Biography
Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (born 25 April 1945) is a Swedish musician, singer, songwriter, and producer best known as a member of the musical group ABBA. He is also the co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia! He co-produced the films Mamma Mia! and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again with fellow ABBA member and close friend Benny Andersson. He is the oldest member of the group.
Björn Kristian Ulvaeus was born in Gothenburg on 25 April 1945. In 1951, he moved with his family to Västervik, Kalmar County. His parents were Aina Eliza Viktoria (née Bengtsson; 1909–2005) and Erik Gunnar Ulvaeus (1912–1999). Ulvaeus has one sister, Eva Margareta (born 1948). Ulvaeus studied business and law at Lund University after undertaking his military service, alongside comedian Magnus Holmström.
Before gaining international recognition with ABBA, Ulvaeus was a member of the Swedish folk-schlager band Hootenanny Singers, known earlier as the "West Bay Singers", who had an enormous following in Scandinavia. While on the road in southern Sweden in 1966, they encountered the Hep Stars, and Ulvaeus quickly became friends with the group's keyboard player, Benny Andersson. The two musicians shared a passion for songwriting, and each found a composing partner in the other. On meeting again that summer, they composed their first song together: "Isn't It Easy To Say", a song soon to be recorded by Andersson's group. The two continued teaming up for music, helping out each other's bands in the recording studio, and adding guitar or keyboards respectively to the recordings. In 1968, they composed two songs together: "A Flower in My Garden", recorded by Hep Stars, and their first real hit "Ljuva Sextiotal", for which Stig Anderson wrote lyrics. The latter, a cabarét-style ironic song about the 1960s, was submitted for the 1969 Swedish heats for the Eurovision Song Contest, but was rejected; it was later recorded by diva Brita Borg. Another hit came in 1969 with "Speleman", also recorded by Hep Stars.
While filming a nostalgic schlager special for television in March 1969, Björn met eighteen-year-old future wife and singer-songwriter Agnetha Fältskog.
Björn Ulvaeus continued recording and touring with Hootenanny Singers to great acclaim while working as in-house producer at Polar Record Company (headed by future manager Stig Anderson), with Benny as his new partner. The twosome produced records by other artists and continued writing songs together. Polar artist Arne Lamberts Swedish version of "A Flower in My Garden" ("Fröken Blåklint") was one of Björn & Benny's first in-house productions. In December 1969, they recorded the new song "She's My Kind of Girl", which became their first single as a duo. It was released in March 1970, giving them a minor hit in Sweden and a top-ten hit in Japan two years later.
The Hootenanny Singers entered Svensktoppen, the Swedish radio charts, in 1970 with "Omkring Tiggarn Från Luossa", a cover of an old folk-schlager song. It remained on the charts for 52 consecutive weeks, a record which endured until 1990; the song was produced by Björn and Benny, and had Ulvaeus's solo vocal and Benny's piano. ...
Source: Article "Björn Ulvaeus" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Filmography
all 87
self 74
Movies 64
TV Shows 23
Producer 2
Writer 1
Narrator 1
Stikkan (2024)
Astrid Lindgrens älskade filmer (2024)
Året var 1974 (2024)
Zara Larsson - Honor The Light (2023)
BIANCA (2022)
Kylie Minogue V The Bee Gees (2022)
ABBA V Queen (2022)
ABBA: New Beginnings (2021)
ABBA – Voyage | LIVE (2021)
Mashup (2021)
ABBA: The Missing 40 Years (2021)
Benjamin's (2021)
ABBA: In Their Own Words (2020)
The A-Z of Eurovision (2020)
ABBA: Secrets of their Greatest Hits (2019)
ABBA Forever: A Celebration (2019)
ABBA: Super Troupe (2019)
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)
ABBA in Pictures: The Photographer's Story (2016)
Better Late Than Never (2016)
Ted Gardestad: For the Sake of Love (2016)
The Nation's Favourite Beatles Number One (2015)
ABBA - ABBA (DVD from Deluxe Edition) (2015)
ABBA: Gracias por la música (2014)
Welcome to Sweden (2014)
Beatles på Sverigeturné (2014)
Hjälp sökes (2014)
ABBA at the BBC (2013)
The Joy of ABBA (2013)
Agnetha: ABBA & After (2013)
ABBA: Dancing Queen (2012)
ABBA: The Essential Collection (2012)
Thank You for the Music - 40 Jahre ABBA (2012)
The Story of Musicals (2012)
Chess in Concert (2009)
Skavlan (2009)
Birthing Mamma Mia! (2008)
Mamma Mia! (2008)
Abba: Rock Case Studies (2007)
ABBA: The Visitors (2007)
ABBA: 16 Hits (2006)
Abba - The complete studio recording (2005)
Tour d'Eurovision (2005)
ABBA: Super Troupers (2004)
Idol (2004)
ABBA - The Last Video (2004)
Chess (2003)
Chess på svenska: The musical that came home (2003)
ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits (2003)
ABBA: The History (2003)
ABBA: The Definitive Collection (2002)
ABBA: The Winner Takes It All - The ABBA Story (1999)
Beckmann (1999)
Musikladen Live: The Very Best of ABBA (1999)
Fuck You, Fuck You Very Much (1998)
Ted - till minne av en popartist (1998)
Leute heute (1997)
Kristina från Duvemåla - en konsertresa till Minnesota (1996)
Chess in Concert (1989)
Mio in the Land of Faraway (1987)
Magasinet Special: Chess 1984 (1984)
Champs-Elysées (1982)
Wetten, dass..? (1981)
ABBA: In Concert (1979)
Listen to the Music (1979)
Okay (1979)
ABBA in Switzerland (1979)
ABBA In Japan (1978)
Olivia (1978)
ABBA: The Movie (1977)
ABBA Veronica Musicspecial (1977)
Mike Yarwood In Persons (1976)
ABBA in Studio 2 (1976)
ABBA-dabba-dooo!! (1976)
Saturday Night Live (1975)
ABBA: Made in Sweden for Export (1975)
Système 2 (1975)
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche (1975)
Midi Première (1975)
Am laufenden Band (1974)
ABBA - Definitive Collector´s Edition (1972)
Disco (1971)
The Seduction of Inga (1968)
Älskling på vift (1964)
Die Drehscheibe (1964)
Melodifestivalen (1959)
Eurovision Song Contest (1956)
Ratings
Gallery
Information
Known ForActing
GenderMale
Birthday1945-04-25 (78 years old)
Birth NameBjörn Kristian Ulvaeus
Birth PlaceLundby church parish, Sweden
Religionatheism
RelationshipsAgnetha Fältskog (1971-07-06 - 1980-07-01)
ChildrenChristian Ulvaeus, Linda Ulvaeus
FatherErik Gunnar Ulvaeus
MotherAina
CitizenshipsSweden
Also Known AsBjorn Ulvaeus, Björn, ABBA
AwardsMusikexportpriset, International Swede of the Year, Litteris et Artibus
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