Albert Adam Ranft (23 November 1858 – 5 October 1938) was a Swedish theatre director and actor.

Biography

Albert Adam Ranft was born in Stockholm, the son of Adolf Fredrik Ranft and Katarina Amalia Reijhell. His brother Gustaf Adolf Ranft (1856–1929) was also an actor. Ranft debuted in the theatre company of Danish actress Magda von Dolcke (1838–1926) in

Örebro Örebro ( , ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, sixth-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Örebro Municipality, and capital of the Örebro County. It is situated by the Närke Plain, near the lake Hjälmaren, a few kilometers in ...

during 1876. He was involved in various amusing theater companies until 1884 when he started his own travelling company. Ranft was engaged from 1886–1890 as director and actor at Stora Teatern in

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

and with

Hjalmar Selander Hjalmar Selander (2 July 1859 – 10 August 1928) was a Swedish actor, stage director and theatre manager. Biography Selander was born in Mölndal Municipality in Västra Götaland, Sweden. He made his debut at the Stora teatern in Göteborg ...

(1859–1928) in 1890–1892. He ran a traveling theater company from 1892–1893. In 1892, he took over ownership of Stora Teatern. In 1895, Ranft took over the

Vasateatern Vasateatern or ''"Vasan"'' (English: ''Vasa Theatre'') is a private theatre in Stockholm, Sweden. It is located at Vasagatan 19–21 in central Stockholm. History The theater was designed by Fredrik Ekberg (1837- 1898) and inaugurated in 1886. ...

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

. Ranft was regarded as the "theatre emperor of Stockholm" in the early 20th century. For a while his empire comprised all the private playhouses in the city: Vasateatern, the

Swedish Theatre The Swedish Theatre ( sv, Svenska Teatern) is a Swedish-language theatre in Helsinki, Finland, and is located at the Erottaja ( sv, Skillnaden) square, at the end of Esplanadi ( sv, Esplanaden). It was the first national stage of Finland. His ...

Södra Teatern Södra Teatern is a theatre in Stockholm, Sweden. It is located at Mosebacke torg on Södermalm in Stockholm. The venue is the oldest theatre in Stockholm and is situated in the heart of the city. History Södra Teatern is one of Sweden's old ...

, and

Oscarsteatern Oscarsteatern (English: Oscar Theatre), also known simply as Oscars, is one of Stockholm's private theatres and is the best-known musical theatre in Sweden. It is located at Kungsgatan 63 in central Stockholm. History The theater was designed ...

. Simultaneously, he ran the

Royal Swedish Opera Royal Swedish Opera ( sv, Kungliga Operan) is an opera and ballet company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Location and environment The building is located in the center of Sweden's capital Stockholm in the borough of Norrmalm, on the eastern side ...

. The jewel in his crown was the Swedish Theatre, where several plays that have made theatre history premiered, notably ''

A Dream Play ''A Dream Play'' ( sv, Ett drömspel) is a fantasy play in 14 scenes written in 1901 by the Swedish playwright August Strindberg. It was published in Swedish in 1902 and first performed in Stockholm on 17 April 1907. It remains one of Strindberg' ...

'' by

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...

in 1907.

Personal life

In 1878 he was married to actress Alma Helin (1854–1881) and from 1893 with actress Lisa Ranft (1876–1941) with whom he had the children operetta singer Kajsa Ranft (1894-1963) and actor Nils Ranft (1896–1974). Albert Ranft died in Stockholm and was buried at

Norra begravningsplatsen Norra begravningsplatsen, literally "The Northern Cemetery" in Swedish, is a major cemetery of the Stockholm urban area, located in Solna Municipality. Inaugurated on 9 June 1827, it is the burial site for a number of Swedish notables. Nota ...

Selected filmography

* '' A Perfect Gentleman'' (1927) * '' For Her Sake'' (1930)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ranft, Albert Swedish male stage actors Swedish theatre directors 1858 births 1938 deaths Male actors from Stockholm 19th-century Swedish male actors 20th-century Swedish male actors Burials at Norra begravningsplatsen