Eva Le Gallienne

Eva Le Gallienne, daughter of poet Richard Le Gallienne, grew up idolizing stage legend Sarah Bernhardt. At age 18, she was brought to New York by her mother and made her London stage debut in 1914 in *Monna Vanna*. She first appeared on Broadway in *Liliom* in 1921 and made her final Broadway appearance in 1981 at the Biltmore Theatre in *To Grandmother's House We Go*, for which she received a Tony nomination at age 82. Known for her boldness and idealism, Le Gallienne became a director, muse, and collaborator for many of theatre's leading playwrights. She was a prominent translator of Henrik Ibsen and a founder of the civic repertory movement in America. Over six decades, she worked as a stage coach, director, producer, and manager, committed to elevating the quality of theatre rather than the commercial aspects of Broadway. She led the Civic Repertory Theatre Company from 1926 to 1936, producing 37 plays during that time. From 1926 to 1932, she managed the 1100-seat Civic Repertory Theatre, located at 107 14th Street and commonly known as The 14th Street Theatre. The company's actors included Le Gallienne, J. Edward Bromberg, Paul Leyssac, Florida Friebus, and Leona Roberts. Her stage roles ranged from Peter Pan to Hamlet. She largely avoided film and television throughout her career, but later appeared in a 1977 television adaptation of *The Royal Family* and in *Resurrection* (1980), where she played Ellen Burstyn's grandmother and received an Oscar nomination.