Sæbjørn Buttedahl

Nils Sæbjørn Buttedahl was born in Lier, Norway and began his career as a stage actor in 1896 at the age of twenty. From 1907 to 1924 he was engaged at the Centralteatret (Central Theater) in Oslo (then known as Kristiana).^[1] He appeared in a number of stage plays by Henrik Ibsen, and appeared onstage with such eminent Norwegian actors of the era as Agnes Mowinckel and Martin Linge.^[2]

Buttedahl appeared in three feature-length silent films during his career as an actor. Two of these films, 1926's Simen Mustrøens besynderlige opplevelser and 1927's Den glade enke i Trangvik were directed by Harry Ivarson. His final film role was in the 1927 romantic drama Fjeldeventyret (A Mountain Romance),^[3] directed by his son-in-law Leif Sinding.^[1]

During his time as an actor, Buttedahl also began a career as a sculptor, mainly as a sculptor of busts and almost exclusively sculpted notable theater personalities. He debuted his work at the Autumn Exhibition in Oslo in 1912. Notable works in the public collection include:

• Nationaltheatret (National Theater), Oslo: busts of Jens Selmer (marble) and Ingolf Schanche (bronze, 1921)
• Vestre gravlund (Western Cemetery), Oslo: bust of Fredrik Wilhelm Wingar (bronze, 1923)
• Oslo Theatre Museum, Oslo: busts of Kaja Eide Norena, Ingolf Schanche and Halvor Urdahl
• Copenhagen Theater Museum, Copenhagen: bust of Peter Fjelstrup (alabaster, 1913)
• Oslo Bymuseum (Oslo City Museum), Oslo: busts of Jens Selmer (alabaster) and Ole Thommessen (alabaster)
• Drammens Faste Galleri (Drammen Fixed Gallery), Drammen: bust of Harald Otto (alabaster, 1914)^[4]

Sæbjørn Buttedahl married Danish stage actress Clare Petrea Margrethe "Maggie" Benelli (1870–1933).^[5] They had one daughter, Ellen (Buttedahl) Sinding (1899–1980), who married film director Leif Sinding and became a film actress and dancer.^[6]

In 1926, Buttedahl emigrated to the United States, where he toured the country with appearances reciting poems and singing folk songs.^[3][7][8] He settled in San Diego, California, where he died in 1960 at age 83.