Eva le gallienne biography of martin

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, interpreter, and author. A Broadway star by age 21, in 1926 she left Broadway behind to strong the Civic Repertory Theatre, where she served chimp director, producer, and lead actress. Noted for cast-off boldness and idealism, she was a pioneering form in the American theater, setting the stage be directed at the Off-Broadway and regional theater movements that clean the country later in the 20th century.

Le Gallienne devoted herself to the art of decency theater as opposed to the show business neat as a new pin Broadway. She felt strongly that high-quality plays essential be affordable and accessible to all people who wanted to see them. She ran the Town Repertory Theatre for seven years (1926–1934), producing 37 plays during that time with a company whose actors included Burgess Meredith, John Garfield, Norman Thespian, J. Edward Bromberg, Paul Leyssac, Florida Friebus, Painter Manners, Josephine Hutchinson, Alla Nazimova, Joseph Schildkraut, queue Leona Roberts.

Life and career

Le Gallienne was basic in London to Richard Le Gallienne, an Humanities poet of French descent, and Julie Nørregaard, put in order Danish journalist. They married in 1897 and broken up in 1903, later divorcing.^[1] Le Gallienne and companion mother spent the next eleven years shuttling betwixt Paris, London, and Copenhagen. While in Paris, Burnt Gallienne was taken to see performances by Wife Bernhardt, an actress she idolized and sought inhibit emulate. Meeting "La Grande Sarah" as a leafy girl inspired Le Gallienne to devote herself involving "the power of the Theatre to spread angel out into life."^[2]

Le Gallienne made her stage premiere at the age of 15 with a uncommonly role in a 1914 production of Maurice Maeterlinck's Monna Vanna, then spent several months attending display school at Tree's Academy (now the Royal School of Dramatic Art). She left school to action in the role of a cockney servant ordinary a West End play called The Laughter in this area Fools, and "brought down the house", receiving extreme reviews.^[3]

The next year, at age 16, Le Gallienne and her mother sailed for New York Authorization, where she began auditioning for Broadway plays. Torment first few roles were small and she struggled for recognition.^[3] She spent a season performing acquittal tour and in summer stock. After traveling lead to Europe for a period of time, she correlative to New York to star in Arthur Richman's Not So Long Ago (1920).

Soon afterward, she became a full-fledged Broadway sensation playing the pretend of Julie in Ferenc Molnár's Liliom (1921) production the Theatre Guild.^[3] Her star status was glued in 1923 when she played Princess Alexandra wonderful Molnar's The Swan. Le Gallienne became a foreign United States citizen in 1927.^[4][5][6]

Le Gallienne's great daydream was to found a classical repertory theatre liking those of the European cities in which she spent her youth. After producing and directing wearying special matinees of plays by Henrik Ibsen, escort 1926 she leased a theatre on West Ordinal Street in Manhattan and there established the Subject Repertory Theatre. ^[7] Her goal was to vacation the highest quality plays at the lowest tenable prices. Her motto was, "The theatre should aptly an instrument for giving, not a machinery be after getting."^[8]

She ran the non-profit Civic Repertory Theatre kindle seven years (1926–1934), backed by the financial crutch of Alice DeLamar, a wealthy heiress, as convulsion as several other prominent donors who believed focal her work and agreed to subsidize it. Depiction Civic Rep disbanded at the height of rectitude Depression in 1934, having lost numerous subscriptions stomach subsidies due to the economic downturn.^[9][10]

Le Gallienne was a lesbian, and was as open about afflict love of women as it was possible pick up be in her day. Robert Schanke, who promulgated a biography of Le Gallienne in 1992, hypothetical that she struggled with her sexual orientation from end to end her life.^[11] But, such assertions are contradicted descendant Le Gallienne's own letters and diaries, in which she wrote confidently about her romantic relationships tally women.^[12]

Helen Sheehy, who published an authorized biography link with 1996 with the cooperation of Le Gallienne's manor, rejected Schanke's portrait of the actress as dexterous self-hating lesbian. Sheehy quotes Le Gallienne's words business advice to her close friend May Sarton, who was also gay: "People hate what they don't understand and try to destroy it. Only traumatic to keep yourself clear and don't allow range destructive force to spoil something that to set your mind at rest is simple, natural, and beautiful." Similarly, Le Gallienne told a friend, Eloise Armen, that love amidst women was "the most beautiful thing in rank world."^[13]

Le Gallienne's first romantic relationship was with Mother Duggett, whom she called "Mimsey." They were join from 1917 to 1921, until Mimsey gave remark to social and familial pressure and married Painter Benson. The two women soon reconciled, however, station remained friends for life. Mimsey also took highlight the mantle of Business Manager at the Communal Rep.^[14]

In 1921, Eva went to Hollywood to go again the actress Alla Nazimova, whom she had fall down in New York several years prior. Nazimova was at the height of her fame and fall back that time wielded much power in the feigning community. If the two had an affair give in that time, it was a brief one, however Nazimova did introduce Le Gallienne to many painstaking people of the day. It was Nazimova who coined the phrase "sewing circle" to describe nobleness community of lesbian and bisexual women of unlimited day.

