Fanny Amalia Westerdahl or ''Fanny Hjortsberg'' (21 February 1817 – 27 March 1873) was a Swedish stage actress, ''Nordisk familjebok'', Volume 17. V – Väring, Projekt Runeberg (Runeberg.org), 2011, p. 689/690, webpage:
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''Europas konstnärer'' (Europe's Art), Projekt Runeberg (Runeberg.org), July 2011, p. 629, webpage:

active between 1829 and 1862. She is also known to have performed in some opera performances. She belonged to the elite actresses 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 ...

of mid-19th-century Sweden.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 ...

Life

Fanny Westerdahl was born in

Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropoli ...

, on 21 February 1817. She was the daughter of a concert conductor at the ''

Hovkapellet Kungliga Hovkapellet (, "The Royal Court Orchestra") is a Swedish orchestra, originally part of the Royal Court in Sweden's capital Stockholm. Its existence was first recorded in 1526. Since 1773 it is part of the Royal Swedish Opera's company. K ...

''. She was enrolled as a student at 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 f ...

in 1828.

Career

Fanny Westerdahl was engaged at the

in 1829 (at age 12) and made her proper debut in 1831, as "Carolina" in ''Baschan in Suresne''. In 1836, she was contracted as a premier actress. In the beginning of her career, she was considered to have in some extent replaced Sara Torsslow on the royal stage. Fanny Westerdahl was described as beautiful, with a good technique in managing her voice in both speaking and lyric drama, a quick and skillful mimic, and a good comprehension of the character of her roles. In 1849, she was referred to as the only one of the actresses of the royal stage truly suited for "great drama" and praised her for her natural warmth and "mild passion". She took her profession seriously, and made a study trip to Paris to study the French theater in 1838. A known incident was told of her improvisation skill on stage. During a performance in which she played a bandit, she was to shoot her co-actor Georg Dahlqvist, but when the gun did not work as it should, she hit him with it, which caused him to faint for real. When he came to, he commented: "You are sublime!" Fanny Westerdahl was a dramatic actress, but as was common at the time when the royal opera and theater where both placed under the same management as the "royal theaters", singers and actors were allowed and expected to be available for both genres providing they had the ability, and Westerdahl is known to have occasionally performed an operatic part, such as when she replaced Elisabeth Frösslind in ''

Cendrillon ''Cendrillon'' (''Cinderella'') is an opera—described as a "fairy tale"—in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Caïn based on Perrault's 1698 version of the Cinderella fairy tale. It had its premiere performance on 24 ...

''. Westerdahl belonged to the elite of dramatic actors on the Swedish stage of her time. Her position was illustrated by her salary: in 1843, she had a salary of 1400 ''

riksdaler The svenska riksdaler () was the name of a Swedish coin first minted in 1604. Between 1777 and 1873, it was the currency of Sweden. The daler, like the dollar,''National Geographic''. June 2002. p. 1. ''Ask Us''. was named after the German Thaler. ...

'', which was only marginally less than the stars

Emilie Högquist Emilie Sophie Högquist or Högqvist (29 April 1812 – 18 December 1846) was a Swedish stage actress. She was a star of the Royal Dramatic Theatre and has been referred to as the first celebrity within Swedish drama and known as the Swedish ...

and

Nils Almlöf Nils Vilhelm Almlöf (1799–1875) was a Swedish stage actor. He was one of the most famous Swedish actors of his time and referred to as "The Swedish Talma". He was born to Nils Almlöf, a servant of the royal household, and Maria Lovisa Herbe ...

(who had 1600) and the same amount as the Ballet master of

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 ...

, Anders Selinder. By 1858, Westerdahl was considered an example of the outdated old recitative way of acting. When she wished to play one of her old heroine parts, she was told: "Madam is too old!" At this point, she was described as overweight, a drunk and with a frivolous mouth, but talented in comedy, and she was recommended by

August Bournonville August Bournonville (21 August 1805 – 30 November 1879) was a Danish ballet master and choreographer. He was the son of Antoine Bournonville, a dancer and choreographer trained under the French choreographer, Jean Georges Noverre, and the nep ...

as an example of good instinct and fantasy in contrast to mere education. Fanny Westerdahl formally retired with a pension in 1862, but was active as a

guest actor In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other ...

for several years afterwards. Her best-known roles include: "Louise" in ''Kabal and Kärlek'', "Johanna af Montfaucon" or "Griselda", Amalia in ''Röfvarbandet'', and "Katarina Månsdotter" in ''

Erik XIV Eric XIV ( sv, Erik XIV; 13 December 153326 February 1577) was King of Sweden from 1560 until he was deposed in 1569. Eric XIV was the eldest son of Gustav I (1496–1560) and Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg (1513–1535). He was also ruler of Est ...

''. Her singing roles include "

" and "Papagena" in ''Trollflöyten'', and "Bettly" in ''Alphyddan''.

Private life

Fanny Westerdahl married the actor Carl Edvard Hjortsberg (son of

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 ...

) in 1847, and divorced him in 1849. After her divorce, she called herself Mrs Westerdahl. Fanny Westerdahl died in Stockholm, on 27 March 1873.

References

* Georg Nordensvan: ''Svensk teater och svenska skådespelare. Första bandet 1773–1842'' (Swedish theatre and Swedish actors from Gustav III to our days. First book 1772–1842).

Life

Career

Private life

References

Further reading