Modjeska, Helena

Modjeska, Helena
(1840-1909)
   Born Jadwiga Benda in Poland, she established herself as an actress there, first using the name Helena Opid, then Helena Modrzejewska. In 1876, she came to the United States with her second husband Karol Chlapowski, Count Bozenta and bought a ranch in California, where she worked on her English in preparation for restarting her career on the American stage. There she hired young Sophie Treadwell as her secretary. Modjeska made her English-language acting debut in San Francisco in 1877 and developed a repertory that included 16 Shakespearean roles (notably Rosalind and Viola) as well as provocative characters in contemporary plays. Her memoirs, Memories and Impressions (1910), include vivid tales of her tour with Edwin Booth in 1899.

The Historical Dictionary of the American Theater. .

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  • Modjeska, Helena — ▪ Polish actress Modjeska also spelled  Modrzejewska,  original name  Helena Opid  born Oct. 12, 1840, Kraków, Pol. died April 9, 1909, Bay Island, Newport Beach, near Los Angeles   Polish American actress whose repertory included 260… …   Universalium

  • MODJESKA, HELENA —    actress, born in Cracow; went on the stage after her first marriage in 1861, and from 1868 to 1876 was the favourite of Warsaw; retired to California on her second marriage, but returned to the stage, having learned English in seven months in… …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • Helena Modrzejewska — Helena Modjeska Helena Modjeska Helena Modrzejewska dans Ophelia de Shakespeare Nom de naissance Helena Opid Naissance …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Helena Modjeska — Helena Modrzejewska dans Ophelia de Shakespeare Données clés Nom de naissance Helena Op …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Modjeska House — U.S. National Register of Historic Places U.S. National Historic Landmark …   Wikipedia

  • Modjeska Canyon, California — Modjeska Modjeska Canyon is an unincorporated area on the western slope of the Santa Ana Mountains in eastern Orange County, California. It is a rural community of several hundred residents, with a small park and a volunteer fire station …   Wikipedia

  • Modjeska — can refer to: Drusilla Modjeska, a contemporary Australian writer and editor. Helena Modjeska, d.1909, Polish American actress. Named after her: Modjeska House, Modjeska Peak, Modjeska Canyon Modjeska Monteith Simkins, d. 1992, an African… …   Wikipedia

  • Modjeska Peak — Modjeska seen from neighboring Santiago Peak. Elevation 5,496 ft (1,675 m)  …   Wikipedia

  • Helena Modjeska — Helena Modrejewska …   Eponyms, nicknames, and geographical games

  • Helena Modjeska — Infobox actor name = Helena Modjeska |right|thumb|100px imagesize = 150px caption = Helena Modrzejewska as Ophelia in Shakespeare s Hamlet , Austrian Poland, 1867. birthname = Helena Opid birthdate = birth date|1840|10|12|mf=y birthplace = Free… …   Wikipedia

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