Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (born 25 April 1945) is a Swedish musician, singer, songwriter, and producer best known as a member of the musical group ABBA. He is also the co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia! He co-produced the films Mamma Mia! and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again with fellow ABBA member and close friend Benny Andersson. He is the oldest member of the group. Björn Kristian Ulvaeus was born in Gothenburg on 25 April 1945. In 1951, he moved with his family to Västervik, Kalmar County. His parents were Aina Eliza Viktoria (née Bengtsson; 1909–2005) and Erik Gunnar Ulvaeus (1912–1999). Ulvaeus has one sister, Eva Margareta (born 1948). Ulvaeus studied business and law at Lund University after undertaking his military service, alongside comedian Magnus Holmström. Before gaining international recognition with ABBA, Ulvaeus was a member of the Swedish folk-schlager band Hootenanny Singers, known earlier as the "West Bay Singers", who had an enormous following in Scandinavia. While on the road in southern Sweden in 1966, they encountered the Hep Stars, and Ulvaeus quickly became friends with the group's keyboard player, Benny Andersson. The two musicians shared a passion for songwriting, and each found a composing partner in the other. On meeting again that summer, they composed their first song together: "Isn't It Easy To Say", a song soon to be recorded by Andersson's group. The two continued teaming up for music, helping out each other's bands in the recording studio, and adding guitar or keyboards respectively to the recordings. In 1968, they composed two songs together: "A Flower in My Garden", recorded by Hep Stars, and their first real hit "Ljuva Sextiotal", for which Stig Anderson wrote lyrics. The latter, a cabarét-style ironic song about the 1960s, was submitted for the 1969 Swedish heats for the Eurovision Song Contest, but was rejected; it was later recorded by diva Brita Borg. Another hit came in 1969 with "Speleman", also recorded by Hep Stars. While filming a nostalgic schlager special for television in March 1969, Björn met eighteen-year-old future wife and singer-songwriter Agnetha Fältskog. Björn Ulvaeus continued recording and touring with Hootenanny Singers to great acclaim while working as in-house producer at Polar Record Company (headed by future manager Stig Anderson), with Benny as his new partner. The twosome produced records by other artists and continued writing songs together. Polar artist Arne Lamberts Swedish version of "A Flower in My Garden" ("Fröken Blåklint") was one of Björn & Benny's first in-house productions. In December 1969, they recorded the new song "She's My Kind of Girl", which became their first single as a duo. It was released in March 1970, giving them a minor hit in Sweden and a top-ten hit in Japan two years later. The Hootenanny Singers entered Svensktoppen, the Swedish radio charts, in 1970 with "Omkring Tiggarn Från Luossa", a cover of an old folk-schlager song. It remained on the charts for 52 consecutive weeks, a record which endured until 1990; the song was produced by Björn and Benny, and had Ulvaeus's solo vocal and Benny's piano. ... Source: Article "Björn Ulvaeus" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Filmography

• The Time Thief — Björn Ulvaeus
• 2023Zara Larsson - Honor The Light — Music
• 2021Mashup — Music
• 2018Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again — University Professor (uncredited), Songs, Lyricist, Executive Producer, Music
• 2015ABBA - ABBA (DVD from Deluxe Edition) — Self - Singer, Composer, Director, Writer
• 2014Hjälp sökes — Lyricist
• 2009ABBA '80 Concert Tour in Japan
• 2009Chess in Concert — Music, Songs, Lyricist, Original Music Composer
• 2008Mamma Mia! — Greek God (uncredited), Executive Producer, Lyricist, Songs, Music
• Idol — Songs
• 2003Chess — Original Music Composer, Lyricist, Songs, Writer
• 1996Kristina från Duvemåla - en konsertresa till Minnesota — Self, Music, Songs, Lyricist
• TFI Friday
• 1993Abba - More ABBA Gold - More ABBA Hits
• 1989Chess in Concert — Narrator, Songs, Lyricist, Original Music Composer
• 1987Mio in the Land of Faraway — Original Music Composer
• Schyyy... det er lørdag — Sig selv
• 1981Dick Cavett Meets ABBA
• 1980ABBA in Concert — Self, Original Music Composer
• 1977ABBA: The Movie — Björn Ulvaeus, Original Music Composer
• ABBA - Definitive Collector´s Edition — Sänger/Gitarre
• 1968The Seduction of Inga — Original Music Composer
• 1966Åsa-Nisse in Rocket Form
• 1964Älskling på vift — Hootenanny Singers - vocals and guitar
• Melodifestivalen — Self, Songs
• Bjorn of the Dead

