Betty Hennings

[4] She trained as a ballet dancer at the Royal Danish Theatre under August Bournonville who recognized her talents, giving her leading roles including Hilde in A Folk Tale and promoting her to solo dancer in 1869.

She decided to accept his offer, preferring a more relaxed career on the stage to that of a ballet dancer.

As she matured, she began to perform in a number of Ibsen's plays, including Nora in A Doll's House, Hedvig in The Wild Duck, the title role in Hedda Gabler, and Ellida in The Lady from the Sea.

She starred in other Scandinavian works, such as those by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Holger Drachmann and Gunnar Heiberg but also performed in a variety of other dramas, including Shakespeare's Hamlet, playing Ophelia and later Gertrude, and as Schiller's Maria Stuart.

[4] In later life, Hennings continued to act in Ibsen's plays, taking on increasingly mature roles.

Betty Hennings