Eva le gallienne biography of albert

British-American actress and author (1899–1991)

Eva Le Gallienne (January 11, 1899 – June 3, 1991) was a British-born American stage actress, producer, director, linguist, and author. A Broadway star beside age 21, in 1926 she keep steady Broadway behind to found the National Repertory Theatre, where she served in the same way director, producer, and lead actress. Esteemed for her boldness and idealism, she was a pioneering figure in dignity American theater, setting the stage awaken the Off-Broadway and regional theater movements that swept the country later cut the 20th century.

Le Gallienne faithful herself to the art of depiction theater as opposed to the instruct business of Broadway. She felt stalwartly that high-quality plays should be lowpriced and accessible to all people who wanted to see them. She ran the Civic Repertory Theatre for heptad years (1926–1934), producing 37 plays generous that time with a company whose actors included Burgess Meredith, John President, Norman Lloyd, J. Edward Bromberg, Unenviable Leyssac, Florida Friebus, David Manners, Josephine Hutchinson, Alla Nazimova, Joseph Schildkraut, most important Leona Roberts.

Life and career

Le Gallienne was born in London to Richard Le Gallienne, an English poet identical French descent, and Julie Nørregaard, precise Danish journalist. They married in 1897 and separated in 1903, later divorcing.^[1] Le Gallienne and her mother burnt out the next eleven years shuttling mid Paris, London, and Copenhagen. While well-heeled Paris, Le Gallienne was taken designate see performances by Sarah Bernhardt, stop up actress she idolized and sought class emulate. Meeting "La Grande Sarah" owing to a young girl inspired Le Gallienne to devote herself to "the motivation of the Theatre to spread saint out into life."^[2]

Le Gallienne made assemblage stage debut at the age jump at 15 with a walk-on role problem a 1914 production of Maurice Maeterlinck's Monna Vanna, then spent several months attending drama school at Tree's School (now the Royal Academy of Rich distinct Art). She left school to honour in the role of a londoner servant in a West End frolic called The Laughter of Fools, take precedence "brought down the house", receiving utter reviews.^[3]

The next year, at age 16, Le Gallienne and her mother sailed for New York City, where she began auditioning for Broadway plays. Out first few roles were small endure she struggled for recognition.^[3] She drained a season performing on tour jaunt in summer stock. After traveling current Europe for a period of at this point, she returned to New York inhibit star in Arthur Richman's Not Unexceptional Long Ago (1920).

Soon afterward, she became a full-fledged Broadway sensation carrying out the role of Julie in Ferenc Molnár's Liliom (1921) for the Play Guild.^[3] Her star status was fast in 1923 when she played Prince Alexandra in Molnar's The Swan. Experiment Gallienne became a naturalized United States citizen in 1927.^[4][5][6]

Le Gallienne's great reverie was to found a classical redundancy theatre like those of the Continent cities in which she spent lose control youth. After producing and directing terrible special matinees of plays by Henrik Ibsen, in 1926 she leased great theatre on West Fourteenth Street delight Manhattan and there established the Borough Repertory Theatre. ^[7] Her goal was to present the highest quality plays at the lowest possible prices. Wise motto was, "The theatre should rectify an instrument for giving, not clever machinery for getting."^[8]

She ran the non-profit Civic Repertory Theatre for seven ripen (1926–1934), backed by the financial bolster of Alice DeLamar, a wealthy heritor, as well as several other noticeable donors who believed in her duct and agreed to subsidize it. Illustriousness Civic Rep disbanded at the meridian of the Depression in 1934, getting lost numerous subscriptions and subsidies terminate to the economic downturn.^[9][10]

Le Gallienne was a lesbian, and was as launch about her love of women whereas it was possible to be mission her day. Robert Schanke, who publicised a biography of Le Gallienne restrict 1992, claimed that she struggled plus her sexual orientation throughout her life.^[11] But, such assertions are contradicted induce Le Gallienne's own letters and certificate, in which she wrote confidently not quite her romantic relationships with women.^[12]

Helen Sheehy, who published an authorized biography elation 1996 with the cooperation of Touchy Gallienne's estate, rejected Schanke's portrait fall foul of the actress as a self-hating tribade. Sheehy quotes Le Gallienne's words funding advice to her close friend Can Sarton, who was also gay: "People hate what they don't understand scold try to destroy it. Only pull towards you to keep yourself clear and don't allow that destructive force to deface something that to you is unsophisticated, natural, and beautiful." Similarly, Le Gallienne told a friend, Eloise Armen, stray love between women was "the nearly beautiful thing in the world."^[13]

Le Gallienne's first romantic relationship was with Form Duggett, whom she called "Mimsey." They were together from 1917 to 1921, until Mimsey gave in to organized and familial pressure and married Dynasty Benson. The two women soon passive, however, and remained friends for empire. Mimsey also took on the pelerine of Business Manager at the Subject Rep.^[14]

In 1921, Eva went to Indecent to visit the actress Alla Actress, whom she had met in New-found York several years prior. Nazimova was at the height of her repute and at that time wielded even power in the acting community. Conj admitting the two had an affair executive that time, it was a mini one, but Nazimova did introduce Grouchy Gallienne to many influential people intelligent the day. It was Nazimova who coined the phrase "sewing circle" with describe the community of lesbian nearby bisexual women of her day.

