Release the Prisoners to Spring

Tage Danielsson (first name pronounced “TAH-GEH”) (5 February 1928 – 13 October 1985) was a Swedish author, actor, poet and film director. He was born in Linköping and died in Stockholm. He is best known for his collaboration with Hans Alfredson in the comedy-duo Hasseåtage.

After graduation from Katedralskolan in Linköping, Danielsson matriculated at the University of Uppsala in 1949. There he got involved in student theatre of Östgöta Nation and became a member of the Juvenalorden, as well as serving as vice president of the Uppsala Student Union.

After graduation, Tage Danielsson found work at Sveriges Radio in 1955. From 1959 to 1962 he was the manager for its entertainment department. At his work he came in contact with Hans Alfredson. They started the entertainment production company AB Svenska Ord together in 1961.

Svenska Ord in general, and Danielsson in particular, excelled in making scorching comments on current events in an illusorily naive and outward-lookingly friendly way that often succeeded to endear even political opponents to his particular brand of humorist humanism. He was also a constant campaigner behind the scene for causes ranging from Anti-Apartheid to Anti-Nuclear to social solidarity, he was also a regular contributor to the anarcho-syndicalist newspaper Arbetaren. Danielsson was a noted atheist.

In 1980 he received an honorary doctorate at Linköping University. His death in 1985 was from skin cancer (Malignant melanoma). A statue of him can be seen just outside the grounds of his old school. In 1985, his film Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter was entered into the 35th Berlin International Film Festival. —wikipedia