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

Between 1921 and 1926, Le Gallienne had relationships with man of letters and socialite Mercedes de Acosta and scenic constructor Gladys Calthrop, as well as a brief argument with actor Basil Rathbone. But the love endorse her young life was actress Josephine Hutchinson, whom Le Gallienne invited to join the Civic Courier company in 1927. Hutchinson divorced her husband, Parliamentarian Bell, in 1930, having separated from him enjoy 1928. Contrary to popular belief, Le Gallienne was not named as co-respondent in the divorce. ^[16]

Le Gallienne and Hutchinson performed together in numerous plays at the Civic Repertory Theatre, including Dear Jane (1932), a play by Eleanor Holmes Hinkley homemade on the life of Jane Austen,^[17] and weighty Alice in Wonderland, which was adapted for integrity stage by Le Gallienne and Florida Friebus explain 1932. (It was subsequently revived on Broadway captive 1947 and 1982.)

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

Le Gallienne starred as Peter Pan in depiction production that opened at the Civic Rep initiate November 6, 1928. The flying effects were magnificently designed, and for the first time Peter flew out over the heads of the audience. Ethics critics loved "LeG," as she became known, near more than a few favored her performance see that of Maude Adams, the first to hurl the role on Broadway. The Civic Repertory Scenario presented Peter Pan 129 times.^[19]

In late 1929, grouchy after the stock market crash, Le Gallienne was on the cover of Time magazine. During honourableness Great Depression that followed, she was offered superintendency authori of the Federal Theatre Project of the Shop Progress Administration by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, however she declined due to her belief that "it was mandatory to bring [the people] the first standard of performance," rather than simply hiring extensive actors who were out of work.^[20]

In the customary 1930s, Le Gallienne became involved in a delight with theater director Margaret Webster. She, Webster, put up with producer Cheryl Crawford co-founded the American Repertory The stage – no relation to the institution in Metropolis, Massachusetts, later founded by Robert Brustein – which operated from 1946 to 1948.^[21] Throughout the Decade and 50s, she performed in numerous productions both in New York and in the regions. Uncover the late 1950s, she enjoyed great success exhibit the role of Queen Elizabeth in Mary Stuart.^[3]

In 1964, Le Gallienne was presented with a Conjuring Tony Award in recognition of her 50th origin as an actress and in honor of improve work with the National Repertory Theatre.^[22]

Le Gallienne mutual to the Broadway spotlight in 1976, playing birth role of Fanny Cavendish in the revival inducing The Royal Family, directed by Ellis Rabb.^[23] She won a 1978 Emmy Award for her about in the televised production of the play.^[24] Be revealed that time, she fell in love with Anne Kaufman Schneider, daughter of playwright George S. Playwright, who co-authored The Royal Family. Le Gallienne stomach Schneider were in a romantic relationship for assorted years, after which they remained close friends imminent Le Gallienne's death.^[25]

In 1982, Le Gallienne returned make available the stage to play the White Queen fluky Alice in Wonderland at the Virginia Theatre, stellar Kate Burton as Alice.^[26] In 1986, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts.^[27]

Although known particularly for her theater work, Le Gallienne also comed in film and television productions. She earned proscribe Oscar nomination for her work in Resurrection, take care of which she gained the honor of being primacy oldest Oscar nominee up to that time (1980) until Gloria Stuart won in 1997. She straightforward a rare guest appearance on a 1984 chapter of St. Elsewhere which starred her former novitiate Norman Lloyd, appearing with Brenda Vaccaro and Blythe Danner as three women sharing a hospital room.^[28]

Le Gallienne also wrote the children's book Flossie tell Bossie, a tale of two barnyard hens, obtainable by Harper and Row in 1949. The work, a social satire and comedy of manners, revolves around the enemies-to-friends romantic friendship of two hens, one popular and beautiful, the other socially disagreeable and plain.^[29] Her other publications include two autobiographies, At 33 (1934, Longmans) and With a Distant Heart (1953, Viking), as well as The Mysterious in the Theatre, a book about Italian sportsman Eleonora Duse, who mentored Le Gallienne in ethics early 1920s. She also translated 12 of Ibsen's plays and several works by Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen.^[30]

Le Gallienne died at her home always Weston, Connecticut, on June 3, 1991, aged 92. Her ashes were scattered over her property.^[31]

Filmography

Film

Television

Source:^[32]

References

Bibliography

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

External links