Martin Beck

Martin Beck is a fictional Swedish police detective, the main character in the series of ten novels by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, collectively titled The Story of a Crime. Frequently referred to as the Martin Beck stories, all were adapted into films between 1967 and 1994. Six were adapted for a series featuring Gösta Ekman as Martin Beck. Between 1997 and 2026, there were also 54 films (some released direct for video and broadcast on television) based on the characters, with Peter Haber as Martin Beck. Apart from the core duo of Beck and his right-hand man Gunvald Larsson, the latter adaptations bear little resemblance to the plots of the original series. They feature a widely different and evolving cast of characters, though roughly similar themes and settings around Stockholm.