Sophie Charlotte Ackermann (''née'' Bierreichel) (10 May 1714 – 14 October 1792) was a German

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

from

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

Biography

She first married an

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists. In addition, an organist may accompany congregational h ...

named Schröder, who was unable to support his family. She entered the stage in 1740 in

Lüneburg Lüneburg (officially the ''Hanseatic City of Lüneburg'', German: ''Hansestadt Lüneburg'', , Low German ''Lümborg'', Latin ''Luneburgum'' or ''Lunaburgum'', Old High German ''Luneburc'', Old Saxon ''Hliuni'', Polabian ''Glain''), also called ...

and established her own troupe in 1741 who failed in 1744. She left the stage for three years. In 1749, she married

Konrad Ackermann Konrad Ernst Ackermann (1 February 1710 – 13 November 1771) was a German actor. Ackermann first accompanied field marshal Burkhard Christoph von Münnich on his travels and in battles. Born in Schwerin, he first entered the stage under a c ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

. They left

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

in 1751 and founded the famous Ackermann troupe (''Ackermann'sche Gesellschaft''). The troupe visited Danzig,

Königsberg Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was name ...

, Breslau,

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

, Halle, then

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

and with the beginning of the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...

via Strasbourg to Switzerland. After the peace treaty, they returned via Strasbourg, Frankfurt, Mainz,

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

which became the domicile of the troupe. In 1767 the troupe was sold to a consortium of private owners, called the Hamburgische Entreprise, whose main backer was

Abel Seyler Abel Seyler (23 August 1730, Liestal – 25 April 1800, Rellingen) was a Swiss-born theatre director and former merchant banker, who was regarded as one of the great theatre principals of 18th century Europe. He played a pivotal role in the dev ...

, who employed Gotthold Ephraim Lessing as its dramaturge. The ''Entreprise'' was home to famous founders of German histrionics such as

Friedrich Ludwig Schröder Friedrich Ludwig Schröder (3 November 1744 – 3 September 1816) was a German actor, manager, dramatist and prominent masonic leader. He was born in Schwerin. Shortly after his birth, his mother, Sophie Charlotte Bierreichel (1714&nda ...

and

Konrad Ekhof Konrad Ekhof (12 August 1720 in Hamburg, Germany – 16 June 1778) was a German actor, widely regarded as one of the foremost actors of the German-speaking realm in the 18th century. He was noted for his collaboration with the theatre principal ...

. Her children were

Dorothea Ackermann Caroline Dorothea Elisabeth Ackermann (12 February 1752 – 21 October 1821) was a German actress and eldest daughter of Konrad Ackermann and Sophie Charlotte Bierreichel. She had one sister, Charlotte Ackermann, and one stepbrother Friedr ...

, Sophie Charlotte Ackermann and

Marie Magdalene Charlotte Ackermann Marie Magdalene Charlotte Ackermann (23 August 1757 – 10 May 1775) was a German actress. She was the daughter of the actors Konrad Ernst Ackermann and Sophie Charlotte Ackermann. Biography Marie Magdalene Charlotte Ackermann made her the st ...

. She died in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

Sources

* ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' - online version at

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Born-on-this-Day.com
1714 births 1792 deaths 18th-century German actresses Actresses from Berlin People from the Margraviate of Brandenburg 18th-century theatre managers Women theatre managers and producers 18th-century German businesswomen 18th-century German businesspeople {{Germany-stage-actor-stub