Hedwiga Reicher

German actress (1884–1971)

Hedwiga Reicher

Reicher in 1908

Born|

Hedwig Reicher

(1884-06-12)12 June 1884

Oldenburg, Germany[citation needed]

Died| 2 September 1971(1971-09-02) (aged 87)

Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Other names| Hedwig Reicher
Celia Sibelius
Occupation(s)| Opera singer, actress
Notable work| Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939)
Children| 1
Parent| Emanuel Reicher
Relatives| Frank Reicher (half-brother), Ernst Reicher (brother)[1]

Hedwiga Reicher (Born Hedwig Reicher; 12 June 1884 – 2 September 1971) was a German actress. Her performances on Broadway were credited with the original spelling of her first name.[2]

Reicher was named Hedwig, but she altered the spelling after she came to the United States because some people called her "Mr. Hedwig".[3] She was the half-sister of actor Frank Reicher, sister of actor and screenwriter Ernst Reicher, and daughter of actor Emanuel Reicher.[4][5] Another brother, Hans Reicher, was a sculptor, and her sister, Elly, was an actress.[3]

Reicher's film debut came in The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, produced by Ferdinand Earle.[3]

In addition to acting, Reicher produced two plays with her father and in 1921 had a solo production of Monna Vanna at Los Angeles's Little Theater. She also acted in all three.[3]

On February 2, 1934, Reicher married concert pianist and music teacher Maurice Zam in Hollywood, California.[6]

Hedwig Reicher at the Woman Suffrage Procession in front of the Treasury Building in Washington, D.C., on 3 March 1913.[7]

## Selected filmography

[edit]

* A Lover's Oath (1925) – Hassan's wife
* The King of Kings (1927) – (uncredited)
* The Leopard Lady (1928) – Fran Holweg
* True Heaven (1929) – Madame Grenot
* The Godless Girl (1929) – Prison Matron
* Lucky Star (1929) – Mrs. Tucker
* Mordprozeß Mary Dugan (1931) – Mrs. Rice
* Beyond Victory (1931) – German Nurse (uncredited)
* Sporting Chance (1931) – Aunt Hetty
* The Dragon Murder Case (1934) – Mrs. Schwartz (uncredited)
* Rendezvous (1935) – De Segroff's Associate (uncredited)
* The House of a Thousand Candles (1936) – Maria
* I Married a Doctor (1936) – Bessie Valborg
* Dracula's Daughter (1936) – the innkeeper's wife (uncredited)
* It Could Happen to You (1937) – German Woman at Boardinghouse (uncredited)
* Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939) – Lisa Kassel
* Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet (1940) – Nurse (uncredited, Last appearance)

## Broadway roles

[edit]

* On the Eve (1909), her Broadway debut
* The Next of Kin (1909)
* Henrik Ibsen's The Lady from the Sea (1911) – Ellida
* The Thunderbolt (1911)
* June Madness (1912) – Mrs. Thornborough
* The Stronger (1913)
* When the Young Vine Blooms (1915)
* Caliban of the Yellow Sands (1916) – Cleopatra

\--Source: Internet Broadway Database[2]

## Other

[edit]

Reicher was hired to portray the mythological figure Columbia for the Woman Suffrage Procession, a suffrage parade on March 3, 1913, in Washington, DC. According to news reports at the time,[citation needed] the group, which included 5000 to 8000 suffragists, marched from the US Capitol to the Treasury Building, and was watched by a crowd of 500,000 (mostly men). Their intent was to upstage Woodrow Wilson's inauguration, due to take place the following day.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Hedwiga Reicher". Who Is Log. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
2. ^ a b "Hedwig Reicher". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
3. ^ a b c d "Repertoire for Hedwiga Reicher". Los Angeles Evening Express. 12 August 1921. p. 19. Retrieved 6 February 2021 - via Newspapers.com.
4. ^ Silent Film Necrology by Eugene Michael Vazzana p.439, 2nd edition c. 2001; McFarland Publishing
5. ^ Who Was Who On the Screen by Evelyn Truitt page 607, c.1983; RR Bowker Company
6. ^ "Hedwiga Reicher Is Wed". The New York Times. 4 February 1934. p. N 3. ProQuest 100911312. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
7. ^ Taylor, Alan (1 March 2013). "100 Years Ago, The 1913 Women's Suffrage Parade". The Atlantic.

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to Hedwiga Reicher at Wikimedia Commons
* Hedwiga Reicher at the Internet Broadway Database
* Portrait, NY Public Library, Billy Rose collection
* Portraits of Hedwig Reicher and her father Emanuel Reicher (gutenberg.org)

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* FAST
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States

People|

* Deutsche Biographie
* Deutsche Synchronkartei