Anna Held
Anna Held, 1897
Birth name	Helene Anna Held
Born	March 8, 1872 Warsaw, Poland
Died	August 12, 1918 New York City, New York
Spouse(s)	Maximo Carrera (1894-1908)

Helene Anna Held (March 8, 1872 – August 12, 1918) was a Polish-born stage performer, most often associated with impresario Florenz Ziegfeld, her common-law husband. Image File history File links AnnaHeld1897. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... is the 67th day of the year (68th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1872 (MDCCCLXXII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Warsaw (Polish: Warszawa, see also other names, in full The Capital City of Warsaw, Polish: Miasto Stołeczne Warszawa) is the capital of Poland and its largest city. ... is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... New York, New York redirects here. ... is the 67th day of the year (68th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1872 (MDCCCLXXII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... An impresario is a manager or producer in one of the entertainment industries, usually Music or Theatre. ... 1928 Time cover featuring Ziegfeld Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

Early life

Born in Warsaw, Congress Poland, Russian Empire she was the daughter of a Jewish glove maker, Shimmle (aka Maurice) Held, and his French-Jewish wife, Yvonne Pierre. Sources of her year of birth range from 1865 (the earliest) to 1873 (the latest). In 1881, anti-semitic pogroms forced the family to flee to Paris, France. When her father's glovemaking business failed, he found work as a janitor, while her mother operated a kosher restaurant. Held began working in the garment industry, then found work as a singer in Jewish theatres in Paris and, later, after her father's death, London, where her roles included the title role in a production by Jacob Adler of Abraham Goldfaden's Shulamith; she was also in Goldfaden's ill-fated Paris troupe, whose cashier stole their money before they ever played publicly. Motto: Contemnit procellas (It defies the storms) Semper invicta (Always invincible) Coordinates: , Country  Poland Voivodeship Masovia Powiat city county Gmina Warszawa Districts 18 boroughs City Rights turn of the 13th century Government  - Mayor Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz (PO) Area  - City 516. ... Map of Congress Poland. ... Anthem God Save the Tsar! The Russian Empire in 1914 Capital Saint Petersburg Language(s) Russian Religion Russian Orthodoxy Government Monarchy Emperor  - 1721–1725 Peter the Great  - 1894–1917 Nicholas II History  - Accession of Peter I May 7, 1682 NS, April 27, 1682 OS²  - Empire proclaimed October 22, 1721 NS... For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... Year 1881 (MDCCCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... The Eternal Jew: 1937 German poster. ... Pogrom (from Russian: ; from громить IPA: - to wreak havoc, to demolish violently) is a form of riot directed against a particular group, whether ethnic, religious or other, and characterized by destruction of their homes, businesses and religious centers. ... The Eiffel Tower has become the symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... Yiddish theatre consists of plays written and performed primarily by Jews in Yiddish, the language of the Eastern European Ashkenazaic Jewish community. ... Categories: People stubs | Jewish film and theatre | 1855 births | 1926 deaths ... Abraham Goldfaden Abraham Goldfaden (July 24, 1840 – January 9, 1908), born Abraham Goldenfoden (first name alternately Avram, Avron, Avrohom, Avrom, or Avrum, last name alternately Goldfadn; the Romanian spelling Avram Goldfaden is common) was a Russian-born Jewish poet and playwright, author of some 40 plays. ... Shulamith (שולמית) or Shulamit is the feminine form of the the Hebrew name Solomon (in Hebrew, Shlomo, שְׁלֹמֹה), related to the word shalom (שָׁלוֹם), or peace. The name Salome is also a related form. ...

Acting career

1910 sheet music cover with photo of Anna Held

Her vivacious and animated personality proved popular, and her career as a stage performer began to gain momentum. She was soon known for her risque songs, flirtatious nature and willingness to show her legs on stage. Around this time, she became the wife of a much-older Uruguayan playboy, Maximo Carrera, with whom she had a daughter, Liane, who was born in 1895, shortly after their 1894 marriage, and who became an actress and producer, sometimes billed as Anna Held Jr. The Maiden with the Dreamy Eyes, sheet music cover, 1910, with photo of Anna Held, from loc. ... The Maiden with the Dreamy Eyes, sheet music cover, 1910, with photo of Anna Held, from loc. ... Sheet music is written representation of music. ...

