Pernilla August Movies and Career Information

Pernilla August (born Mia Pernilla Hertzman-Ericson 13 February 1958) is a Swedish actress and director. She won the Best Actress Award at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival for her role in The Best Intentions. Her international career includes the role of Shmi Skywalker in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. August started acting during her childhood in theater and at school. Her professional acting career started in 1975 when she began studying acting. Roy Andersson cast her in a minor role in Giliap the same year. She attracted the attention of Ingmar Bergman, who cast her in a key role in his film Fanny och Alexander. She also starred in The Serpent's Way by Bo Widerberg. She has acted in several notable plays, including William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, and Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters. Many in the English-speaking world know her best as Shmi Skywalker (the mother of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader ) from the Star Wars prequel movies. She also appeared in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. She played the Virgin Mary in Mary, Mother of Jesus, 1999 (TV). She played a bomber in the Swedish film Sprängaren (2001). She debuted as feature-film director with Beyond