Sara Biala
Sara Biala | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Biala c.1912 | |
| Born | Sara D. Blotcky March 7, 1881 |
| Died | 1963 (aged 81–82) Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Drake University |
| Occupation | Stage actress |
| Years active | 1909–1934 |
| Spouse |
Harry D. Cohen (m. 1920–1963) |
Sara Biala (born Sara D. Blotcky; March 7, 1881 – 1963) was a Polish-born American actress active on Broadway.
Early life[edit]
Sara D. Blotcky was born in Poland, the daughter of Jacob Blotcky and Miriam (Mary) Werblofsky Blotcky. In early childhood, she moved to the United States with her family.[1] She was raised in Iowa,[2] and studied oratory at Drake University. She also studied music in Chicago.[3][4]
Career[edit]
Sara Blotcky performed as a "dramatic reciter" in the midwest before going to New York.[5] Sara Biala's first Broadway show was A Citizen's Home (1909). She continued to appear on Broadway, with roles in Baby Mine (1910), The Clouds (1911),[6] The Ghost Breaker (1913), Pilate's Daughter (1914), Some Baby! (1915), Paganini (1916), The Torches (1917),[7] and The Broken Chain (1929).[8][9] During World War I she appeared in two topical dramas: War Brides (1916),[10] and The Weaker One (1918).[11] She also appeared in Mary Magdalene and The Snow Storm at the Hackett Theatre in New York,[12][13] and in Three Spoonfuls in London in 1915.[14][15] She appeared in several silent films, including The Heart of a Gypsy (1919), The Fear Market (1920), and The Law of the Yukon (1920).[16]
Biala was described as having "deep, tragic eyes".[1] In 1910, she was refused membership in the Three Arts Club because she was Jewish.[17] In 1934 she returned to New York to study acting with Frances Duff-Robinson.[18]
Personal life[edit]
Sara Biala married Harry D. Cohen in 1920, in Chicago. They lived in Iowa, where she sometimes gave dramatic readings.[19][20] She died in 1963, aged 82 years. Her remains were buried in the Jewish cemetery in Des Moines, Iowa.
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Many Compliments over 'War Brides'" Houston Post (April 11, 1916): 7. via Newspapers.com
- ^ John L. Shipley, "Plays and Players" Des Moines Tribune (October 31, 1907): 5. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "About Sara Biala" Philadelphia Inquirer (December 14, 1913): 51. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Success of a Des Moines Girl on the Stage" Des Moines Register (June 25, 1911): 11. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Noted Impersonator Coming" Willmar Tribune (October 10, 1903): 5. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Little Stories of the New Plays" Green Book Album (September 1911): 533.
- ^ "The Torches" Theatre Magazine (December 1917): 351.
- ^ Dixie Hines, Harry Prescott Hanaford, eds., Who's who in Music and Drama (H. P. Hanaford 1914): 374, 405, 472.
- ^ "'The Broken Chain' Written with Fervor" New York Times (February 21, 1929): 24. via ProQuest
- ^ "Orpheum" The Allentown Leader (January 15, 1916): 8. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "War Playlet at the Palace" New York Times (March 5, 1918): 9. via ProQuest
- ^ "Hackett-Mary Magdalene" New York Dramatic Mirror (May 28, 1910): 3.
- ^ "The Snow Storm" New York Dramatic Mirror (June 11, 1910): 4.
- ^ "Des Moines Girl Makes Good on London Stage" Des Moines Register (May 8, 1915): 2. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "'Three Spoonfuls' at the Criterion" Illustrated London News (April 17, 1915): 486.
- ^ Paul Mavis, The Espionage Filmography: United States Releases, 1898 through 1999 (McFarland ): 137. ISBN 9781476604275
- ^ "Our New York Weekly Bulletin" The Reform Advocate (June 18, 1910): 919.
- ^ "Sara Biala Cohen Studying in N. Y." Des Moines Tribune (February 28, 1934): 18. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Mrs. Sol Davidson is Hostess to Society" Des Moines Register (July 25, 1926): 55. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Club Will Hear Fantasy Reading" Des Moines Tribune (March 9, 1933): 14. via Newspapers.com
External links[edit]
- Sara Biala at IMDb
- Sara Biala's listing on IBDB.
- Sara Biala Cohen's gravesite on Find a Grave.