Royal Dramatic Theatre in 1942.

Pollak became in 1948 the first contracted female director at the Royal Dramatic Theatre with the production of Jean Genet's Jungfruleken (Les Bonnes/The Maids), starring Anita Björk and Maj-Britt Nilsson in the leads. Pollak became a very successful director at the Royal Dramatic Theatre and staged altogether 60 plays at the national stage over the years.

She appeared since her 1922 debut in the film Amatörfilmen in about 30 film and TV productions. Notable film roles are her supporting parts in Schamyl Bauman's film comedy Skolka skolan (1949), in Vilgot Sjöman's Klänningen (a.k.a. The Dress, 1964), in Ingmar Bergman's Autumn Sonata (starring Ingrid Bergman) as the piano teacher, in Flight of the Eagle (1982), starring Max von Sydow and directed by Jan Troell and in the very popular Swedish TV mystery Agnes Cecilia – en sällsam historia (1991), adapted from the successful books by Maria Gripe.

She retired in 1975, but made a stage comeback in 1991, age 87, in Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya.

Sometimes credited as Mimmi Pollak, Mimi Pollack or Mimmi Pollack.

Personal life
Pollak attended the Royal Dramatic Theatre school in Stockholm with fellow actress Greta Garbo from 1922 to 1924. Garbo moved to the US in 1925 and Pollak married in 1927 and later had children, although they did maintain contact for over 60 years. Their relationship and letters are portrayed (published in parts) in the Swedish book Djävla älskade unge! (Bloody Beloved Kid), written by Po Tin Andersén Axell (2005), and in Garbo's personal writings, released in Sweden the same year.

Pollak was married to Swedish actor Nils Lundell (1889–1943) from 1927 to 1938. Her son, Lars Lundell, saved and provided to author Tin Andersen Axell the letters Greta wrote to his mother.

Selected filmography

 * 1991 – Agnes Cecilia – en sällsam historia
 * 1986 – Amorosa
 * 1985 – August Strindberg ett liv (TV)
 * 1982 – The Flight of the Eagle (Ingenjör Andrées luftfärd)
 * 1978 – Autumn Sonata (Höstsonaten)
 * 1979 – I frid och värdighet
 * 1979 – Christopher's House
 * 1971 – Emil i Lönneberga
 * 1965 – Nightmare
 * 1964 – The Dress
 * 1956 – Rätten att älska
 * 1955 – Mord, lilla vän
 * 1951 – Sommarlek
 * 1949 – Playing Truant
 * 1949 – Bara en mor (a.k.a. Only A Mother)
 * 1949 – The Street
 * 1947 – Den långa vägen
 * 1947 – Dinner for Two
 * 1942 – Lågor i dunklet
 * 1942 – We House Slaves
 * 1941 – The Ghost Reporter
 * 1940 – Med dej i mina armar
 * 1940 One, But a Lion!
 * 1938 – The Great Love
 * 1926 – Sven Klingas levnadsöde
 * 1923 – Andersson, Pettersson och Lundström
 * 1922 – Amatörfilmen