| Karl Gustav Bonuvier | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 September 1776 Finland |
| Died | 1 August 1858 (aged 81) Fredrikshamn, Finland |
Karl Gustav Bonuvier, (21 September 1776 – 1 August 1858), was a Swedish actor and theatre director, active in Sweden and Finland. He is remembered for having founded the first theatre house in Finland.
Bonuvier was active in the Stenborg Theatre in Stockholm in 1796–99, were he played the lover in Den dubbla intrigen (The double intrigue) by Dumaniant, and later in the theatre troupe of his wife's brother-in-law Johan Peter Lewenhagen and in Djurgårdsteatern, before he played theatre in Finland, as the director of his own troupe, by the privilege of the Russian Czar in 1813–27. He was allowed to found a permanent theatre house in Turku in 1813. This was the first theatre house in Finland, which made Bonuvier a pioneer; previously, theatre in Finland had been conducted by travelling theatre troupes from Sweden - the Stenborg Troupe, the troupe of Martin Nürenbach, the Seuerling troupe; in 1795, the Seuerling troupe had become the first troupe active permanently in Finland under the leadership of Margareta Seuerling, but Bonuvier was the first to found a permanent theatre building. It was replaced by Åbo Svenska Teater in 1837. Karl Gustav Bonuvier was married to his colleague, the Swedish actress Ulrica Sofia Björling.