Louis Joseph Marie Deland (25 April 1772 – 15 April 1823) was a Swedish ballet dancer, singer, actor, choreographer and ballet master in the

Royal Swedish Ballet The Royal Swedish Ballet is one of the oldest ballet companies in Europe. Based in Stockholm, Sweden, King Gustav III founded the ballet in 1773 as a part of his national cultural project in response to the French and Italian dominance in this fi ...

. He is often considered the first native male star in the Royal Swedish Ballet.

Life and career

Louis Deland was the son of Louise-Antoine Deland from

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

, the hair dresser, parfymeuse and

footman A footman is a male domestic worker employed mainly to wait at table or attend a coach or carriage. Etymology Originally in the 14th century a footman denoted a soldier or any pedestrian, later it indicated a foot servant. A running footman deli ...

of the Swedish queen,

Sophia Magdalena of Denmark Sophia Magdalena of Denmark ( da, Sophie Magdalene; sv, Sofia Magdalena; 3 July 1746 – 21 August 1813) was Crown Princess of Sweden by her marriage to Gustav III. She was liked by many in the Caps party, believing she was a symbol of virtue a ...

. He was the brother of the violinist Jean Pierre Deland. He debuted on the stage of 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 ...

in Stockholm in the ballet to the opera ''Orphée'' at the age of ten. He impressed the king

Gustav III of Sweden Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Prussia. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what ...

, who sent him to be educated at the ballet of Paris in France, by the famous Gardel.

Career at the Royal Ballet

In 1792, he returned to Sweden, where he had his homecoming performance in ''Armide'' 9 January, and was hired as premier dancer at the Royal Swedish Opera and at the

Royal Dramatic Theatre The Royal Dramatic Theatre ( sv, Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern, colloquially ''Dramaten'') is Sweden's national stage for "spoken drama", founded in 1788. Around one thousand shows are put on annually on the theatre's five running stages. The the ...

. He was soon considered the most notable male dancer in the country. He also had a beautiful voice and was considered very good in comical parts, and his interaction in the plays with

Lars Hjortsberg Lars Hjortsberg (22 November 1772 – 8 July 1843) was a Swedish stage actor. He belonged to the pioneer generation of elite actors of the Royal Dramatic Theatre and has, alongside Emilie Högquist, been referred to as the most famous Swedish a ...

and Carl Schylander were widely admired. He was considered to be a natural talent, who became one with his part. He was said to have a feeling of "childlike loveliness" to his appearance, which he kept through his life. Among his parts were Niklas in ''Tanddoktorn'' (The Dentist) by Åhlström, Husca in ''Karavanen'' (The Caravane) by Gretry, Räfklo in ''Målaren och modellerna'' (Painter and Models) by Bouilly,

Pierrot Pierrot ( , , ) is a stock character of pantomime and '' commedia dell'arte'', whose origins are in the late seventeenth-century Italian troupe of players performing in Paris and known as the Comédie-Italienne. The name is a diminutive of ''P ...

in ''Den talande tavlan'' (Speaking painting) by Gretry and Crispin in ''Den föregifna skatten'' (The Supposed Treasure).Nordensvan, Georg, Svensk teater och svenska skådespelare från Gustav III till våra dagar. Förra delen, 1772–1842, Bonnier, Stockholm, 1917 Swedish theatre and Swedish actors from Gustav III to our days. First book 1772–1842'(Swedish) In 1803, he was appointed ballet master of the Royal Swedish Ballet and in 1809 as first dancing master, a position he kept until 1820, with a brief interruption in 1816–1818. He also composed

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

ballets, character dances and other entertainments. Louis Delands retired when at the age of forty, he suffered a condition which made him lose his memory. His place was in many ways filled by Per Erik Sevelin.

Private life

Deland was married twice, first to the actor

Carolina Kuhlman Ottilia Carolina Kuhlman (15 November 1778 – 12 April 1866) was a Swedish stage actress. She was an elite member of the Royal Dramatic Theatre, where she was considered the leading lady in the early 19th-century.Nordensvan, Georg, Svensk tea ...

and, after a divorce, to the actor Maria Rebecka Rydberg. He was the father of the feminist

Josefina Deland Josefina (Josephine) Deland (Stockholm, 1 October 1814 – Paris, 8 March 1890), was a Swedish feminist, writer and a teacher in French. She founded ''Svenska lärarinnors pensionsförening'' (Society for Retired Female Teachers), where she served ...

. The Deland family became a well known theatre family. Louis Deland's nephews,

Pierre Deland Pierre Joseph Deland (13 December 1805 – 13 November 1862) was a Swedish stage actor and theatre director. He was the director of the Deland Theater Company in 1833-1861, a travelling theater famous in both Sweden and Finland, and as such an in ...

and Fredrik Deland were known actors: the former director of the Deland troupe and

Djurgårdsteatern Djurgårdsteatern ( Swedish for "Djurgården Theatre"), was an historical Swedish theatre, active at Djurgården in Stockholm between 1801 and 1929 (from 1863 in a new building). It was the only theatre in Stockholm outside the royal theatres du ...

, and Pierre's daughter, was actor

Betty Deland Hedvig Kristina Elisabeth "Betty" Deland (14 November 1831 in Örebro – 1 April 1882 in Stockholm) was a Swedish stage actress. She was a principal of the Royal Dramatic Training Academy and belong to the elite of Swedish 19th-century actors. ...

, vice principal of the

Royal Dramatic Training Academy The Royal Dramatic Training Academy ( sv, Kungliga Dramatiska Teaterns Elevskola, also known as ''Dramatens elevskola''), was the acting school of Sweden's national stage, the Royal Dramatic Theatre, and for many years (1787–1964) seen as the ...

References

Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon

* Nordensvan, Georg, Svensk teater och svenska skådespelare från Gustav III till våra dagar. Förra delen, 1772–1842, Bonnier, Stockholm, 1917 Swedish theatre and Swedish actors from Gustav III to our days. First book 1772–1842'(Swedish) * Löfgren, Lars, Svensk teater, Natur och kultur, Stockholm, 2003 * Klas Ralf, Prisma, Operan 200 år. Jubelboken Opera 200 Year Jubilee Book' {{DEFAULTSORT:Deland, Louis 1772 births 1823 deaths Swedish choreographers Swedish male ballet dancers Ballet masters 19th-century Swedish ballet dancers 18th-century Swedish ballet dancers Gustavian era people