Her father was originally the star actor and later director of Comediehuset in Gothenburg, where her parents met and married the same night in 1787 of which they played onstage lovers.

The family moved to Stockholm when her father was employed at the Royal Dramatic Theatre, where he became an elite actor and admired for his beauty and "male figure".

Described as a beautiful child, her mother arranged for her stage career when she was very young, in order for her to contribute to the household, which was in a poor financial state after the death of her father.

Widerberg described in her memoirs how she played with dolls when her mother received gifts from her (Henriette's) adult male admirers.

She was enrolled in the Royal Dramatic Training Academy in 1807, where she was tutored by Sofia Lovisa Gråå in the French tradition of Anne Marie Milan Desguillons.

[1] Widerberg, who was known to dislike du Puy, who she accused of having unjustly brought about the dismissal of Jeanette Wässelius, declined and left.

Insulted, Widerberg threatened to jump out of the window when the caretaker came to put extra locks on her door, but was comforted by her colleagues, who arranged a little party in her room.

"[1] In her memoirs, she recalled how she complained about men and boys trying to take a look at her when she had to change during performances, this director guarded her from them, but at the same time observed her himself instead - though she ads, that he was actually harmless.

She had the reputation of being a courtesan, but whether this was correct is a question of definition, as this was a term easily applied to women who had affairs at the time even if they did not charge money for sexual services.

[2] Henriette Widerberg never married but had five children, three daughters and two sons, notably the actress Georgina Wilson, daughter of the secretary of the British Embassy, Charles Manners St George, who was considered a capable actress, and Julia Liedberg (1824-1847), who was engaged at the Royal Swedish Opera: both of them reportedly "left after themselves a beautiful and non clouded memory.

[1] Reportedly, Henriette Widerberg had a poor sense of financial affairs and mismanaged her economy, a fact which was to prove disastrous when her career at the Royal Opera was discontinued and she no longer had the protection of her status there.

[2] Her dismissal was not liked by her admirers in the audience, who demanded her return, but the differences between Widerberg and the management could not be solved and neither part could agree to a new contract.

Her financial situation and her difficulty in managing her economy had been hard also during her tenure at the Royal Opera, but she had been protected by her status and position there, and after her retirement, she was pressed by her creditors and unable to find a solution to pay her debts.