Björn Ulvaeus Biography

Quick Facts

NAME: Björn Ulvaeus
OCCUPATION: Guitarist
BIRTH DATE: April 25, 1945 (Age: 68)
EDUCATION: Lund University
PLACE OF BIRTH: Gothenburg, Sweden
ZODIAC SIGN: Taurus

Best Known For

Björn Ulvaeusis best known as one of four members of 1970s Swedish pop sensation ABBA.

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Björn Ulvaeus

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Ulvaeus and Fältskog divorced in 1980, and Andersson and Lyngstad, who had married in 1978, announced their own breakup in 1981. The divorces sapped ABBA of its chemistry, and the group stopped performing together in 1982. In the aftermath of ABBA's dissolution, Ulvaeus and Andersson took their musical partnership in a new direction to collaborate on writing musicals.

After ABBA

Their first musical, Chess, the story of a love triangle among champion players of the game, debuted in London's West End in 1986 and on Broadway in New York in 1988. The well-reviewed show earned Ulvaeus and Andersson numerous Drama Desk, Tony and Grammy Award nominations, but the pair did not end up winning any of the major awards.

Ulvaeus and Andersson then collaborated on a 1995 Swedish-language musical, Kristina från Duvemåla, which also won widespread acclaim. Ulvaeus next worked on the orchestration for Mamma Mia!, the enormously popular 1999 musical featuring exclusively ABBA music. Mamma Mia! became the most-seen musical in history, with more than 42 million audience members worldwide. Ulvaeus co-produced the 2008 film version as well.

Björn Ulvaeus is one of the greatest pop stars in Swedish history, and as a member of ABBA he is also one-fourth of one of the most iconic music groups in world history. Largely due to the huge success of Mamma Mia!, ABBA songs remain nearly as popular today as they were during their heyday in the 1970s. However, although all four members remain musically active and on good terms, Ulvaeus says there is no chance the group will reunite. "We will never appear on stage again," he said. "There is simply no motivation to regroup. Money is not a factor and we would like people to remember us as we were."