Bjorn Andresen, the Swedish actor who made his big break as Tadzio in Italian director Luchino Visconti’s 1971 drama “Death in Venice,” has died. He was 70 years old.
Andresen’s death was announced Sunday by Christian Petri and Christina Lindström, co-directors of the 2021 documentary “The Most Beautiful Boy in the World,” which explores Andresen’s trauma during and after “Death in Venice.” He was just 16 when he landed a life-changing role opposite Dirk Bogarde, a struggling composer who falls in love with 14-year-old Tadzio, an older man.
Petri told Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter that Andresen died on Saturday, paying tribute to him as a “brave man” who “exhibited incredible charisma and presence in front of the cameras.” His cause of death has not been disclosed.
Born in Stockholm in 1955, Andresen had a traumatic childhood, his father dying in an accident and his mother also dying by suicide when he was 10 years old. He was raised by his grandmother, who wanted to capitalize on his high cheekbones and angelic figure, pushing him into the world of modeling and acting, which led to him becoming an overnight star in a Visconti-directed role. That fortune turned into a nightmare, especially after Visconti called Andresen “the most beautiful boy in the world” at a Cannes press conference.
“A lot of things were ruined in terms of my life and career,” Andresen told Variety in 2021 when the document was released.
“The Most Beautiful Boy in the World” includes footage of Andresen’s audition for Visconti, in which he is photographed shirtless. “When I was asked to take my shirt off, I wasn’t comfortable,” Andresen told Variety in 2021. “I wasn’t ready for that. I remember when he put me in a pose with one foot against the wall. I’d never stand like that. When I watch this movie now, I see how that motherfucker sexually treated me.”
After “Death in Venice”, Andresen went to Japan, where he became a pop star. “The Most Beautiful Boy in the World” includes footage of fans flocking to him as his plane lands in Tokyo.
He continued to work as an actor, appearing in over 30 films and television series, most recently in a bit role as an old man named Dan in Ari Aster’s 2019 horror film Midsommar.
Andresen is survived by his daughter Robin, whom he had with his ex-wife, the poet Susanna Roman.