Touring through Europe she was appearing in London in 1896 when she met Florenz Ziegfeld. Ziegfeld asked her to return to New York City with him and she agreed. He set about creating a wave of public interest in her, by feeding stories about her to the American press. By the time Held and Ziegfeld arrived in New York, she was already the subject of intense public speculation. When she finally performed, the critics were dismissive of her, but the public liked her.

Anna Held, in a publicity photo

Image File history File links Size of this preview: 476 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1219 × 1536 pixel, file size: 847 KB, MIME type: image/png) Date c1900 Mar. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 476 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1219 × 1536 pixel, file size: 847 KB, MIME type: image/png) Date c1900 Mar. ...

Broadway success

From 1905 Held enjoyed several successes on Broadway which apart from bolstering Ziegfeld's fortune, made her a millionaire in her own right. Ziegfeld's talent for creating publicity stunts ensured that Held's name remained well known. Held suggested the format for what would become the famous Ziegfeld Follies in 1907, and helped Ziegfeld establish the most lucrative phase of his career. In 1909 he began an affair with the actress Lilliane Lorraine. Held remained hopeful that his fascination would pass and he would return to her, but instead he turned his attentions to another actress Billie Burke, whom he would marry in 1914. The media itself often stage stunts for movies and television shows. ... The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. ... Mary William Ethelbert Appleton Burke (born August 7, 1884 in Washington D.C.; died May 14, 1970 in Los Angeles, California) was an actress primarily known to modern audiences for her role as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North in the musical The Wizard of Oz. ...

The grave of Anna Held in Gate of Heaven Cemetery

Held spent the years of World War I working in vaudeville, and touring France, performing for French soldiers and raising money for the war effort. She came to be regarded as a war heroine for her contributions, and was highly regarded for the courage she displayed in travelling to the frontline to be where she could do the most good. After the war ended, she returned to America and starred in the film Madame le Presidente (1916). Shortly afterwards her health began to fail. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 536 pixelsFull resolution (896 × 600 pixel, file size: 89 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Other versions Originally from en. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 536 pixelsFull resolution (896 × 600 pixel, file size: 89 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Other versions Originally from en. ... The Gate of Heaven Cemetery, approximately 25 miles north of New York City, was established in 1917 at 10 West Stevens Ave. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... // Events November 19 - Samuel Goldfish (later renamed Samuel Goldwyn) and Edgar Selwyn establish Goldwyn Company (the company later became one of the most successful independent filmmakers). ...

She collapsed onstage in 1918 and died after a few months from multiple myeloma at age 46. She is interred at Cemetery of the Gate of Heaven in Hawthorne, New York. Ziegfeld was castigated by the media he had so studiously courted, for his mistreatment of Held and apparent indifference to her illness, and his notable absence from her funeral. Multiple myeloma (also known as MM, myeloma, plasma cell myeloma, or as Kahlers disease after Otto Kahler) is a type of cancer of plasma cells which are immune system cells in bone marrow that produce antibodies. ... The Cemetery of the Gate of Heaven, approximately 25 miles north of New York City, was established in 1917 at 10 West Stevens Ave. ...

The Great Ziegfeld

The film The Great Ziegfeld (1936) tells an often-glamorized story of the Ziegfeld-Held-Billie Burke triangle. Luise Rainer won an Academy Award for her performance as Held. Ziegfeld and Burke were played by William Powell and Myrna Loy. Categories: Movie stubs | 1936 films | Drama films | Musical films | Biographical films | Best Picture Oscar | Best Actress Oscar (film) ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Mary William Ethelbert Appleton Burke (born August 7, 1884 in Washington D.C.; died May 14, 1970 in Los Angeles, California) was an actress primarily known to modern audiences for her role as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North in the musical The Wizard of Oz. ... Luise Rainer in The Great Ziegfeld (1936) Luise Rainer (born January 12, 1910 in either Düsseldorf, Germany or Vienna, Austria) is a two-time Academy Award-winning film actress. ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 - March 5, 1984) was an American actor, noted for his sophisticated, cynical roles. ... Myrna Loy (August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American motion picture actress. ...

External links

• "Anna Held" in the 1901-1905 Jewish Encyclopedia.
• http://www.stanleysteameronline.com See a Toledo Steamer magazine advertisement with Anna Held.