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 seventh-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Örebro Municipality, and capital of Örebro County. It is situated by the Närke Plain, near the lake Hjälmaren, a few kilometers inland along the small river Svartån, and ...

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

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 ...

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

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

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

. 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 () is a Swedish-language theatre in Helsinki, Finland, and is located at the Erottaja () square, at the end of Esplanadi (). It was the first national stage of Finland. History The first theatre in Helsinki, '' Engels Te ...

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 o ...

, and

Oscarsteatern Oscarsteatern (English language, 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 (Stockholm), Kungsgatan 63 in central Stock ...

. Simultaneously, he ran the

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

. 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'' (), sometimes staged in English as ''The Dream Play'', 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 ...

'' 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 60 pla ...

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 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 ...

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