From Footlights to Family: The Life of Kaja Sundsten

Basic Information

Early Life and Training

Kaja Sundsten was born on January 7, 1930, in Douglas Park, California. Described in period accounts as a ballerina and dancer, she came of age just as American stages were turning toward big, kinetic productions and sleek revues. Even in brief notices, her identity is consistent: a poised performer from California, trained in the disciplined lines of ballet, stepping into Broadway ensembles while still very young.

The late 1940s were a crucible for talent: New York’s theaters teemed with choreographers and impresarios looking for performers who could handle precise ensemble work as well as the glamour of show business. Sunlight and rigor—that combination shaped the dancer she became.

Broadway Years (1948–1951)

By 1948, at age 18, Sundsten had her name in Manhattan lights as a performer in Sleepy Hollow. Ensemble work demanded exact timing, relentless stamina, and the ability to convey a character largely through movement. She thrived there, in the choreography’s clean counts and the camaraderie of the chorus line.

From June 28, 1950, through February 25, 1951, she appeared in Michael Todd’s Peep Show, a polished, touring-friendly revue known for high production values and a lively, rotating bill. While her credits list ensemble roles, that doesn’t diminish their difficulty; chorus dancers were the kinetic engine of mid-century musical theater. In that compact span—1948 to early 1951—Sundsten’s résumé reflects the quicksilver pace of Broadway’s postwar seasons and the nimble dancers who kept it humming.

Partnership with Burgess Meredith (1950s–1997)

Around 1950–1951, Kaja Sundsten married actor and director Burgess Meredith, becoming the fourth wife of a performer already well known on stage and screen. The marriage lasted until his death on September 9, 1997, a union of roughly 46–47 years—long by any measure, and especially in the public orbit of American entertainment.

Photographs across the 1950s through the 1970s capture the pair at premieres and opening nights, their partnership grounded in shared creative worlds. Meredith’s career spanned landmark roles—on Broadway, in films, on television—while Sundsten maintained a steady, dignified presence, navigating public life with the composure of a dancer holding center in a crowded tableau.

Family: Children and Creative Paths

Kaja Sundsten and Burgess Meredith raised two children, each following creative currents of their own:

• Jonathan Meredith emerged as a musician with a particular affection for fingerstyle traditions—ragtime, blues, and old-time forms—often associated with the foothill communities of Northern California. His performances, recordings, and local concerts sketch an artist connected to place and craft, carving melodies with the same careful attention a dancer gives to line and balance.
• Tala Meredith pursued visual art. Her paintings and prints have circulated through artist listings and auctions, testifying to a personal style that found its audience beyond the shadow of a famous surname.

Sundsten’s parents—John/Johannes Vilhelm Sundstén and Genevieve W. Sundsten—appear in genealogical records and family photo captions, anchoring Kaja in a lineage that traveled from family albums to the footlights and, ultimately, to a branch of the Meredith family tree that remained creative through successive generations. She was also noted as a grandmother, a quiet milestone that marks the widening circles of a long life.

Family Overview

Later Years and Passing (1998–2018)

After 1997, Sundsten was a widow, closing a chapter that included nearly five decades beside one of America’s most recognizable actors. She lived to 88, passing away on March 26, 2018, in Greenwood, California. The geographic arc—Douglas Park to Greenwood—bookends a life that stretched from the fast-twitch tempos of Broadway’s postwar stage to the steadier rhythms of California life, where her children’s creative endeavors carried the family’s artistic thread forward.

Kaja on Stage: The Work and Its Demands

The brevity of her publicly listed credits belies the intensity of the work. Ensemble dancers are the architecture of a show’s movement: they build patterns, deliver power, and keep the audience’s eye traveling. In revues like Michael Todd’s Peep Show, turnover was rapid and expectations were high. Precision was currency. Sundsten’s career there suggests a performer who could learn quickly, travel efficiently, and remain unflappable under bright lights.

Her identity as a ballerina is a telling detail. Ballet training gives a dancer balance, endurance, and spatial intelligence. Those qualities almost certainly informed her stage contributions and, later, her ability to navigate the long span of public life as Burgess Meredith’s partner—poise in motion, then poise in the frame of a camera.

Selected Timeline

Names, Places, and the Shape of a Life

Kaja Sundsten’s public footprint is compact yet distinct: two key Broadway entries, a marriage that endured across 46–47 years, two children whose work suggests a familial affinity for the arts. She moved from rehearsal studios to social pages, from chorine credits to family roles—an arc many performers trace when the curtain falls and other callings take their turn in the spotlight.

It’s also a story of names—Kaja Sundsten, later often listed as Kaja Sundsten Meredith—marking the point where individual career and shared life intersect. The dance may have started in New York, but its echoes continued in California, where music and art in the next generation extended the rhythm.

FAQ

Who was Kaja Sundsten?

She was an American dancer and ballerina who performed on Broadway and later became the longtime spouse of actor Burgess Meredith.

When was Kaja Sundsten born and when did she die?

She was born on January 7, 1930, and died on March 26, 2018.

What were her notable stage credits?

Her Broadway credits include Sleepy Hollow (1948) and Michael Todd’s Peep Show (1950–1951).

Where was she born?

She was born in Douglas Park, California.

Who did Kaja Sundsten marry?

She married actor Burgess Meredith around 1950–1951, and they remained married until his death in 1997.

Did she have children?

Yes, two: Jonathan Meredith and Tala Meredith.

What do her children do?

Jonathan is a musician known for fingerstyle ragtime and related genres, while Tala is an artist whose works have appeared in auction listings.

Where did Kaja Sundsten pass away?

She passed away in Greenwood, California.

Was she formally trained as a ballerina?

She is publicly described as a former ballerina, and her stage work reflects ballet-informed technique.

Did she receive major awards?

There are no widely recorded individual awards for her; her public record centers on stage credits and her family’s creative life.