[1] Dace Akmentiņa was born Doroteja Šteinberga on 3 July 1858 in Kreis Bauske to a poor family.

Her first role was as Vana in 1886, in Mikhail Glinka's opera A Life for the Tsar.

It was this role which launched her acting career.

Her acting career declined after 1914, with her last performance taking place in 1922.

[2][3] In her height, she was considered a fashionable woman during the period of Art Nouveau.