Helena Modrzejewska (source: Wikipedia)
Helena Modrzejewska, the world-famous Polish actress known as Modjeska, died one hundred years ago this week.
Born in Krakow in 1840, Modjeska developed a spectacular career in the theatres of Krakow and Warsaw. At the age of 36, at the height of her career, she decided to leave Poland together with her aristocrat husband and a group of friends to establish a utopian community in California. Following several years of intensive study of English, she made a debut at the California Theatre and skyrocketed to worldwide fame for her Shakespearean roles.
Modjeska became a US citizen in 1883. She made a tour of Poland at the beginning of the 20th century. From 1907 onwards she performed only in charity performances. After her death on 8 April 1909, her remains were taken by ship to Poland, to be buried at the Rakowicki Cemetery in Krakow. Her funeral turned into a great patriotic manifestation.
Earlier this week a commemorative plaque in tribute to the actress was unveiled at the Church of St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr Church in New York’s Manhattan, the one in which her funeral mass took place and where her son Ralph Modjeski, a famous American civic engineer and bridge builder, was married.
In a resolution, the Polish Parliament paid homage to Helena Modjeska, describing her as ‘the star of two continents and an extraordinary personality who made Polish arts and culture known overseas.’
Click on the audio icon to listen to the report by Michał Kubicki.