Memorable Facts About Ingrid Bergman, The Exiled Starlet
Ingrid Bergman was Hollywood’s saintly good girl—but nothing could be further from the truth. Her explosive affair with Roberto Rossellini turned an entire nation against her, and it quickly became the Hollywood scandal. But that was only the beginning. Even after her death, sordid secrets from Bergman’s naughty past kept surfacing—and they threatened to ruin her legacy forever.
1. She Was Born To Act
Ingrid Bergman seemed destined to be an actress. Born on August 29, 1915, she grew up in Sweden. Her father Justus was a talented painter and photographer, and from a very young age, Bergman became used to posing in front of the camera. As her father's model, she played dress-up and wore funny outfits. But Bergman's natural talent for acting also had a darker side.
2. She Was A Tormented Child
Although Bergman happily danced and posed for her father, her childhood wasn't exactly a happy one. Later, she remembered, "I was a very sad child. And very lonely.
And how I saved myself was to invent the characters that I could talk to because I was terribly shy." You see, there was a reason for Bergman's loneliness—and it was utterly tragic.
3. She Was Going To Be An Opera Singer
When she was only two and a half years old, fate dealt Bergman a heartbreaking hand: Her darling mother Friedel passed. From then on, it was just her and her father. However, Justus Bergman had lofty dreams for his daughter. He wanted her to be a star, envisioning her as a future opera singer and putting her through three years of vocal lessons. However, there was one huge problem.
4. She Endured Loss After Loss
When her father sent her to a girls' school, Bergman struggled to fit in. She certainly wasn't popular and didn't even stand out academically. Soon, loneliness began to creep in—and it was only about to get worse. When she was 14 years old, another loss upended Bergman's life: Her father passed from stomach cancer. Bergman was devastated—but there was still another brutal twist in store for her.
