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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
70 Years of the ESC – More than Music
Self (archive footage)
2026Movie
Eternal Disco - The Greatest Hits
Self (archive)
2026Movie
The Time Thief
Björn Ulvaeus
2025TV
Stikkan
Self (archive footage)
2024Movie
ABBA: Against the Odds
Self (archive footage)
2024Movie
More ABBA at the BBC
Self (archive material)
2024Movie
ABBA: 50 Years of Pop
Self
2024Movie
ABBA - Vom Popwunder zu Avataren
Self
2024Movie
Året var 1975
Self (archive footage)
2024Movie
Det svenska schlagerkriget
Self (archive footage)
2024Movie
When ABBA Came to Britain
Self (archive footage)
2024Movie
Mellons makt
Self (archive footage)
2024Movie
Astrid Lindgrens älskade filmer
Self
2024TV
Året var 1974
Self (archive footage)
2023Movie
ABBA Silver, ABBA Gold
Himself
2023Movie
Zara Larsson - Honor The Light
Music
2023Movie
ABBA V Queen
Self (archive footage)
2022Movie
Kylie Minogue V The Bee Gees
Self (archive footage)
2022Movie
BIANCA
Self - Guest
2022TV
ABBA – Voyage | LIVE
Self
2021Movie
ABBA: New Beginnings
Self
2021Movie
ABBA: The Missing 40 Years
Self
2021Movie
Benjamin's
Himself - Guest
2021TV
Mashup
Music
2021Movie
ABBA: In Their Own Words
Self
2020Movie
The A-Z of Eurovision
Self - Contestant (archive footage)
2020Movie
ABBA: Super Troupe
Self
2019Movie
ABBA Forever: A Celebration
Self
2019Movie
ABBA: Secrets of their Greatest Hits
Self
2019Movie
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
University Professor (uncredited)
2018Movie
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Songs
2018Movie
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Lyricist
2018Movie
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Executive Producer
2018Movie
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Music
2018Movie
ABBA in Pictures: The Photographer's Story
Self
2016Movie
Ted Gärdestad - För kärlekens skull
Self
2016Movie
Sven-Bertil
Self
2016Movie
ABBA - ABBA (DVD from Deluxe Edition)
Self - Singer, Composer
2015Movie
The Nation's Favourite Beatles Number One
Self
2015Movie
ABBA - ABBA (DVD from Deluxe Edition)
Director
2015Movie
ABBA - ABBA (DVD from Deluxe Edition)
Writer
2015Movie
ABBA: Gracias por la música
Self
2014Movie
Beatles på Sverigeturné
Self
2014Movie
Welcome to Sweden
Self
2014TV
Hjälp sökes
Lyricist
2014Movie
Agnetha: ABBA & After
Self
2013Movie
The Joy of ABBA
Self
2013Movie
ABBA at the BBC
Self
2013Movie
ABBA: Dancing Queen
Self
2012Movie
Thank You for the Music
Self
2012Movie
ABBA: The Essential Collection
Self
2012Movie
Palme
Self (archive footage)
2012Movie
The Story of Musicals
Self
2012TV
O Melhor do Flash Back - 92 Clipes Para Recordar
Self (archive footage)
2009Movie
ABBA '80 Concert Tour in Japan
2009Movie
Skavlan
Self - Guest
2009TV
Chess in Concert
Music
2009Movie
Chess in Concert
Lyricist
2009Movie
Chess in Concert
Songs
2009Movie
Chess in Concert
Original Music Composer
2009Movie
Mamma Mia!
Greek God (uncredited)
2008Movie
Mamma Mia!
Executive Producer
2008Movie
Mamma Mia!
Songs
2008Movie
Mamma Mia!
Lyricist
2008Movie
Mamma Mia!
