#tadzio

Death In Venice Japanese book cover

๋ ࣭ ⭑๋ ࣭ ⭑ Death in Venice (1971) ๋ ࣭ ⭑๋ ࣭ ⭑

Rest in peace to "The Most Beautiful Boy in the World", Björn Andrésen. We miss you already :((

The Swedish actor-musician passed away last Sunday at the age of 70. [1]

At the age of 16, he gained international recognition as Tadzio in Luchino Visconti's 1971 film adaptation of Thomas Mann's novel Death in Venice. The press frequently referred to him as "the most beautiful boy in the world", as the director remarked at the film's premiere in London. However, he vehemently disliked this quote that is tied to his experience working on the film, with the filmmaker and the overbearing fame that tormented his teenage years, as he shared in the 2021 documentary The Most Beautiful Boy in the World [dir. Kristina Lindström & Kristian Petri].

The documentary showed his audition footage that exposed the exploitative and predatory nature of casting child performers, as well as manipulation of minors to perform overtly sexualized roles. He also recounted how the crew and the director took him to gay nightclubs, where he is not even allowed to be, and how he was the target of unwanted attention from older men.

The actor was dealing with trauma at a young age. His father abandoned him, and his mother took her own life. He was then raised by his maternal grandparents.

In the 1970, the shy and musically-inclined 15-year-old boy auditioned for Venice, at the insistence of his maternal grandmother, who have ambition to make her grandchild famous. He never intended to join the entertainment industry, but the pressure from her is what made him pursue many acting and modelling gigs. Prior to his audition, he has one film, appearing in En kärlekshistoria (A Swedish Love Story) (1970) directed by Roy Andersson.

"She felt I was so talented and should be world-famous, you know how it is," he says drily. [Guardian]

Following the film's release, her grandmother urged him to do promotions in Japan, where his popularity skyrocketed. However, he was subjected to an unbearable schedule, given access to mysterious pills, and forced to have a recording career. His image was heavily marketed to the youth market. This extensive exposure made him into a "cultural icon" and a major figure in the popular "Bishōnen" (beautiful boy) style.

He did, however, express resentment at receiving so much attention, and as he grew older, he managed to live a low-key life and follow his real passion, music. He studied drama as well and ran a small theatre in Stockholm, while also doing a bit of acting work in Swedish films and TV shows.

Later, he appeared as one of the two elders who volunteered as sacrifice at the ättestupa ceremony in the horror film Midsommar (2019).

He is survived by his daughter, Robine (from his marriage to the poet Susanna Román) and his grandchildren.

Reference:

Note: You may notice that we are including screenshots of articles. This is inline with the ongoing link rot / dead link dilemma.

Björn Andrésen obituary | Ryan Gilbey | 28 Oct 2025 https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/oct/28/bjorn-andresen-obituary

Skådespelaren Björn Andrésen är död | 26 Oct 2025 https://www.expressen.se/noje/skadespelaren-bjorn--andresen-ar-dod/