Björn Andrésen, the Swedish actor best known for his breakout role in the 1971 film Death in Venice and later for appearing in Midsommar (2019), has died. He was 70.
According to SVT, filmmaker Kristian Petri, who co-directed the 2021 documentary The Most Beautiful Boy in the World, confirmed that Andrésen died on Saturday, 25 October 2025.
The cause of death has not been disclosed.
Born Björn Johan Andrésen on 26 January 1955 in Stockholm, Sweden, he was raised by his maternal grandparents after the death of his mother, Barbro Elisabeth Andrésen, who died by suicide when he was 10.
His father’s identity was never publicly confirmed. Encouraged by his grandmother, he began acting and attended Adolf Fredrik’s Music School in Stockholm, where his talent in both acting and music began to show.
Andrésen made his acting debut in the 1970 Swedish romantic drama A Swedish Love Story. His career changed dramatically a year later when he was cast as Tadzio in Italian filmmaker Luchino Visconti’s Death in Venice, based on Thomas Mann’s 1912 novella.
The film follows a composer’s growing obsession with a young boy, played by Andrésen. At the Cannes premiere, Visconti famously referred to the actor as “the most beautiful boy in the world,” a label that followed him throughout his life.
The attention brought both fame and discomfort. Andrésen later revealed that he felt objectified at a young age, describing his early fame as overwhelming and emotionally isolating.
Following Death in Venice, he became a cultural icon in Japan, where he recorded music and worked as a model, appearing in magazines and advertisements. His image became influential among Japanese manga artists, helping inspire a generation of characters that embodied the “bishōnen” or “beautiful boy” aesthetic.
In addition to his acting, Andrésen was also a musician and pianist. He performed for many years with the Sven Erics dance band and remained active in music alongside his acting career.
Over the years, he appeared in more than 30 films and television series, including The Simple-Minded Murderer (1982), Pelicanman (2004), and Ari Aster’s Midsommar(2019), where he played a supporting role in one of the film’s most disturbing scenes.
His later years were marked by personal tragedy. Andrésen’s mother’s death deeply affected him, and in adulthood, he experienced further loss when his infant son, Elvin, died from sudden infant death syndrome in 1986.
The event led to a period of depression and alcohol abuse, which he later spoke about openly in interviews and documentaries.
In 2021, Andrésen became the subject of the award-winning documentary The Most Beautiful Boy in the World, directed by Kristian Petri and Kristina Lindström.
The film revisited his early fame, exploring how the pressures of being a child star affected his life and mental health. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and received international acclaim.
Björn Andrésen is survived by his daughter, Robine, and two granddaughters.
His legacy continues through his work in cinema and music, as well as the lasting influence of his image in film and pop culture.
