Thecla Åhlander (3 June 1855 – 8 April 1925) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

stage and film actress whose career began on the stage in the late 19th century and lasted through the early 1920s.

Early life and stage career

Åhlander was born Thekla Ottilia Åhlander in

Norrköping Norrköping (; ) is a city in the province of Östergötland in eastern Sweden and the seat of Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County, about 160 km southwest of the national capital Stockholm, 40 km east of county seat Linköp ...

and initially studied drama as pupil of

Frans Hedberg Frans Theodor Hedberg (2 March 1828 – 8 June 1908) was a Swedish playwright and poet. He is also known by his pseudonyms: Esbern Snare, Palle Block, and Paul Qvitt. Biography He was born at Stockholm, Sweden. After growing up in an orphanage ...

in 1872. She continued her studies at the Royal Dramatic Theatre School from 1874 to 1877. She made her stage debut at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in 1877 in a play titled ''Ett namn''. She was engaged at the theatre until 1922 and from 1908 to 1915 was also a drama teacher at the theatre. Åhlander became one of Scandinavia's premier stage actresses, appearing in roles by

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

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Ludvig Holberg Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg (3 December 1684 – 28 January 1754) was a writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright born in Bergen, Norway, during the time of the Dano-Norwegian dual monarchy. He was influenced by Humanism, ...

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, Axel Emil Betzonich, amongst others. She became the theatre's premier actress in 1888 and received the

Litteris et Artibus Litteris et Artibus is a Swedish royal medal established in 1853 by Charles XV of Sweden, who was then crown prince. It is awarded to people who have made important contributions to culture, especially music, dramatic art and literature. The ob ...

in 1891.Projekt Runeberg
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Film career

Åhlander also appeared in three Swedish

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

s in the early 1920s; Gunnar Klintberg's 1921 ''Elisabet'',

Mauritz Stiller Mauritz Stiller (born Moshe Stiller, 17 July 1883 – 18 November 1928) was a Swedish film director of Finnish Jewish origin, best known for discovering Greta Garbo and bringing her to America. Stiller had been a pioneer of the Swedish film ...

's 1923 '' Gunnar Hedes saga'' and

Victor Sjöström Victor David Sjöström (; 20 September 1879 – 3 January 1960), also known in the United States as Victor Seastrom, was a pioneering Swedish film director, screenwriter, and actor. He began his career in Sweden, before moving to Hollywood in ...

's 1923 ''The Hell Ship'' (

: ''Eld ombord'').

References

External links

*
Svenska Filminstitutet''Idun'', 7 April, 1893
1855 births 1925 deaths Swedish stage actresses Swedish film actresses Swedish silent film actresses Litteris et Artibus recipients People from Norrköping 19th-century Swedish actresses 20th-century Swedish actresses {{Sweden-actor-stub