Leontyna Aniela Aszpergerowa (29 November 1815 – 28 January 1902), known professionally as Aniela Aszpergerowa, was a Polish stage actress who achieved wide fame in Poland and in the former

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Lit ...

. She also took part in the January Uprising against Imperial Russia in 1863 and was sent to prison. Her great-grandson was

John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud, (; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Brit ...

Career

Aszpergerowa was born in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, the daughter of Maria Wasińska and Stefan Kamiński from Bolimów. She began her career at the Warsaw Theatre Directorate in 1835 in the comedy ''Zazdrośni w miłości (Jealous in Love)''. A year later she appeared on stage in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

. Then, she worked in

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

, Lithuania, where she married the actor Wojciech Aszperger. About 1840, they moved to Warsaw and soon afterwards to

Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukrain ...

, Galicia, where she achieved stardom. She became one of the most famous actresses of her time in Poland and in the former

, and was particularly associated with the theatre in Lviv, where she was active for more than half a century.Kost, Beata
"Aniela z Kamińskich Aszpergerowa"
''Kurier Galicyjski'', 26 October 2012 (in Polish) She appeared at the Skarbkowskiego Theatre during its grand opening (1842) in the part of Angeles in ''Maiden Vows'' by

Aleksander Fredro Aleksander Fredro (20 June 1793 – 15 July 1876) was a Polish poet, playwright and author active during Polish Romanticism in the period of partitions by neighboring empires. His works including plays written in the octosyllabic verse (''Zemst ...

. During its final presentation in the theater in 1900, she sat in one of the boxes as an honorary guest. After a few years in Lviv, Aszpergerowa separated from her husband, who returned to Warsaw. She was a versatile actor, who appeared at many theatres and on foreign stages, including in Berlin, Vienna and London. She was described as stylish, "graceful and elegant". Her repertoire included melodramatic roles as well as tragedy, comedy and contemporary plays. She played in the dramas of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

(Ophelia in ''Hamlet''; Mary Stuart; Lady Macbeth),

Juliusz Słowacki Juliusz Słowacki (; french: Jules Slowacki; 4 September 1809 – 3 April 1849) was a Polish Romantic poet. He is considered one of the " Three Bards" of Polish literature — a major figure in the Polish Romantic period, and the father of m ...

( Balladyna), and Fredro (Angela; and Klara in ''Ślubach panieńskich''). Her repertoire focused more on tragedies over the years, and she continued to act until 1896. The actress

Helena Modrzejewska Helena Modrzejewska (; born Jadwiga Benda; 12 October 1840 – 8 April 1909), known professionally as Helena Modjeska, was a Polish actress who specialized in Shakespearean and tragic roles. She was successful first on the Polish stage. After e ...

credited her as being an important mentor.

Political activities

Aszpergerowa became involved in political work and the women's rights movement. She took part in the January Uprising against Imperial Russia in 1863; she was arrested in 1884 and sentenced to one year in prison for her support of Polish independence. After her release, she lived for a time in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

, and she returned there after her retirement.

Family and death

Aszpergerowa was the great-grandmother of

. He described her as "the greatest Shakespearean actress in all Lithuania".Morley, p. 1 Her husband, Wojciech, was also a famous leading actor.Gielgud, p. 22 They had two daughters, Waleria (Valerie) and Aniela Leontyna, the latter of whom married Adam Gielgud, who was born at sea during his parents' flight from Poland after the failed rising against Russian rule in 1830. Their son Frank married

Kate Terry Kate Terry (21 April 1844 – 6 January 1924) was an English actress. The elder sister of the actress Ellen Terry, she was born into a theatrical family, made her debut when still a child, became a leading lady in her own right, and left the stag ...

's daughter, Kate Terry-Lewis. She died at the age of 86, and her funeral was attended by large crowds.

References

Sources

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External links