Elisabeth Forsselius

Infobox actor
name = Elisabeth Forsselius


imagesize =
caption =
birthname = Gertrud Elisabeth Forsell
birthdate = 23 January 1771
location = Sweden
deathdate = 15 February 1850 (age 79)
deathplace = Sweden
height =
othername = Elisabeth Haeffner, and Elisabeth Fahlgren.
homepage =
spouse = Johann Christian Friedrich Haeffner and Johan Jacob Fahlgren.

Gertrud Elisabeth Forsselius (Forsell), later Elisabet Haeffner and Elisabet Fahlgren, (23 January 1771-15 February 1850), was a Swedish actor and opera singer, married to the musician Johann Christian Friedrich Haeffner and the actor and singer Johan Jacob Fahlgren. She belongs to the circle of actors that is often talked about and mentioned in history books as the pioneer generation of Swedish actors at the Royal Dramatic Theatre.

Biography and career

Elisabeth Forsselius was employed at the Royal Swedish Opera in 1783 and then at the theatre of Bollhuset by director Ristell in 1787, and married Haeffner the same year. She was considered an excellent actress particularly within comedy, and she was frequently used for so called soubrette - and boy's breeches roles, were she was described as terrific, and continued to play teenagers until her last years at the stage.

She played Anna in "Siri Brahe och Johan Gyllenstierna" in 1788 and 1790 and Minna von Barnhelm in "Minna von Barnhelm" in 1793. Among her other parts were Sidonie in "Armide" the season 1786-1787, Ismene in "Elektra" in 1787-1788, Delia in "Soliman II eller de tre sultaninnorna" in 1789-1790, Weakness in "Alcides inträde i världen" in 1793-1794, Armide in "Renaud" in 1800-1801 and the marschioness in "Griselda" in 1809-1810.

In 1788, Forsselius became a member in the actors board of directors that run the Royal Dramatic Theatre until 1803. As a member of the board, she is, in the report of Armfelt, who observed the board meetings as a representant for the Swedish Academy of Arts, described as someone who let her personal feelings towards the other members affect her votings. If this is true, she was far from the only one doing so; these sessions were reputed for and often described as chaotic and stormy.

Forsselius divorced Haeffner in 1807, and remarried the singer Johan Fahlgren (1786-1848) the year after. As many of her generation of actors, she retired after the season of 1810.

See also

* Maria Franck
* Jeanette Fredrique Löf
* Inga Åberg

Sorces

* http://runeberg.org/samlaren/1887/0074.html
* Georg Nordensvan, "Svensk teater och svenska skådespelare från Gustav III till våra dagar; Första bandet, 1772-1842"
* "Svenska teaterns repertoar 1773-1973".
* "Kungliga teaterns historia 1788-1988".
* Thorsten Dahl, "Svenska män och kvinnor, nr 3".
* Svenskt biografiskt lexikon.