Úrsula Achterberg

Úrsula Edith Achterberg Rodríguez (born October 2, 1974) is a Chilean actress. She became known for her leading role as Silvana Maldonado, nicknamed "La Diente de Oro", in the Canal 13 telenovela Fuera de control (1999). She subsequently appeared in Sabor a ti (2000), after which she spent several years away from television. She returned to television in 2016 in an episode of Chilevisión's Lo que callamos las mujeres and later appeared in the 2021 season of TVN's Mea culpa. She has also worked in theater, including productions at Teatro Las Tablas in Santiago.

Early life and career

Achterberg was born in Santiago, Chile, on October 2, 1974. She is the daughter of Rolf Heinz Achterberg Neumann and actress Julia Rodríguez Muñoz. She attended Colegio Santa Úrsula in Santiago before pursuing acting.

Her first television work was in Teatro en Canal 13, where she appeared in the 1998 production El caballero de las siete lunas as Carmen "Carmencita". The production was filmed in 1998 before Achterberg was cast as Silvana Maldonado in Fuera de control.

In 1999, she was cast in Fuera de control, her first leading television role. She played Silvana Maldonado, a young woman who becomes the target of a cruel prank and returns years later seeking revenge. The role brought her widespread recognition.

The following year, she had a supporting role as Conchita Espinoza in Canal 13's Sabor a ti. She subsequently appeared in the TVN telefilm Delantero romano, part of the anthology series Cuentos chilenos, which originally aired in April 2002. She played Tavita, a woman who works at a café frequented by the film's characters. After this appearance, she spent several years away from television, including periods in Mexico and England.

Return to acting

In 2016, Achterberg returned to television in the Chilevisión anthology series Lo que callamos las mujeres. In the episode "Canita al Aire", she played Angélica, a married woman who encounters a former romantic partner played by Romeo Singer, with whom she had starred in Fuera de control. The episode was broadcast on June 6, 2016.

In 2018, she joined the Teatro Las Tablas company and replaced Tichi Lobos in the Chilean production of Crimen, tijeras y shampoo, playing Bárbara. The production was presented at Teatro Las Tablas in Santiago.

In December 2021, Achterberg played Miguelina in the final episode of the 2021 season of Mea culpa. The episode, which was broadcast on December 14, dramatized the case of a woman who killed her partner in Puerto Montt.

In January 2022, she appeared in the stage production Casting, actrices secundarias, directed by Mateo Iribarren and staged at Teatro Bellavista. She played the casting director, who puts five actresses competing for a leading role through a public audition.

Achterberg later appeared in the theater production La contadora de películas, an adaptation of the novel by Hernán Rivera Letelier. The production was staged at Teatro Las Tablas and had been running for nine months by August 2024. Achterberg played the mother of María Margarita, the central character.

The production remained in repertory in January 2026, when Achterberg was listed among its cast for the Festival de Verano San Ginés.

Personal life

Achterberg married Vijay Sharma, with whom she had two daughters. The couple separated, and their relationship was followed by legal proceedings concerning custody of their children.

In 2016, Achterberg discussed a relationship she said she had with Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez when she was a teenager. In a 2022 appearance on Chilevisión's La Divina Comida, she said that she was 15 and Rodríguez was 47 when the relationship began. She described the relationship from her perspective and said that she had concealed her age from him.

During her years away from television, Achterberg supported herself through various forms of temporary work. In a 2009 interview, she said that she had experienced severe financial difficulties and had at times slept on the street. In 2016, she said that she was working as a street performer in Concón, performing juggling routines at traffic lights, and that she took pride in the work.

Legal issues

In 2009, Achterberg was involved in several shoplifting cases. On July 28, she was detained after being caught attempting to steal chocolates and cosmetics from a supermarket in Las Condes. She admitted responsibility and was sentenced to 41 days of imprisonment, suspended, and fined two-fifths of a monthly tax unit. On August 31, she was detained again after being accused of stealing 10 chocolate bars and a container of powdered milk from a supermarket in Recoleta. She was placed under a national travel restriction and barred from entering the store while the case was investigated.

In October 2009, she was detained for a third time after being found with merchandise valued at approximately 16,000 Chilean pesos at a supermarket in Recoleta. She was subsequently acquitted of the charges.

Filmography

Television

Theater