Stella Arbenina, Baroness Meyendorff (Стелла Арбенина; 27 September 1884 – 26 April 1976) was a Russian-born English actress. She was born Stella Zoe Whishaw in

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

t
Robert Cattley Whishaw and Mary (née Gisiko)
Her father was British and her mother hailed from an Anglo-Russian family who had made their home in Russia for several generations. Stella's brother was Montague Law Whishaw. Another relative, James Whishaw, was a British businessman in St Petersburg, who published his memoirs, ''A history of the Whishaw family'', in London in 1935.Thomas C. Owen. ''The Corporation under Russian Law, 1800–1917: A Study in Tsarist ...'', pg. 121 (2002); "A vivid example of his use of intimidation appears in the memoirs of a prominent British merchant in Petersburg, James Whishaw, who managed the Russian affairs of numerous London businessmen. Whishaw earned a sizable income leasing land for petroleum drilling operations carried out in Baku by English companies. Since he had taken Russian citizenship, the onerous restrictions on foreigners, especially the need to obtain permission from the Ministry.." She was married in 1907 to Baron Paul Meyendorff, Captain in the Horse Guards and Aides-de-camp to

Tsar Nicholas II Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov; 186817 July 1918) or Nikolai II was the last reigning Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 1 November 1894 until his abdication on 15 March 1917. He married ...

in 1907 and then later Colonel in his Military Secretariat. Arbenina and Meyendorff had three children, Georgi, Helena and Irina.Whishaw Meyendorff, Stella Zoe: ''Through terror to freedom: The dramatic story of an English woman's life and adventures in Russia before, during & after the revolution''. Hutchinson & Co. Ltd. 1929. During the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

the family suffered greatly under the Bolsheviks. Their possessions were seized and they were imprisoned. Through efforts by the

Baltic Germans Baltic Germans ( or , later ) are ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their resettlement in 1945 after the end of World War II, Baltic Germans have drastically decli ...

Committee they were released from prison and finally permitted to leave Russia at end of 1918. They settled briefly in

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

where they lived on a remnant of the family estates. Arbenina acted in theatres in

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

and

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

, and also in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, from 1921 to 1922. In 1923, she arrived with children in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, where she permanently settled, appearing in English stage and film roles. In 1930, she released her memoirs, ''Through Terror to Freedom'', which describes her experiences during the Russian Revolution.

Selected filmography

* '' The Burning Soil'' (1922) * '' The Flight into Marriage'' (1922) * ''

Miss Rockefeller Is Filming ''Miss Rockefeller Is Filming'' () is a 1922 German silent comedy film directed by Erich Schönfelder and starring Paul Otto, Stella Arbenina and Georg Alexander.Hake, Sabine. ''The Cinema's Third Machine: Writing on Film in Germany, 1907–19 ...

'' (1922) * ''

King of Women ''King of Women'' () is a 1923 German silent comedy film directed by Jaap Speyer and starring Georg Alexander, Stella Arbenina, and Ralph Arthur Roberts. The film's sets were designed by the art director Rudi Feld Rudi Feld (1896–1994) wa ...

'' (1923) * '' The Money Devil'' (1923) * '' The Secret of the Duchess'' (1923) * '' The Last Witness'' (1925) * '' The Secret Kingdom'' (1925) * '' A Woman Redeemed'' (1927) * ''

Bracelets A bracelet is an article of jewellery that is worn around the wrist. Bracelets may serve different uses, such as being worn as an ornament. When worn as ornaments, bracelets may have a supportive function to hold other items of decoration, ...

'' (1931) * '' Monsieur the Duke'' (1931) * '' Stamboul'' (1931) * '' Colonel Blood'' (1934) * '' What Happened Then?'' (1934) * '' Fine Feathers'' (1937) * '' Merry Comes to Town'' (1937) * '' Stolen Life'' (1939)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Arbenina, Stella 1885 births 1976 deaths Actresses from Saint Petersburg White Russian emigrants to the United Kingdom English film actresses English silent film actresses 20th-century English actresses Nobility from the Russian Empire Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United Kingdom People who emigrated to escape Bolshevism Noblewomen from the Russian Empire