Gerda Lundequist
Encyclopedia
Gerda Carola Cecilia Lundequist (14 February 1871 – 23 October 1959) was a Swedish
stage actress, an Ibsen and Strindberg
-thespian that in her time was known throughout Scandinavia
as "The Swedish Sarah Bernhardt
".
. She had a 60 year long career as a professional actress (with debut 1889) before she made her last performance in 1949, as Julia Hylténius in the successful staging of the comedy The Barons Will by Hjalmar Bergman
. She studied at The Royal Dramatic Theatre's acting school 1886-1889 and in 1891 appeared as Queen Gertrude in Hamlet
, a performance that established Lundequist at the top. In 1890, she originated the role of Anne-Marie in Ibsen's A Doll's House
and in 1897 the role of Ella Rentheim in Ibsen's John Gabriel Borkman
.
Notable performances by Lundequist include the title role in Schiller's Maria Stuart (1910), Goneril in Shakespeare's King Lear
(1908), Béline in Molière
's The Imaginary Invalid (1897), the title role in Maeterlinck
's Monna Vanna (at the Swedish Theatre
1912), the title role in Hjalmar Söderberg
's Gertrud
(1907; original staging), Tora in Paul Lange and Tora Parsberg by Bjørnson
(1922), Mrs Alving in Ibsen's Ghosts
(1938) and Mrs Dowey in The Old Lady Shows Her Medals
by J.M. Barrie (1940). In 1923 she also staged and directed Eugene O'Neill
's play Anna Christie
at Helsingborg City Theatre
, as one of Sweden's first female stage directors.
Lundequist was an outspoken feminist and fighter for women's emancipation in her field, and was a regular lecturer, as well as an elected member of the school council, at Fogelstad School for Women (a school run by the influential Fogelstad-group that included feminist writer Elin Wägner
).
In 1947, at age 76, she had critical success with portrayal of the Dutchess of York in Richard III
, directed by Alf Sjöberg and as Maria Josefa in Lorca
's Blood Wedding.
Lundequist appeared in relatively few films; one of her more notable performances was as the Major's wife, Mrs. Margareta Samzelius, in the silent film The Saga of Gösta Berling
(1924). Lundequist played a supporting role in the 1955 Swedish drama film Giftas (based on a novel by August Strindberg
), as the old Royal Highness, at age 84.
Daughter - Cecilia Matilda Frida Dahlström (1918 - 2001)
Grand children - Martin Shaw, Robin Shaw and Sonja Kristina, (celebrated british singer and actress)
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
stage actress, an Ibsen and Strindberg
Strindberg
Strindberg may refer to:People* August Strindberg , Swedish dramatist and painter* Nils Strindberg , Swedish photographer* Anita Strindberg , Swedish actor* Henrik Strindberg , Swedish composerOther...
-thespian that in her time was known throughout Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
as "The Swedish Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt was a French stage and early film actress, and has been referred to as "the most famous actress the world has ever known". Bernhardt made her fame on the stages of France in the 1870s, and was soon in demand in Europe and the Americas...
".
Career
Lundequist was considered one of Scandinavia's leading tragediennes and dramatic stage actresses, and she originated many leading female parts in plays by Ibsen and StrindbergStrindberg
Strindberg may refer to:People* August Strindberg , Swedish dramatist and painter* Nils Strindberg , Swedish photographer* Anita Strindberg , Swedish actor* Henrik Strindberg , Swedish composerOther...
. She had a 60 year long career as a professional actress (with debut 1889) before she made her last performance in 1949, as Julia Hylténius in the successful staging of the comedy The Barons Will by Hjalmar Bergman
Hjalmar Bergman
Hjalmar Fredrik Elgérus Bergman was a Swedish writer and playwright.The son of a banker in Örebro, Bergman briefly studied philosophy at Uppsala University but soon broke off his studies and took up the life of a free writer. He married Stina Lindberg, the daughter of actor and stage producer...
. She studied at The Royal Dramatic Theatre's acting school 1886-1889 and in 1891 appeared as Queen Gertrude in Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
, a performance that established Lundequist at the top. In 1890, she originated the role of Anne-Marie in Ibsen's A Doll's House
A Doll's House
A Doll's House is a three-act play in prose by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premièred at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having been published earlier that month....
and in 1897 the role of Ella Rentheim in Ibsen's John Gabriel Borkman
John Gabriel Borkman
John Gabriel Borkman is the penultimate composition of the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, written in 1896.-Plot:The Borkman family fortunes have been brought low by the imprisonment of John Gabriel who used his position as a bank manager to illegally speculate with his investors' money...
.
Notable performances by Lundequist include the title role in Schiller's Maria Stuart (1910), Goneril in Shakespeare's King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
(1908), Béline in Molière
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
's The Imaginary Invalid (1897), the title role in Maeterlinck
Maurice Maeterlinck
Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck, also called Comte Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911. The main themes in his work are death and the meaning of life...
's Monna Vanna (at the Swedish Theatre
Swedish Theatre (Stockholm)
The Swedish Theatre in Stockholm was, at the beginning of the 20th century, Sweden's largest dramatic theatre. During its years in use, from 1875 to 1925, it was often considered as Sweden's foremost national theatre...
