Leif Johan Gunnar Hedenberg (born 9 October 1954) is a Swedish actor, director, and screenwriter.
Early life and education Leif Johan Gunnar Hedenberg was born on 9 October 1954 in Maria Magdalena parish in Stockholm, Sweden, the son of actors and , and grew up in the suburb of Bromma. Johan was beaten regularly by his father as a child, until he fought back as a teen and gave him a beating, after which his father never touched him again. Their relationship became frosty for some time after that, before thawing somewhat. Updated 1 April 2016
In 1978 he began studying at the Malmö Theatre Academy in Malmö, in southern Sweden, graduating in 1981.
Career Acting After graduating, he started working as an actor with the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. During that time, he spent much time in the company of Thorsten Flinck and Paolo Roberto, and also others who were bad for him, including criminals. He gave up his job at the theatre in anger after a fight, which he later regretted.
He soon found work in various TV series, and at the end of the 1980s found work in the emerging business of voice acting. With the introduction of commercial television in Sweden, animated shows on TV became more common and Hedenberg found steady work as a voice actor. As a voice actor, Hedenberg became a popular choice to cast as villains because of his deep voice, including Dr. Julian Robotnik, Prolix, The Shredder, Dr. Drakken, and Dick Dastardly.
He acted in the stage premiere of 's acclaimed play Skärbrännaren (1987), which was made into a television version the following year.
In 1988, he became widely known for his role as a "baddy" in the TV drama series Varuhuset.
During the 2000s and 2010s he provided the Swedish voice for several famous cartoon villains Captain Haddock in The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011; dir: Steven Spielberg) and Django in Ratatouille (2007; dir. Brad Bird).
Screenwriting Hedenberg wrote the screenplay for the 1990 film Tolv vill hem, which he also directed and produced, and Badhuset, released in 1989.
Other activities Hedenberg was a member of the rock music band Rökrock, and has appeared on television as a trotting expert.
Personal life Hedenberg was married, and has two daughters. After divorcing, he dated actress Sanna Ekman for some time.
In 2012, he survived an operation to remove a tumour from his heart which was at high risk at spreading. He later said that the incident had given him new a perspective on life. In the same year, he published an autobiography titled Lill-Tarzan å jag.
Filmography 1980 – Sverige åt svenskarna as Messenger 1984 – Två solkiga blondiner as Glenn the parashooter 1985 – Åshöjdens BK as Edward 1986 – På liv och död as Peter 1988 – Varuhuset as Jonas (a villain) 1989 – The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! as Swedish voice of Luigi 1989 – Asterix and the Big Fight as Swedish voice of Prolix 1990 – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as Swedish-language voice of Donatello and General Traag in the Media Dubb version 1992 – Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines as Swedish voice of Dick Dastardly 1992 – Porco Rosso as various Swedish background voices 1993 – Morsarvet as Captain Antonsson 1993 – Sonic the Hedgehog as Swedish voice of Robotnik 1993 – Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog as Swedish voice of Dr. Robotnik 1993 – Swat Kats as Swedish voice of T-Bone 1993 – Biker Mice from Mars as Swedish voice of Throttle 1993 – Rocko's Modern Life as Swedish voice of Heffer and Mrs. Bighead 1994 – Mighty Morphin Power Rangers as Swedish voice of Bulk 1994 – Life with Louie as Swedish voice of Andrew "Andy" Anderson 1996 – Nattbuss 807 as Police Officer Johan 1997 – Disney's Hercules as Swedish voice of Nessus the Centaur, also the Narrator 1998 – Beck – Monstret as The Limousin Man 1998 – The Lion King II: Simba's Pride as Swedish voice of Scar (replacing Rikard Wolff from the first movie) 1999 – Skilda världar as Morgan Engström 1999 – Courage the Cowardly Dog as various Swedish voices, like Freaky Fred 2001 – Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as Swedish voice of Lord Voldemort 2002–2007 – Kim Possible as Swedish voice of Dr. Drakken 2003 – Hem till Midgård as The Ship Mechanic 2005 – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as Swedish voice of Shredder 2006 – Poliser as Rolf 2008 – Kungamordet as Björn Larsson 2008 – Rallybrudar as Sven 2009 – Detour as Bosse 2009 – Het Huis Anubis as Swedish voice of Victor 2010 – Kommissarie Späck as Grünwald Karlsson 2010 – How to Train Your Dragon as Swedish voice of Stoick the Vast 2011 – Beyond the Border as Major Adolfsson 2011 – The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn as Swedish voice of Captain Haddock 2013 – Wallander – Saknaden as Herltiz 2013 – The Death of a Pilgrim as Berg Jr. 2013 – The Bridge (TV series) as Axel Mössberg 2013 – Real Humans as The Police 2014 – The Lego Movie 2014−23 – Morden i Sandhamn (The Sandhamn Murders; TV series) as Olle Granlund (Seasons 4, 6, 8–9) 2015 – Blå Ögon as Johan Landin 2017 – The Lego Batman Movie 2018 – Ted – För kärlekens skull 2018 – Palmegruppen tar långlunch 2019 – The Perfect Patient 2022 – Fiktiv granskning – en grävande historia 2025 – The Glass Dome (Glaskupan) as retired police commissioner Valter Ness
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