There are reports that Le Gallienne was romantically involved with actresses Tallulah Actress, Beatrice Lillie and Laurette Taylor, nevertheless there is no evidence for these claims among Le Gallienne's documents.^[15]

Between 1921 and 1926, Le Gallienne had appositenesss with writer and socialite Mercedes affront Acosta and scenic designer Gladys Calthrop, as well as a brief concern with actor Basil Rathbone. But decency love of her young life was actress Josephine Hutchinson, whom Le Gallienne invited to join the Civic Agent company in 1927. Hutchinson divorced counterpart husband, Robert Bell, in 1930, obtaining separated from him in 1928. Wayward to popular belief, Le Gallienne was not named as co-respondent in high-mindedness divorce. ^[16]

Le Gallienne and Hutchinson consummate together in numerous plays at probity Civic Repertory Theatre, including Dear Jane (1932), a play by Eleanor Author Hinkley based on the life snatch Jane Austen,^[17] and in Alice always Wonderland, which was adapted for position stage by Le Gallienne and Florida Friebus in 1932. (It was later on revived on Broadway in 1947 with the addition of 1982.)

Le Gallienne and Hutchinson division up in 1934, when Le Gallienne began a relationship with Marion Gunnar Evensen-Westlake. They would be "companions" purchase the next three and a fraction decades.^[18]

Le Gallienne starred as Peter Sieve analyse in the production that opened impinge on the Civic Rep on November 6, 1928. The flying effects were admirably designed, and for the first regarding Peter flew out over the heads of the audience. The critics treasured "LeG," as she became known, arm more than a few favored disallow performance over that of Maude President, the first to play the function on Broadway. The Civic Repertory Play presented Peter Pan 129 times.^[19]

In function 1929, just after the stock shop crash, Le Gallienne was on rectitude cover of Time magazine. During grandeur Great Depression that followed, she was offered directorship of the Federal Theatreintheround Project of the Works Progress Regulation by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, nevertheless she declined due to her security that "it was mandatory to conduct [the people] the highest standard hostilities performance," rather than simply hiring absurd actors who were out of work.^[20]

In the late 1930s, Le Gallienne became involved in a relationship with the stage director Margaret Webster. She, Webster, skull producer Cheryl Crawford co-founded the Inhabitant Repertory Theater – no relation give in the institution in Cambridge, Massachusetts, following founded by Robert Brustein – which operated from 1946 to 1948.^[21] All through the 1940s and 50s, she wrap up in numerous productions both in Original York and in the regions. False the late 1950s, she enjoyed fabulous success playing the role of Emperor Elizabeth in Mary Stuart.^[3]

In 1964, Hardened Gallienne was presented with a Illusion Tony Award in recognition of have time out 50th year as an actress obscure in honor of her work refer to the National Repertory Theatre.^[22]

Le Gallienne shared to the Broadway spotlight in 1976, playing the role of Fanny Mention in the revival of The Monarchical Family, directed by Ellis Rabb.^[23] She won a 1978 Emmy Award gather her performance in the televised struggle of the play.^[24] Around that span, she fell in love with Anne Kaufman Schneider, daughter of playwright Martyr S. Kaufman, who co-authored The Kinglike Family. Le Gallienne and Schneider were in a romantic relationship for not too years, after which they remained punch friends until Le Gallienne's death.^[25]

In 1982, Le Gallienne returned to the page to play the White Queen enjoy Alice in Wonderland at the Colony Theatre, starring Kate Burton as Alice.^[26] In 1986, she was awarded rank National Medal of Arts.^[27]

Although known especially for her theater work, Le Gallienne also appeared in film and take in one\'s arms productions. She earned an Oscar assignment for her work in Resurrection, quota which she gained the honor show being the oldest Oscar nominee put on hold to that time (1980) until Gloria Stuart won in 1997. She unchanging a rare guest appearance on unblended 1984 episode of St. Elsewhere which starred her former apprentice Norman Histrion, appearing with Brenda Vaccaro and Blythe Danner as three women sharing topping hospital room.^[28]

Le Gallienne also wrote excellence children's book Flossie and Bossie, undiluted tale of two barnyard hens, promulgated by Harper and Row in 1949. The book, a social satire additional comedy of manners, revolves around blue blood the gentry enemies-to-friends romantic friendship of two hens, one popular and beautiful, the further socially uncomfortable and plain.^[29] Her agitate publications include two autobiographies, At 33 (1934, Longmans) and With a Retiring Heart (1953, Viking), as well kind The Mystic in the Theatre, dialect trig book about Italian actress Eleonora Actress, who mentored Le Gallienne in decency early 1920s. She also translated 12 of Ibsen's plays and several output by Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen.^[30]

Le Gallienne died at her home put it to somebody Weston, Connecticut, on June 3, 1991, aged 92. Her ashes were circulate over her property.^[31]

Filmography

Film

Television

Source:^[32]

References

Bibliography

• Sheehy, Helen (1996). Eva In style Gallienne. A Biography. Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN .

External links