1912), the title role in Hjalmar Söderberg
Hjalmar Söderberg
Hjalmar Emil Fredrik Söderberg was a Swedish novelist, playwright, poet and journalist. His works often deal with melancholy and lovelorn characters, and offer a rich portrayal of contemporary Stockholm through the eyes of the flaneur...
's Gertrud
Gertrud (play)
Gertrud is a Swedish 1906 play , in three parts, by author and playwright Hjalmar Söderberg.-Story description:The play is a modern relationship drama with the middle-age Gertrud in the centre and about her relationships with three different men; her husband Gustav Kanning , her older,...
(1907; original staging), Tora in Paul Lange and Tora Parsberg by Bjørnson
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson was a Norwegian writer and the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. Bjørnson is considered as one of The Four Greats Norwegian writers; the others being Henrik Ibsen, Jonas Lie, and Alexander Kielland...
(1922), Mrs Alving in Ibsen's Ghosts
Ghosts (play)
Ghosts is a play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It was written in 1881 and first staged in 1882.Like many of Ibsen's better-known plays, Ghosts is a scathing commentary on 19th century morality....
(1938) and Mrs Dowey in The Old Lady Shows Her Medals
The Old Lady Shows Her Medals
The Old Lady Shows Her Medals is a play by J. M. Barrie. It was first published in his collection Echoes of the War in 1918, which also included the stories The New Word, Barbara's Wedding and A Well-Remembered Voice...
by J.M. Barrie (1940). In 1923 she also staged and directed Eugene O'Neill
Eugene O'Neill
Eugene Gladstone O'Neill was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into American drama techniques of realism earlier associated with Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, and Swedish...
's play Anna Christie
Anna Christie
Anna Christie is a play in four acts by Eugene O'Neill. It made its Broadway debut at the Vanderbilt Theatre on November 2, 1921. O'Neill received the 1922 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his work.-Plot summary:...
at Helsingborg City Theatre
Helsingborg City Theatre
Helsingborg City Theatre is the city theatre of Helsingborg in south of Sweden. It's one of the most well-known city theatres in Sweden....
, as one of Sweden's first female stage directors.
Lundequist was an outspoken feminist and fighter for women's emancipation in her field, and was a regular lecturer, as well as an elected member of the school council, at Fogelstad School for Women (a school run by the influential Fogelstad-group that included feminist writer Elin Wägner
Elin Wägner
Elin Matilda Elisabet Wägner was a Swedish writer, journalist, feminist, teacher, ecologist and pacifist. She was a member of the Swedish Academy from 1944.- Biography :...
).
In 1947, at age 76, she had critical success with portrayal of the Dutchess of York in Richard III
Richard III (play)
Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
, directed by Alf Sjöberg and as Maria Josefa in Lorca
Federico García Lorca
Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca was a Spanish poet, dramatist and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27. He is believed to be one of thousands who were summarily shot by anti-communist death squads...
's Blood Wedding.
Lundequist appeared in relatively few films; one of her more notable performances was as the Major's wife, Mrs. Margareta Samzelius, in the silent film The Saga of Gösta Berling
Gösta Berlings saga (film)
The Saga of Gosta Berling is a 1924 Swedish romantic drama film directed by Mauritz Stiller and released by AB Svensk Filmindustri, starring Lars Hanson, Gerda Lundequist and Greta Garbo in her native break-out role on film. The film is based on the 1891 debut novel of the same name by the Swedish...
(1924). Lundequist played a supporting role in the 1955 Swedish drama film Giftas (based on a novel by August Strindberg
August Strindberg
Johan August Strindberg was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg's career spanned four decades, during which time he wrote over 60 plays and more than 30 works of fiction, autobiography,...
), as the old Royal Highness, at age 84.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | Gösta Berlings saga Gösta Berlings saga (film) The Saga of Gosta Berling is a 1924 Swedish romantic drama film directed by Mauritz Stiller and released by AB Svensk Filmindustri, starring Lars Hanson, Gerda Lundequist and Greta Garbo in her native break-out role on film. The film is based on the 1891 debut novel of the same name by the Swedish... |
Majorskan; Margaretha Samzelius | aka The Saga of Gösta Berling |
| 1931 | En Natt | Beckius | aka One Night |
| 1940 | Stora famnen | Karolina Koger | |
| 1944 | Räkna de lyckliga stunderna blott | Mrs. Branzell | |
| 1946 | Onsdagsväninnan Onsdagsväninnan Onsdagsväninnan is a 1946 Swedish film directed by Sture Lagerwall and Alice O'Fredericks.The film was based on the play Peter den store by Paul Sarauw, which premiered in 1930 at Det Ny Theater... |
Mathilde Hallencreutz | |
| 1947 | Den Långa vägen | Grandma | |
| 1955 | Giftas | Her Royal Highness | aka Of Love and Lust |
| 1961 | Maria Angelica | TV-theatre aired posthumously on Swedish television |
Stage work
A great deal of Gerda Lundequist's stage work are listed here at IMDb.Family
Spouse -Alfred Dahlström (1908 - 1923) (his death)Daughter - Cecilia Matilda Frida Dahlström (1918 - 2001)
Grand children - Martin Shaw, Robin Shaw and Sonja Kristina, (celebrated british singer and actress)