Music
2008Movie
Abba: Rock Case Studies
Self
2007Movie
ABBA: The Visitors
Self
2007Movie
ABBA: The Golden Years
Self
2007Movie
ABBA: 16 Hits
Self
2006Movie
Tour d'Eurovision
Self
2005Movie
Abba - The complete studio recording
Self
2005Movie
Super Troupers: Thirty Years of ABBA
Self
2004Movie
ABBA - The Last Video
Björn Ulvaeus
2004Movie
Retro Video Collection 1975-1999 vol1
self
2004Movie
ABBA - The Last Video
Writer
2004Movie
Idol
Songs
2004TV
Chess på svenska: The Musical That Came Home
Self
2003Movie
ABBA: The History
Self
2003Movie
ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits
Self
2003Movie
Chess
Original Music Composer
2003Movie
Chess
Lyricist
2003Movie
Chess
Songs
2003Movie
Chess
Writer
2003Movie
ABBA: The Definitive Collection
Self
2002Movie
ZDF-Kultnacht
Self (archive footage)
2002TV
Aeschbacher
Self
2001TV
ABBA: The Winner Takes It All - The ABBA Story
Self
1999Movie
Musikladen Live: The Very Best of ABBA
Self
1999Movie
Beckmann
Self
1999TV
Ted - till minne av en popartist
Self (archive footage)
1998Movie
Fuck You, Fuck You Very Much
Self
1998Movie
Leute heute
Self
1997TV
Kristina från Duvemåla - en konsertresa till Minnesota
Self
1996Movie
TFI Friday
1996TV
Kristina från Duvemåla - en konsertresa till Minnesota
Music
1996Movie
Kristina från Duvemåla - en konsertresa till Minnesota
Songs
1996Movie
Kristina från Duvemåla - en konsertresa till Minnesota
Lyricist
1996Movie
Abba - More ABBA Gold - More ABBA Hits
1993Movie
Chess in Concert
Narrator
1989Movie
Chess in Concert
Lyricist
1989Movie
Chess in Concert
Songs
1989Movie
Chess in Concert
Original Music Composer
1989Movie
Chess in Concert
Music
1989Movie
Mio in the Land of Faraway
Original Music Composer
1987Movie
Mio in the Land of Faraway
Music
1987Movie
Magasinet Special: Chess 1984
Self
1984Movie
Schyyy... det er lørdag
Sig selv
1984TV
Champs-Elysées
Self - ABBA
1982TV
ABBA: Words and Music
Self
1981Movie
Dick Cavett Meets ABBA
1981Movie
Wetten, dass..?
Self
1981TV
ABBA in Concert
Self
1980Movie
Show-Express
Self
1980TV
Newsnight
Self
1980TV
ABBA in Concert
Original Music Composer
1980Movie
ABBA in Switzerland
Self - ABBA
1979Movie
Listen to the Music
Self
1979Movie
Det hender ikke meg
Self
1979Movie
Okay
Self
1979TV
CBS News Sunday Morning
Self
1979TV
ABBA In Japan
Self (Vocals / Guitar)
1978Movie
Olivia
Self
1978Movie
ABBA: The Movie
Björn Ulvaeus
1977Movie
ABBA Veronica Musicspecial
Self (archive footage)
1977Movie
ABBA: The Movie
Original Music Composer
1977Movie
ABBA in Studio 2
Self
1976Movie
ABBA-dabba-doo
Self
1976Movie
Mike Yarwood In Persons
Self - ABBA
1976TV
Made in Sweden - for export
Self
1975Movie
Mr Trendsetter - Stikkan Anderson
Self
1975Movie
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
Self - ABBA
1975TV
Système 2
Self - ABBA
1975TV
Midi Première
Self - ABBA
1975TV
Saturday Night Live
Self - Musical Guest
1975TV
Am laufenden Band
Self - Guest
1974TV
ABBA - Definitive Collector´s Edition
Sänger/Gitarre
1972TV
Räkna de lyckliga stunderna blott
Self
1969Movie
Unsere kleine Show - Musik zur blauen Stunde
Self
1969TV
The Seduction of Inga
Original Music Composer
1968Movie
Åsa-Nisse in Rocket Form
1966Movie
Älskling på vift
Hootenanny Singers - vocals and guitar
1964Movie
Die Drehscheibe
Self
1964TV
Melodifestivalen
Self
1959TV
Melodifestivalen
Songs
1959TV
Eurovision Song Contest
Self
1956TV
Bjorn of the Dead
—Movie