Sabrina Grigorian ( hy, Սաբրինա Մարկոսի Գրիգորյան; 1956–1986) was an Italian-born

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

actress.

Life and career

Sabrina Grigorian was born in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Italy, on July 28, 1956, to artist

Marcos Grigorian Marcos Grigorian, also known as Marco Grigorian ( hy, Մարկոս Գրիգորեան; fa, مارکو گريگوريان; December 5, 1925 – August 27, 2007) was an Iranian-Armenian and American artist and gallery owner, and he was a pioneer ...

and Flora Adamian. After the divorce of her parents, Sabrina was brought up by her father and Sabrina acquired primary schooling in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the Capital city, capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is th ...

at a special school for talented children. She then later attended high school at

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

. Coming back to Tehran she met Patricia Zich, theater director at the Community School, and also director of The Masquers, an international theater organization of young adults in Tehran. Zich recognized Sabrina's extraordinary artistic talent. After graduating from high school Sabrina went to London, auditioned and was admitted to the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jaz ...

to study acting. During those years Sabrina traveled extensively. She went to

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, to Switzerland,

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Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and many other places absorbing all the knowledge she could. She was fluent in

, English,

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, was familiar with Persian, Italian,

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

. As a student Sabrina played a dozen different roles ranging from supporting to

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ones in Tehran and at

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. During her training as an actress in Tehran and later at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Sabrina played Rosa Gonzalez in

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...

Summer and Smoke ''Summer and Smoke'' is a two-part, thirteen-scene play by Tennessee Williams, completed in 1948. He began working on the play in 1945 as ''Chart of Anatomy'', derived from his short stories "Oriflamme" and the then-work-in-progress "Yellow Bir ...

", Hippolyta in

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 natio ...

's "

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict ...

" and Emilia in "

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cyp ...

", Masha in

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career a ...

's " The Three Sisters", Dina in Ibsen's "The Pillar of the Community", Belvidera in Thomas Ottoway's " Venice Preserved", the Dark Lady in

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

's " The Dark Lady of the Sonnets", Margot in Frances H. Goodrich's " Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl", Corie in

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...

's "

Barefoot in the Park ''Barefoot in the Park'' is a romantic comedy by Neil Simon. The play premiered on Broadway in 1963, starring Robert Redford and Elizabeth Ashley. It was made into a film in 1967, which starred Redford and Jane Fonda. Productions ''Barefoot ...

", Mrs. Martin in Eugene Ionesco's "

The Bald Soprano ''La Cantatrice chauve '' – translated from French as ''The Bald Soprano'' or ''The Bald Prima Donna'' – is the first play written by Romanian-French playwright Eugène Ionesco. Nicolas Bataille directed the premiere on 11 May 1950 at the ...

" and Medea in

Robinson Jeffers John Robinson Jeffers (January 10, 1887 – January 20, 1962) was an American poet, known for his work about the central California coast. Much of Jeffers's poetry was written in narrative and epic form. However, he is also known for his shorte ...

' Adaptation of the Euripides' play. During her short lifetime on the stage Sabrina portrayed, created such impressive characters that her audience and her teachers and directors were filled with admiration. For three years, Sabrina was editorial and research assistant to Gene Shalit, the director of the "

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...

" show at

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...

. While working at New York City, she wrote several theatrical and musical commentaries and articles which were published in Delta Sky Magazine,

Ladies Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States. In ...

, Diversion Magazine and other periodicals. She also prepared scripts for "on-air" viewing. She died on July 10, 1986, of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which m ...

, and is buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery in Flushing, Queens, New York City.

References

External links

Gevorg Abajyan "Sabrina Grigorian", Publisher: Yerevan, Armenia : Near East Museum, 2000
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grigorian, Sabrina 1956 births Actresses from Tehran Italian expatriates in Iran Italian emigrants to the United States American people of Armenian descent American actresses Italian people of Armenian descent 1986 deaths Ethnic Armenian actresses 20th-century American women