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Birgit Tengroth

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Birgit Tengroth
Born(1915-07-13)13 July 1915
Stockholm, Sweden
Died21 September 1983(1983-09-21) (aged 68)
Stockholm, Sweden
OccupationActress
Years active1926–1950
Spouse(s)Stig Ahlgren (1944–1950)
Jens Otto Krag (1950–1952)

Birgit Tengroth (13 July 1915 – 21 September 1983) was a Swedish film actress. She appeared in more than 40 films between 1926 and 1950. She was married briefly to Danish politician Jens Otto Krag in 1950.

Biography

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Birgit Tengroth was born in 1915, and was the sixth of eight children born to Carl Gustaf, a chief customs inspector in Stockholm.[1] Her childhood was not happy, the family were poor and Tengroth described herself as often lacking clothing, shoes and tenderness.[1] She took ballet lessons at the Kungliga Teatern (royal theatre) but failed to gain entry to the Royal School of Drama, so did not have formal acting training until private lessons in the 1930s.[1]

Tengroth debuted in Sven Jerring's radio show 'Barnens Brevlåda' together with her friend Sickan Carlsson at the age of 10. Her first work for the movies was a small part in Mordbrännerskan (1926). She got a contract with the leading Swedish studio Svensk Filmindustri (SF) in 1932 and remained there throughout the decade. She was known for playing fresh, girl next door roles, which gave her a popular following amongst young fans. When Ingrid Bergman made her screen debut, she was unfavourably compared to Tengroth.[2]

During the 1940s she left Svensk Filmindustri and worked for a variety of companies. After leaving the movie business in 1950, she became an author and journalist. In some of later writings she was very critical of the Swedish film industry during her years of stardom.[3][1]

Tengroth married Stig Ahlgren, an author and publicist, and the couple divorced. She then married Danish politician Jens Otto Krag, later Prime Minister, in 1950, only to later resume her relationship with Ahlgren.[4]

Tengroth died in 1983, and is buried next to Ahlgren in the Galärvarv cemetery in Stockholm.[1]

Selected filmography

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Writings

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Tytti Soila (Translated by Alexia Grosjean): Birgit Tengroth at Svenskt kvinnobiografiskt lexikon, accessed 18 April 2025
  2. ^ Qvist & Bagh p.145
  3. ^ Radio, Sveriges (13 July 2015). "Birgit Tengroth, 100 år - Kulturnytt". www.sverigesradio.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 19 April 2025.
  4. ^ Qvist & Bagh p.145

Bibliography

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  • Per Olov Qvist & Peter von Bagh. Guide to the Cinema of Sweden and Finland. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000.
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