Tidblad grew up in Stockholm as daughter to engineer Otto Tidblad and the formerly Helga Krumlinde. She was a student at the Royal Dramatic Theatre's famous acting school, the Royal Dramatic Training Academy (1919–22), where she during her student years already was recognized as a rising star by audience and critics for her debut performance of Ariel in Shakespeare's The Tempest, where director Olof Molander had hand-picked her for the part, early recognizing her talent. After her graduation from drama school she worked at the Swedish Theatre, where she had her big star breakthrough in Sweden as Ophelia in Hamlet, opposite Schanke in the title role, in 1924. She remained in the theatre's ensemble until its tragic burn-down in 1925.[citation needed]
Most notable for her many female leads in Shakespeare and Strindberg plays, star performances by Tidblad on stage include her Ophelia in Shakespeare's Hamlet, Billie Moore in Broadway, the Angel in Cenodoxus, Aude in Graven under triumfbågen, Anna Boleyn in Henry VIII, Juliet in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Ellen in Älskling jag ger mig, Rosalind in Shakespeare's As You Like It, Lotta Enterfelt in Svenska sprätthöken, Alegre in Maxwell Anderson's play Key Largo (1940), Sonja in Crime and Punishment, Blanche in Folkungasagan, Portia in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Mary Vetsera in Mayerlingdramat, Cecilia in Rovdjuret, The Daughter in Strindberg's The Ghost Sonata, Mrs. Kenyon in Samson Raphaelson's play Skylark (1943), Beréngère in Robert Boissy's Jupiter (1943), Marguerite Gautier in Alexandre Dumas' The Lady of the Camellias (1954), Mary Tyrone in the world premiere of Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night (1956), in Terence Rattigan's Separate Tables at Vasateatern (1958–59) and as Queen Christina in August Strindberg's play Kristina in 1961.
During her career Tidblad performed at Sweden's prime theatres; after her work at the Swedish Theatre she worked at the Vasateatern (1925–26), the Oscarsteatern (1926–32) and at the Royal Dramatic Theatre from 1932 to 1963 when she retired from stage. After her retirement she made only a few guest appearances on stage and film.[citation needed]
She starred in some notable early Swedish silent films, including Norrtullsligan (1923), Mälarpirater (1923), Farbror Frans (1926) and Svarte Rudolf (1928). She made her film debut in Andersson, Pettersson och Lundström in 1923. In 1930 she starred in the lead, opposite Gösta Ekman, in the first Swedish talkie; For Her Sake. Notable performances on film include Norrtullsligan (1923), Sången om den eldröda blomman (1934), Intermezzo (the original Swedish 1936 film), Flames in the Dark (1942), Det brinner en eld (1943), Den osynliga muren (1944), Frånskild aka Divorced (1951; directed by Gustaf Molander and written by Ingmar Bergman), Kvinnohuset (1953), Enhörningen (1955), Pärlemor (1961); and Pistolen (1973), for which Tidblad was awarded a Guldbagge Award (the finest Swedish film award, the Golden Beetle) for Best Actress, shortly before her death.
She was married first to actor Ragnar Billberg (1923–1930) and then to actor Håkan Westergren from 1931 (to her death in 1975), with whom she had daughter Meg Westergren and son Claes-Håkan Westergren, also actors.