Appearances as themselves (90)

• 202670 Jahre ESC - More than Music — Self (archive footage)
• 2024ABBA - Vom Popwunder zu Avataren — Self
• 2024ABBA: 50 Years of Pop — Self
• 2024ABBA: Against the Odds — Self (archive footage)
• Astrid Lindgrens älskade filmer — Self
• 2024Det svenska schlagerkriget — Self (archive footage)
• 2024Mellons makt — Self (archive footage)
• 2024More ABBA at the BBC — Self (archive material)
• 2024Stikkan — Self (archive footage)
• 2024When ABBA Came to Britain — Self (archive footage)
• 2024Året var 1975 — Self (archive footage)
• 2023ABBA Silver, ABBA Gold — Himself
• 2023Året var 1974 — Self (archive footage)
• 2022ABBA V Queen — Self (archive footage)
• BIANCA — Self - Guest
• 2022Kylie Minogue V The Bee Gees — Self (archive footage)
• 2021ABBA – Voyage | LIVE — Self
• 2021ABBA: New Beginnings — Self
• 2021ABBA: The Missing 40 Years — Self
• Benjamin's — Himself - Guest
• 2020ABBA: In Their Own Words — Self
• 2020The A-Z of Eurovision — Self - Contestant (archive footage)
• 2019ABBA Forever: A Celebration — Self
• 2019ABBA: Secrets of their Greatest Hits — Self
• 2019ABBA: Super Troupe — Self
• 2016ABBA in Pictures: The Photographer's Story — Self
• 2016Sven-Bertil — Self
• 2016Ted Gärdestad - För kärlekens skull — Self
• 2015The Nation's Favourite Beatles Number One — Self
• 2014ABBA: Gracias por la música — Self
• 2014Beatles på Sverigeturné — Self
• Welcome to Sweden — Self
• 2013ABBA at the BBC — Self
• 2013Agnetha: ABBA & After — Self
• 2013The Joy of ABBA — Self
• 2012ABBA: Dancing Queen — Self
• 2012ABBA: The Essential Collection — Self
• 2012Palme — Self (archive footage)
• 2012Thank You for the Music — Self
• The Story of Musicals — Self
• 2009O Melhor do Flash Back - 92 Clipes Para Recordar — Self (archive footage)
• Skavlan — Self - Guest
• 2007ABBA: The Golden Years — Self
• 2007ABBA: The Visitors — Self
• 2007Abba: Rock Case Studies — Self
• 2006ABBA: 16 Hits — Self
• 2005Abba - The complete studio recording — Self
• 2005Tour d'Eurovision — Self
• 2004Retro Video Collection 1975-1999 vol1 — self
• 2004Super Troupers: Thirty Years of ABBA — Self
• 2003ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits — Self
• 2003ABBA: The History — Self
• 2003Chess på svenska: The Musical That Came Home — Self
• 2002ABBA: The Definitive Collection — Self
• ZDF-Kultnacht — Self (archive footage)
• Aeschbacher — Self
• 1999ABBA: The Winner Takes It All - The ABBA Story — Self
• Beckmann — Self
• 1999Musikladen Live: The Very Best of ABBA — Self
• 1998Fuck You, Fuck You Very Much — Self
• 1998Ted - till minne av en popartist — Self (archive footage)
• Leute heute — Self
• 1984Magasinet Special: Chess 1984 — Self
• Champs-Elysées — Self - ABBA
• 1981ABBA: Words and Music — Self
• Wetten, dass..? — Self
• Newsnight — Self
• Show-Express — Self
• 1979ABBA in Switzerland — Self - ABBA
• CBS News Sunday Morning — Self
• 1979Det hender ikke meg — Self
• 1979Listen to the Music — Self
• Okay — Self
• 1978ABBA In Japan — Self (Vocals / Guitar)
• 1978Olivia — Self
• 1977ABBA Veronica Musicspecial — Self (archive footage)
• 1976ABBA in Studio 2 — Self
• 1976ABBA-dabba-doo — Self
• Mike Yarwood In Persons — Self - ABBA
• Les Rendez-vous du dimanche — Self - ABBA
• 1975Made in Sweden - for export — Self
• Midi Première — Self - ABBA
• 1975Mr Trendsetter - Stikkan Anderson — Self
• Saturday Night Live — Self - Musical Guest
• Système 2 — Self - ABBA
• Am laufenden Band — Self - Guest
• 1969Räkna de lyckliga stunderna blott — Self
• Unsere kleine Show - Musik zur blauen Stunde — Self
• Die Drehscheibe — Self
• Eurovision Song Contest — Self