Helena Modjeska (nee Opid), (1840-1909) was an internationally-famous Polish actress who later moved to the United States.
Madame Modjeska was born October 12, 1840 in Kraków, Poland. Her father, Michael Opido, was a musician, and her tastes soon declared themselves strongly in favor of a dramatic career; but it was not until after her marriage in 1861 that she first attempted to act, and then it was with a company of strolling players. Her husband (whose name, Modrzejewski, she simplified for stage purposes) died in 1865. In 1868 she married Count Bozenta Chlapowski , a Polish politician and critic, and almost immediately afterwards received an invitation to act at Warsaw. There she remained for seven or eight years, and won a high position in her art.
In 1876 she went with her husband and son to Southern California, where they settled on a ranch in the Santa Ana Mountains. The area, now in Orange County, was quite remote and lacking in culture. The family helped found a small Polish colony centered in Anaheim.
The ranch proved a failure and Madame Modjeska returned to the stage. She appeared in San Francisco in 1877, in an English version of "Adrienne Lecouvreur", and, in spite of her imperfect command of the language, achieved a remarkable success. In 1883 she starred as "Nora" in the first first professional production of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House in the U.S. A candymaker in Louisville, Kentucky saw a performance in that role and named a confection after her. She continued to act principally in America, but also periodically toured in Poland and the United Kingdom with great success. She had a reputation as the leading female interpreter of Shakespeare on the American stage in the 1880s and 1890s. She died on April 9, 1909 at her home.
Modjeska's home, "Arden", in Modjeska Canyon in Orange County is a National Historic Landmark. The 5496'/1,675m-tall peak in the Santa Ana Mountains, at the headwaters of her canyon, was named "Modjeska Peak " in her honor following her death.
Modjeska's son, Ralph Modjeski, was the most prominent U.S. bridge engineer of the early 20th century.
Roles
Her chief tragic roles were:
In comedy her favorite roles were:
Madame Modjeska was also the Polish interpreter of the most prominent plays of
Legouv, Dumas père and fils, Émile Augier, Alfred de Musset, Octave Feuillet and Victorien Sardou.
References
- Collins, Mabel, The Story of Helena Modjeska, (London, 1883),
- Modjeska, Helena, Memories and Impressions (New York, 1910).
External links
Last updated: 08-23-2005 07:35:43
