Gustav Åbergsson
Encyclopedia
Gustav Fredrik Åbergsson (née
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...

 Åberg) (1775–1852) was a Swedish stage actor, theatre director and principal of Dramatens elevskola
Dramatens elevskola
Dramatens elevskola, i.e. Kungliga Dramatiska Teaterns Elevskola, or in Eng: The Royal Dramatic Theatre's acting school, was the acting school of Sweden's national stage, The Royal Dramatic Theatre, and for many years seen as the foremost theatre school and drama education for Swedish stage actors...

. He belonged to the leading actors in the Swedish theatre history, called The Hamlet of Stockholm.

Biography

Gustav Åbergsson was born to Jonas Åberg, footman and later economy master at the royal court, and Fredrika Maria Svahn. His father is thought to have been the son of Beata Sabina Straas
Beata Sabina Straas
Beata Sabina Straas , known also as Madame Åberg following her marriage, was the first professional native actress in Sweden and a member of the first pioneer troupe in the first Swedish national theatre of 1737.-Life and career:When the first national theatre was founded in the old premises at...

, the first professional native actress in Sweden to perform on a public stage in 1737, although this is unconfirmed. He was a student at the French Theatre in Bollhuset
Bollhuset
Bollhuset, also called ', ', and ' at various times, was the name of the first theater in Stockholm, Sweden; it was the first Swedish theater and the first real theater building in the whole of Scandinavia. The name "" means "The Ball House", and it was built in 1627 for ball sports and used in...

, as his sister Inga Åberg
Inga Åberg
Inga Åberg was a Swedish actress and opera singer, one of the most popular and well known actors of her time in Sweden...

, in 1786. According to legend, King Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Adolph Frederick and Queen Louise Ulrica of Sweden, she a sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia....

 originally placed him as a student in the Opera after having seen him in the parc of Drottningholm Palace
Drottningholm Palace
The Drottningholm Palace is the private residence of the Swedish royal family. It is located in Drottningholm. It is built on the island Lovön , and is one of Sweden's Royal Palaces. It was originally built in the late 16th century. It served as a residence of the Swedish royal court for most of...

: after discovering that they shared the same name, the king asked him to sing a song. Gustav did so and blew kisses to the audience after, and the king had kissed him on his forehead.

He debuted on the Royal Dramatic Theatre
Royal Dramatic Theatre
The Royal Dramatic Theatre is Sweden's national stage for "spoken drama", founded in 1788. Around one thousand shows are put on annually on the theatre's eight running stages....

 in 1788, but was not considered more than a pretty face, and performed on the Stenborg Theatre
Stenborg Theatre
The Stenborg theatre, also called Svenska Komiska Teatern, Komiska Teatern and Munkbroteatern, was a historical Swedish 18th century theatre, active between 1784 and 1799 in Gamla stan in Stockholm. It was the second theatre of Stockholm during the Gustavian age...

 until he was finally given a contract at the royal theatre in 1798.

He changed his name from Åberg to Åbergsson, because he wanted to avoid being connected to his scandal beauty-sister, Inga Åberg
Inga Åberg
Inga Åberg was a Swedish actress and opera singer, one of the most popular and well known actors of her time in Sweden...

.

Gustav Åbergsson was described as beautiful, with a fine figure, posture and grace and an easy manner, and was often given hero- and lover parts: "roles, which demands a beautiful body and pleasantness"; he had an easy and refined way of acting and pleased the audience: "By his attractive figure, his true way of acting and his refined manners". He made many study trips tpo Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

. In 1812, he was made prefect of the dramatic stage.

In 1819, he and his spouse played the leading parts in Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...

, the first time this play was performed in Stockholm, though it had been performed in Norrköping
Norrköping
Norrköping is a city in the province of Östergötland in eastern Sweden and the seat of Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County. The city has a population of 87,247 inhabitants in 2010, out of a municipal total of 130,050, making it Sweden's tenth largest city and eighth largest...

 already in 1776.

In 1820-23, he was director of the Segerlind Theatre in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...

. After this, he was instructor and, 1828-31, principal of Dramatens elevskola. He retired in 1834.

He was married to the ballet dancer Margaretha Christina Hallongren (d. 1810) in 1793, and had a relationship with the star actress Carolina Kuhlman
Carolina Kuhlman
Ottilia Carolina Kuhlman, also Carolina Deland and Carolina Åbergsson, , was a Swedish actor, the leading lady on the Swedish stage during the Napoleon era in the first two decades of the 19th century.- Biography :...

for several years before they married in 1815.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK