Russell, Lillian

Russell, Lillian
orig. Helen Louise Leonard

born Dec. 4, 1861, Clinton, Iowa, U.S.
died June 6, 1922, Pittsburgh, Pa.

U.S. singer and actress.

She made her stage debut while still in her teens. She achieved stardom in Grand Mogul (1881) and later won acclaim in The Grand Duchess (1890). From 1899 to 1904 she appeared in England and the U.S. with a burlesque company. Representing the feminine ideal of her generation, she was as famous for her flamboyant personal life as for her hourglass figure, her beauty, and her voice. After her fourth marriage in 1912, she wrote a syndicated column on health, beauty, and love and lectured on these topics before vaudeville audiences.

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▪ American actress
original name  Helen Louise Leonard 
born Dec. 4, 1861, Clinton, Iowa, U.S.
died June 6, 1922, Pittsburgh, Pa.
 American singer and actress in light comedies who represented the feminine ideal of her generation. She was as famous for her flamboyant personal life as for her beauty and voice.

      Helen Leonard attended convent and private schools in Chicago. About 1877 or 1878 she was taken by her mother to New York City, where her early training in voice and violin was supplemented by a year of opera study. Her first stage role was in the chorus of a Brooklyn company performing H.M.S. Pinafore in 1879. In November 1880 she made her New York City debut under the name Lillian Russell at Tony Pastor's variety theatre.

      Russell attained stardom as D'Jemma in The Snake Charmer, a version of Edmond Audran's comic opera Le Grand Mogul, in October 1881, and she then played in Gilbert and Sullivan's Patience and The Sorcerer and Jacques Offenbach's The Princess of Trebizonde. She made her London debut in July 1883 in Edward Solomon's Virginia and Paul.

      Returning to the United States in 1884, Russell was in the news frequently because of her personal life—her marriage to Solomon in 1884 was annulled nine years later after his arrest for bigamy, two of her other three marriages ended in divorce, and she was for 40 years a frequent companion of tycoon James Buchanan (“Diamond Jim”) Brady (Brady, James Buchanan).

      Celebrated for her beauty and her clear, pleasant soprano voice, she was, for a generation, the feminine ideal incarnate. Her most difficult roles were in two Offenbach operas, as Fiorella in The Brigands (1889) and in the title role in The Grand Duchess (1890). From 1891 to 1893 she headed the Lillian Russell Opera Company. She joined Joe Weber and Lew Fields's burlesque company in 1899 and sang in their productions—Whirligig, Fiddle-dee-dee, Hoity-Toity, Twirly-Whirly, and Whoop-dee-doo—until they broke up in 1904.

      After 1912 she appeared only rarely on the stage and began to write articles on beauty for the women's pages of the Chicago Herald and the Chicago Tribune.

Additional Reading
Donald Ray Schwartz and Anne Aull Bowbeer, Lillian Russell: A Bio-Bibliography (1997); Armond Fields, Lillian Russell (1999).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Russell,Lillian — Russell, Lillian. 1861 1922. American entertainer known for her roles in comic operas. * * * …   Universalium

  • Russell, Lillian — (1851 1922)    Born Helen Louise Leonard in Clinton, Iowa, the beautiful actress singer began her New York stage career as Nellie Leonard, but made her debut as Lillian Russell at Tony Pastor s Theatre in 1881. Although most of her career was in… …   The Historical Dictionary of the American Theater

  • Russell, Lillian — orig. Helen Louise Leonard (4 dic. 1861, Clinton, Iowa, EE.UU.–6 jun. 1922, Pittsburgh, Pa.). Cantante y actriz estadounidense. Hizo su debut en los escenarios cuando todavía era una adolescente. Alcanzó el estrellato en Grand Mogul (1881) y más… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Lillian Russell — Nombre real Helen Louise Leonard Nacimiento 4 de diciembre de 1860 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Russell — Russell, Bertrand Arthur William Russell, tercer conde de Russell, John Russell, Ken * * * (as used in expressions) George William Russell Baker, Russell (Wayne) Banks, Russell Bentley, Eric (Russell) Browder, Earl (Russell) Hertzsprung Russell,… …   Enciclopedia Universal

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  • Lillian — /lil ee euhn/, n. a female given name. Also, Lilian. * * * (as used in expressions) Gish Lillian Diana Hellman Lillian Florence Russell Lillian * * * …   Universalium

  • Lillian — (as used in expressions) Gish, Lillian (Diana) Hellman, Lillian (Florence) Russell, Lillian …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Lillian Russell — (December 41860 ndash; June 6 1922) was an American actress and singer.Born Helen Louise Leonard in Clinton, Iowa, Lillian Russell became one of the most famous actresses and singers of the late 19th century and early 20th century, known for her… …   Wikipedia

  • Lillian Russell — eigentlich Helen Louise Leonard (* 4. Dezember 1860 in Clinton, Iowa; † 6. Juni 1922) war eine US amerikanische Schauspielerin und Sängerin. Lillian Russell (um 1890) Über ihre Jugend ist wenig bekannt, allerdings soll sie in Chicago Musikunterr …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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