Lillian+Russell


 * __ Lillian Russell (Helen Louise Leonard) __ **

 ** __(__ December 4, 1861 – June 6, 1922) **

**American woman, known for her acting and singing. One of the most famous actresses and singers of the late 19th century and early 20th century. Also known with her reputation of great beauty and style. Near the end of her life she wrote and supported women's suffrage. **

__** "First Steps" **__
 * [[image:webkit-fake-url://E99A98C0-B453-4067-9488-CE06C18CCAD7/lillian-russell.jpg width="224" height="319" align="left" caption="lillian-russell.jpg"]] Lillian Russell was born (in an alley) to Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Leonard on December 4, 1861 under the name of Helen Louise Leonard. She was the fourth of seven girls. She was born in Clinton, Iowa, but raised in Chicago, Illinois. Her father was the owner of Clinton’s first newspaper and her mother preached against slavery at their Episcopal church. **
 * For the first couple of years of her life, there was nothing special about Helen, but by the age of two, she began to inherit her father's good looks. She had large blue eyes and golden hair. At an early age, Helen was nicknamed “Nellie.” When it was time for her to start school, Helen’s mother enrolled her at a catholic school where each and every student was catered to and Nellie’s talents were nurtured. She took music and violin lessons from Prof. Nathan Dyer. However, her singing voice was much more enchanting. She began taking private lessons from Professor Gill. Each year, Gill’s students erformed at Chickering Hall in Chicago. At the age of 16 she performed in //Time Tries All// at Chickering Hall. After graduating from her private school, Nellie’s mother decided to send her to the Park Instutute and to hire Madame Scherhenberg, a former opera singer, as her vocal teacher. **

__** "Tony Pastor: Mini-Bio" **__ ** Tony Patsor, the man responsible for jumpstarting Lillian Russell's career, was a catholic family man. He was born in NYC in 1837. At the age of eight, he made his debut as an entertainer in a youth group meeting. The group encouraged his parents to let Tony perform at all of their meetings. At the age of 14, Pastor sang at Barnum’s Theatre. After a few years or touring with churches and carnivals, Tony opened his first music hall. He later purchased a German concert saloon and renamed it “Tony Pastor’s Opera House.” On November 22, 1980, Tony Pastor introduced Lillian Russell to the public. Pastor gave her the name Lillian Russell because it had more L’s and he said it looked better on billboards. **

__** "I Do" **__
 * [[image:webkit-fake-url://E7673C5E-8573-4367-A850-34BCDE76E096/390px-Lillian_Russell_II.jpg width="250" height="411" align="right" caption="390px-Lillian_Russell_II.jpg"]] her parents divorced in 1879 she moved with her mother and younger sister to New York City. She would sneak away from her mother to go to auditions, with little luck. Just as she began to doubt her future as a performer, she met Walter Sinn, who owned the Park Theatre. They soon were engaged but she broke off engagement when she found some success in the chorus of the Brooklyn Park Theater. In 1879 she joined the chorus of a touring production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera H.M.S Pinafore. Two weeks later she married the orchestra leader Harry Braham after discovering she was pregnant. She gave birth to a son, named Harry, but the baby died after being stuck with a diaper pin by his nanny; the pin penetrated his stomach. Lillian continued on with her career on multiple shows on Broadway. She remarried in 1884 with Solomon after a year of giving birth to her daughter, Dorothy Lillian Russell. They traveled to England where she continued her acting career at the Gaiety Theatre. In 1886, her husband was arrested for bigamy, she obtained a divorce from Solomon in 1893. She joined the same year the J.C. Duff Opera Company. While she toured with them, she met and married John Haley Augustin Chatterton in 1894. Soon after she returned to London to play Betta in The Queen of Brilliants. After returning home she filed for divorce in 1898 and started working at Abbey's theater. For over forty years, she was the companion of “diamond” Jim Brady who took good care of her, while showering her with constant extravagant gifts of jewelry. She married her fourth husband, Alexander Pollock Moore in 1912. Her wedding did not stop her from acting one last time. She made her last appearance on Broadway in //Hokey Pokey//. Her first motion picture appearance was //Wildfire// in 1915. It was in 1919 that she sang for the last time before her health forced her to retire. **

__**Come Down ma evenin' star - Lillian Russell**__


 * __http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UXN2UM_cwo__**

__**"Change in direction"**__
 *  [[image:webkit-fake-url://C9397BDC-CCF8-461A-8EB0-F04E2F8366CE/4977572065_b47e45aed5.jpg width="234" height="350" align="left" caption="4977572065_b47e45aed5.jpg"]] Russell later followed her mothers steps. She wrote a newspaper column and advocated women's suffrage. She became a popular lecturer as she advocated an optimistic philosophy of self-help and gaining a huge crowd. When World War I was declared she recruited for the U.S. Marine Corps. She believed that people should be generous towards the soldiers and raised money for the war effort. During the Actors' Quity strike of 1919, she made a huge monetary donation to sponsor the formation of the Chorus Equity Association. During her last years, she spent her money traveling back and forth from London to New york. She completed a fact-finding mission in Europe for the President Warren Harding. She had to investigate on the immigration, her information resulted helping out for a 1924 immigration reform law. She injured herself during the trip which lead to complications. She passed away June 6, 1922 in her house in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania after ten days of illness. Her funeral occurred with the full military honors. She is remembered as the talented woman that inspired America with her numerous talents. **

Works Cited //Russell: a Biography of "America's Beauty"// Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1999. Print.

 · Strang, Lewis Clinton. //Famous Prima Donnas.// Boston: L. C. Page &, 1907. Print.

 · "Lillian Russell." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. .  · //IBDB: The Official Source for Broadway Information //. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. .