Eleonora Säfström

Who was Eleonora Säfström?

Ulrika Eleonora Säfström was a Swedish stage actress, described as a great dramatic star of Stockholm in her day.

She and her twin sister Eva were employed in the choir of the Royal Swedish Opera in 1785. In 1787, she debuted at the Stenborg Theatre. She was described as a fairy-like beauty with a voice that "cuddled the ear", and was anticipated to become one of the "greatest ornaments" of the theatre. She did meet with success, and in the following years she was given a great repertoire of leading roles which generally received good reviews. She was called the "first actress" of the theatre and was placed by the side of Lisette Stenberg as one of the two leading ladies of the theatre. She was used for heroine parts and was also popular in operettas.

She played Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro opposite Didrik Gabriel Björn at the Swedish premier performance of this play on 20 December 1792. She also played the title role in Minna von Barnhelm by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing in 1793. Her most acclaimed parts were the title roles in Nina and Azemia. As the mentally ill Nina, she was called "irresistibly touching", and "As the heroine of the play one of the most excellent actresses the Stenborg Theatre ever owned."