13 Facts About Yat Malmgren

Yat Malmgren was a Swedish dancer and acting teacher.

Yat Malmgren was born in Gavle, Sweden, as Gert Olof Sigurd Eriksson, to Gustaf Sigurd Eriksson and Signe Emma Maria Malmgren, but changed his surname because of his strained relationship with his father.

At 16 Malmgren intended to become a priest, but was dissuaded by his father.

Yat Malmgren was awarded the Gold medal at the Concours de la Danse in Brussels in 1939 and was spotted by Kurt Jooss who invited him to join Ballets Jooss based at Dartington Hall.

Yat Malmgren left the company in Buenos Ayres and spent the rest of the war period in Brazil, partnering the ballerina Nini Theilade in solo recitals and opening a movement school in Rio de Janeiro.

Yat Malmgren returned to Europe in 1947 to give recitals in Sweden and Finland with Nini Theilade.

Yat Malmgren appeared as 'the Baron' in Gaite Parisienne opposite the choreographer Massine, in his old role.

Yat Malmgren worked privately with Sean Connery for a year who appeared in 'Anna Christie' in Oxford, and particularly as Dionysus in Euripides's the Bacchae before his first success as James Bond.

Yat Malmgren was a key figure at the Drama Centre London along with co-founder Christopher Fettes, John and Catherine Blatchley, Harold Lang and Doreen Cannon.

Yat Malmgren's teaching approach drew from the applied psychology of movement developed by Laban.

Yat Malmgren taught a number of famous actors including: Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Anthony Hopkins, Geraldine James, Helen McCrory, Paul Bettany, Russell Brand, Anne-Marie Duff, John Simm, Diane Cilento, Michael Fassbender and Tom Hardy.

Yat Malmgren's work is popular in Australia, where Tim Robins taught it at The Nimrod Theatre Acting Classes, The Drama Studio and Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art.

At the Drama Centre, Yat Malmgren was succeeded by several teachers, including James Kemp, Tim Robins and Mathew Wernham.