The European Film Academy will honor Norwegian cinema legend Liv Ullmann with the European Lifetime Achievement Award at the 38th European Film Awards in recognition of her distinguished career as an actress, director, and screenwriter.
Born in Tokyo and raised in Canada and Norway, Ullmann was a theater actress in Oslo before meeting Ingmar Bergman in the mid-1960s, kicking off one of the most creatively productive collaborations in cinema history. Ullmann’s performances in Bergman’s Persona (1966), Shame (1968), Cries and Whispers (1972), Scenes from a Marriage (1974), Face to Face (1976), and Autumn Sonata (1978) earned international fame and accolades. She’s a two-time Oscar nominee — picking up best actress nominations for her roles in Jan Troell’s The Emigrants (1971) and Bergman’s Face to Face — and received an honorary Academy Award in 2022.
Over her six-decade career, she’s also picked up pretty much every major European film honor, including the European Achievement in World Cinema Award, multiple David di Donatello awards, and honorary Norwegian Amanda and Swedish Guldbagge Awards. She received lifetime achievement honors at festivals in Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Karlovy Vary, and San Sebastian.
As a director, Ullmann made her debut with Sofie (1992), followed by Kristin Lavransdatter (1995), Private Confessions (1996), Faithless (2000), and Miss Julie (2014).
Beyond her work in cinema, Ullmann serves as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and co-founded the Women’s Refugee Commission, where she remains honorary chair. She will attend the European Film Awards ceremony in Berlin as an honorary guest on January 17, 2026, with the event streamed live on the European Film Academy’s website.
