Helena Modrzejewska: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Helena Modrzejewska is a Polish actress and model. She has been in films such as “Zona” and “Zaklęcie na szczudłach.”

Google/Wikimedia Commons Helena Modrzejewska is a Polish actress.

Helena Modrzejewska was a Polish actress who was most renowned for her portrayal of Lady MacBeth in Shakespearean plays in both Poland and America.

On what would have been her 181st birthday, October 12, 2021, she will be honored with a Google Doodle. Helena Modjeska is another name for her.

Helena Modrzejewska (known professionally as Helena Modjeska) portrayed nearly 300 different roles in over 6,000 plays—both in Polish and English—and was widely regarded as one of the best actors in Polish history and one of the late-19th century’s greatest Shakespearean stage performers in America,” Google wrote in its tribute.

Here’s what you should be aware of:


Helena Modrzejewska is number one. Was born in Poland and has gone through many names.

Helena Modrzejewska

Helena Modrzejewska may be found on Google.

Modrzejewska was recognized by several different names during her life.

“On this day in 1840, Jadwiga Benda was born in Krakow, Poland, and was shortly renamed Helena Opid,” Google said. She was the daughter of a rich Polish widow, according to Polish History.pl. Her father’s identity was unknown.

She began her career in theater in 1961. That was in a one-act play called “The White Camellia,” according to Google. According to Google, she had a stage name at this point: Modrzejewska.


2. She was dubbed the “Brightest Theater Star” in Poland.

MODJESKA DOCUMENTARY TRAILER is now available to see. The trailer for the forthcoming 2009 stylised documentary “Modjeska” celebrates the famous Polish actress Helena Modjeska’s American trip, in which she polished theatre in the United States by just following her heart. She was Poland’s and women’s voice at the same time. She influenced artists from all around the globe. For her, she is adored and appreciated… 2009-01-04T01:52:34Z

According to Polish History.pl, Modrzejewska was regarded as Poland’s “brightest theatrical star” during her time.

She was “a living legend in her time as a celebrity both in Poland and America,” according to Culture.pl.

“The undeniable genius of Mrs Modrzejewska who, while still dealing with the challenges of her job, puts so much effort and devotion into every stage appearance that over time she may become the star of the very finest theater,” writes a critic from her period, according to the site.


3. There Was a Son for the Great Actress

Helena Modrzejewska – Women Hall of Fame is a game about Helena Modrzejewska. Helena Modrzejewska was a famous Polish actress who was born on October 12, 1840 in Kraków. She was a living legend in her day and a celebrity in both Poland and America. She was the sort of actress who, even on the stages of major capital cities, was hard to come by, a talent who, through hard effort and savvy management,… 2017-05-04T19:08:25Z

According to Polish History.pl, the actress had a son named Rudolf Modrzejewski in 1861. Gustaw Zimajer, an actor and director, was his father.

According to the website, Zimajer assisted Modrzejewska in improving her voice by mentoring her. According to the website, their kid “become a renowned engineer.”

She eventually divorced Zimajer and married a “rich landowner, Karol Chapowski,” according to the site.


4. The actress relocated to the United States, where she died.

helena modrzejewska

Commons Wikimedia Commons Helena Modrzejewska is a Polish actress.

Modrzejewska came to America to try her hand at the stage after dominating Polish theater.

According to Britannica, she died on April 9, 1909, at Bay Island, Newport Beach, California, near Los Angeles.

Her “repertory comprised 260 Shakespearean and modern parts, some in both Polish and English” when she died, according to the site.

“Happy Birthday to Helena Modrzejewska (#Modjeska)!” said the Polish Embassy in the United States on Twitter in honor of her birthday. #OnThisDay 1840, the famous Polish-American actress was born.”


5. Modrzejewska is well-known for her portrayal of Lady MacBeth.

helena modrzejewska

Commons Wikimedia Commons Helena Modrzejewska is a Polish actress.

Lady MacBeth is undoubtedly one of William Shakespeare’s most well-known characters, and Modzejewska has left her mark on the stage as Lady MacBeth.

“Modrzejewska’s most important roles at the time included Anna Oswiecimowna in a play by Mikoaj Boloz Antoniewicz (1865), Princess Eboli in Don Carlos (1866), Amalia in Schiller’s The Robbers (1866), and, the same year, Portia in The Merchant of Venice – her first Shakespearian role,” according to Culture.pl.

She appeared in Krakow, Warsaw, and Vienna productions. Although she first came to America to run a farm, she eventually returned to the stage in San Francisco and became a great hit. According to Culture.pl, one Polish reporter noted at the time, “Everyone was in a frenzy… Nobody got out of their seats after the performance, which is unheard of in the United States. The actress was summoned back eleven times, contrary to local tradition… “America was swept up in a storm.”

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