“I was the shyest human ever invented,” the legendary Ingrid Bergman once confessed. “But I had a lion inside me that wouldn’t shut up.” These words capture the essence of a woman who, despite her quiet demeanor, became one of Hollywood’s most iconic figures. Her daughters—Pia Lindström, 81, and twins Isabella and Ingrid Rossellini, 67—offer a unique perspective on their mother’s duality. As Pia tells Closer Weekly in an exclusive interview, “She was one of those people who liked to put on the clothes and the makeup of another person. When you become that person, you’re brave. But deep down, I think she was very frightened.”
A Childhood Marked by Loss
The roots of Bergman’s inner conflict trace back to her childhood. Born and raised in Sweden, Ingrid endured unimaginable loss at an early age. She was only two years old when her mother passed away, and at 12, she lost her father. “She moved in with aunts and uncles, and she was really very lonely,” Pia recalls. Despite these hardships, Ingrid found solace in the arts. Her father, who had hoped she’d become a singer, took her to the opera. “She saw a stage and immediately said, ‘That’s what I want to do,’” Pia explains. It was this spark that set the stage for her illustrious career.
A Rising Star Amidst Turmoil
Seeking stability after her parents' deaths, Ingrid married an older man, Petter Lindström, at 21. Pia was born shortly afterward, and Ingrid soon skyrocketed to fame after producer David O. Selznick brought her to America for the 1939 film Intermezzo. Over the next decade, she delivered unforgettable performances in classics like Casablanca, Gaslight, and Notorious. Her public persona mirrored her on-screen roles—virtuous and devoted. As Pia notes, “My mother had always been presented to the American people as a loving wife and a devoted mother.”
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Scandal and Resilience
That image shattered in 1949 when Ingrid embarked on a controversial affair with Italian director Roberto Rossellini, resulting in the birth of their son Renato. The U.S. Senate denounced her as “a horrible example of womanhood and a powerful influence of evil,” leading to an unofficial Hollywood blacklist. “She was wounded in a very deep way,” Isabella recalls. “She felt the public and the press had abused her and violated her privacy.”
Pia, who was just ten when her parents separated, saw her mother only once during the next eight years. “I certainly didn’t like the fact that she left us,” she admits. “But I was always close to her. I was crazy about her.”
Rebuilding a Legacy
