Hans Alfredson

Hans Alfredson, born Hans Folke Alfredsson on June 28, 1931, in Malmö, Sweden, was a versatile Swedish figure known as an actor, film director, writer, and comedian. His parents were Folke Alfredson and Aina Eriksson; the family relocated to Helsingborg when he was seven years old. He attended S:t Jörgens school there and later earned a fil. kand. degree from Lund University in 1956. Following university, he began working at Radiotjänst, which later became Swedish Radio. From 1948, he also started writing for Helsingborgs-Posten.

Alfredson’s career took a significant turn in 1961 when he began collaborating with Tage Danielsson. Together they were known as ‘Hasse och Tage,’ and they formed the production company AB Svenska Ord that same year. This partnership resulted in numerous revues, films, and record releases on the Svenska Ljud label. Alfredson and Danielsson were recognized for their improvisational comedy, particularly evident in the Lindeman dialogues and revues such as 'Gröna Hund' and 'Gula Hund'. He starred in Grisjakten in 1970 and directed and starred in The Simple-Minded Murderer (1982), based on his novel An Evil Man. He briefly returned to revue comedy in 1984.

Alfredson’s directorial work received considerable recognition. He won the Best Director award at the 11th Guldbagge Awards for Egg! Egg! A Hardboiled Story (1975), and The Simple-Minded Murderer (1981) earned three awards at the 18th Guldbagge Awards. He also secured the Best Director award at the 21st Guldbagge Awards for False as Water (1985). Beyond his comedic and film work, Alfredson authored numerous books, both comedies and tragic works. He served as director of Skansen in Stockholm from 1992 to 1994 and was promoted to honorary doctor at Lund University that year. He also received the Tage Danielsson Prize in 1987 and was named 'Årets skåning' (Skåne Person of the Year) in 1981. He appeared in the Danish TV series The Eagle in the mid-2000s, and contributed to the 2009 film adaptation of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest. Hans Alfredson died on September 10, 2017, on Lidingö.