In 1950, a scandal erupted that sent shockwaves through both Hollywood and Washington D.C., targeting one of cinema’s most celebrated actresses. On the floor of the Senate, Edwin C. “Big Ed” Johnson, a Democrat representing Colorado, launched a blistering public condemnation of the adored Swedish star, Ingrid Bergman.
Johnson, in his impassioned speech, described Bergman as “one of the most powerful women on Earth,” but regretfully added that she was “a powerful influence for evil.” He didn’t stop there, extending his criticism to include Golden Age actress Rita Hayworth, labeling both women as “apostles of degradation.”
At the time, Ingrid Bergman was at the zenith of her career. Following her iconic, breakout performance in Casablanca, a film recognized by the American Film Institute as one of cinema’s most celebrated works, she had gone on to win an Academy Award for her role in the 1944 drama Gaslight. Her impressive filmography also included a trio of acclaimed productions directed by the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock.
The catalyst for Senator Johnson’s outrage stemmed from Bergman’s personal life. While working on the Italian neorealist drama Stromboli in 1950, directed by the renowned filmmaker Roberto Rossellini, Bergman became involved in an extramarital affair with Rossellini. This relationship resulted in a pregnancy. She gave birth to their son, Roberto, just days before finalizing her divorce from her first husband, neurosurgeon Petter Lindström. The public, however, reacted with considerable disapproval, a sentiment echoed and amplified by Senator Johnson.
Johnson argued that Bergman had committed an “assault upon the institution of marriage.” His response was to advocate for federal licensing for actors, actresses, filmmakers, and producers, proposing that scandalous personal behavior should be grounds for such regulation. While this proposed legislation ultimately did not pass, the severe public attack and the torrent of hate mail that followed were enough to make Bergman feel unwelcome in the United States. Consequently, she relocated to Paris to continue her career.
The actress’s personal life continued to evolve. In 1957, Bergman and Rossellini divorced. In that same year, she experienced a career resurgence, winning another Academy Award for her leading role in Anastasia, a historical drama that also featured the legendary Cary Grant. Bergman eventually made a physical return to the U.S. in 1967 to star in Eugene O’Neill’s stage production, More Stately Mansions. Speaking to The New York Times during that period, she expressed that “It was time I came back.”
More than two decades after her initial public shaming, Ingrid Bergman received a formal apology from Congress. This apology was officially entered into the Congressional Record on April 19, 1972, by Senator Charles N. Percy, a Republican from Illinois.
In retrospect, the controversy that once threatened to derail Ingrid Bergman’s career has largely faded into a mere footnote in the remarkable life and enduring legacy of one of Hollywood’s most iconic actresses. Her contributions to cinema remain celebrated, transcending the moral outrage of a bygone era.
Ingrid Bergman can be seen in the classic film Casablanca, available for streaming on HBO Max.
