Was Magnus Härenstam just an actor? Not quite. He was a comedian and a TV host too. Standing here at Magnus Härenstam’s grave we remember a multifaceted entertainer.
Magnus Härenstam’s grave is a place to reflect on his vibrant career. He was born Johan Herbert Magnus Härenstam. This happened on June 19, 1941 in Västervik. He died on June 13, 2015 in Stockholm.
Härenstam’s journey took him from student stages to national television. He began as a student performer. This was at the Humanistiska föreningen. It was also at Stockholms universitet. There he met Brasse Brännström and Lasse Hallström.
Hallström then worked at Sveriges Television. He hired Magnus and Brasse for TV sketches. Their first TV series was “Oj, är det redan fredag” in 1970. Later came the comedy crime series “Pappas pojkar”. Carl-Gustaf Lindstedt joined them.
Magnus Härenstam’s collaboration with Brasse Brännström lasted 17 years. They worked together on stage and TV. Their first show “Magnus och Brasse – levande på Nya Bacchi” premiered in 1974. It included Härenstam’s famous “Verkmästarn i magen” monologue.
Härenstam’s TV breakthrough came with Brasse and Carl-Gustaf Lindstedt. Together they created “Pappas pojkar”. Then Magnus and Brasse moved to children’s programming. They created “Fem myror är fler än fyra elefanter”. Eva Remaeus also starred in this show. It first aired in 1973.
In the 1980s Härenstam became a theater director. He managed Maximteatern with Brännström, Lill Lindfors and Aller Johansson. He starred in the musical “Sugar” and the farce “Arsenik och gamla spetsar”. He also hosted the TV show “Bombardemagnus” in 1985.
Between 1971 and 2006 Härenstam hosted the radio program “Sommar” multiple times. He also appeared in ABBA’s music video for “When I Kissed the Teacher” in 1976. He played the teacher.
Härenstam acted in films like “Fimpen” and “Göta kanal”. He also appeared in “Sällskapsresan”. Later he was in “Vuxna människor” and “Hälsoresan”. From 1991 to 2005 Härenstam hosted the game show “Jeopardy!” on TV4. He did over 2000 episodes.
In 2003 Härenstam returned to the stage. He appeared in Lasse Berghagen’s revue at Chinateatern. In 2005 he reunited with Brasse Brännström. They performed in Neil Simon’s comedy “Muntergökarna”.
Magnus Härenstam received several awards. He was awarded H.M. Konungens medalj in 2008. He also received the Kungliga Patriotiska Sällskapets medalj in 2015. Plus he got Stockholms stads S:t Eriksmedaljen in 2015 too.
Shortly before his death in 2015, Härenstam released his memoirs. The title was “Morsning & goodbye”. He also read the audiobook version himself. He toured with a monologue of the same name.
Magnus Härenstam died in Stockholm from cancer. He was 73 years old. Standing at his final resting place lets us remember his humor and his impact. He entertained generations with his work. Härenstam’s legacy lives on through his films, TV shows and stage performances.