''Gustaf'' Fredrik Åbergsson née Åberg (27 March 1775 – 20 July 1852) was a Swedish stage actor, theatre director and principal of the

Royal Dramatic Training Academy The Royal Dramatic Training Academy (, 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 foremost theatre school and drama education ...

. He is one of the leading actors in Swedish theatre history.

Background

Gustav Åbergsson was born to Jonas Åberg, footman at the royal court, and Fredrika Maria Svahn. His father is thought to have been the son of Beata Sabina Straas, the first professional native actress in Sweden to perform on a public stage in 1737, although this is unconfirmed.

Stage career

He was a student at the French Theatre of Gustav III in

Bollhuset Bollhuset, also called (The Big Ball House), (Ball House Theater), and Gamla Bollhuset (Old Ball House) at various times, was the name of the first theater in Stockholm, Sweden; it was the first Swedish theater and the first real theater buildin ...

in 1786, as was his sister Inga According to popular legend, 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 King Adolf Frederick and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what he s ...

originally placed him as a student in the Opera after having seen him in the park of

Drottningholm Palace Drottningholm Palace (), or Drottningholm, one of Sweden's royal palaces, situated near Sweden's capital Stockholm, is the private residence of the Swedish royal family. Located on Lovön island in Stockholm County's Ekerö Municipalit ...

: 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 made his debut on the

Royal Dramatic Theatre The Royal Dramatic Theatre (, 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 theatre has been at its present lo ...

in 1788, but performed on the

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 t ...

until he was finally given a contract at the royal theatre in 1798. He changed his surname from Åberg to Åbergsson, because he wanted to avoid being connected to his sister, actress and opera singer,

Inga Åberg Inga Åberg (Ingeborg Elisabeth; 1773–1837) was a Swedish actress and opera singer. She was engaged as an opera singer at the Royal Swedish Opera, and as a stage actress at the Royal Dramatic Theatre, between 1787 and 1810. Life Early life ...

(1773–1837). 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 reportedly pleased the audience "By his attractive figure, his true way of acting and his refined manners." He made many study trips to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. In 1812, he was made prefect of the dramatic stage. In 1819, he and his spouse played the leading parts in

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

, the first time this play was performed in Stockholm (though it had been performed 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 Lin ...

in 1776). In 1820–1823, he was director of the

Segerlind Theatre Segerlindska teatern ('Segerlind Theatre') was a theater in Gothenburg, active between 1816 and 1892. It was also known as ''Nya teatern'' ('New Theatre'), ''Stora teatern'' ('Grand Theatre') and (after the foundation of the Grand Theatre) as '' ...

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

. After this, he was instructor, and from 1828–1831, headmaster of the

. He retired in 1834.

Private life

He was married to the ballet dancer

Margaretha Christina Hallongren Margaretha () is the standard Dutch form of the feminine given name Margaret as well as a common form of it in Sweden. In daily life, many use a short form, like ''Gré'', '' Greet'', ''Greta'', '' Grietje'', '' Marga'', '' Margo'', ''Margot'', ''M ...

(d. 1810) in 1793, and had a relationship with the star actress

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 ...

(1778–1866) for several years before they married in 1815. Åbergsson was buried at

Norra begravningsplatsen Norra begravningsplatsen, literally "The Northern Burial Place" 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. Th ...

outside Stockholm.

References

Other sources

* 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 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 ...

* Torsten Dahl, ''Svenska män och kvinnor, nr 8'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Abergsson 19th-century Swedish male actors Swedish male stage actors 1775 births 1852 deaths Drama teachers Swedish theatre directors 19th-century theatre managers Burials at Norra begravningsplatsen