Lillian Russell (Helen Louise Leonard) (December 4, 1860 - June 6, 1922) was an American actress and singer. December 4 is the 338th day (339th on leap years) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining. ... 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... LeAnn Rimes singing in concert A singer is a type of musician who uses his or her voice to produce music. ...

Lillian Russell

Born in Clinton, Iowa in 1860, Helen Louise Leonard would become one of the most famous and beautiful actresses of the late 19th century and early 20th century. Little is known of her early life except that she had some musical training in Chicago. At the age of 18, she and her mother left for New York where Helen was offered a role in the chorus of Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta H.M.S. Pinafore. This would serve as an inauspicious beginning to a dazzling career. This image is in the public domain in the United States and possibly other jurisdictions. ... This image is in the public domain in the United States and possibly other jurisdictions. ... Clinton is a city located in Clinton County, Iowa. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... Chicago (officially named the City of Chicago) is the third largest city in the United States (after New York City and Los Angeles), with an official population of 2,896,016, as of the 2000 census. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Largest city Albany New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi  (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... A choir or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. ... Playwright/lyricist Sir W. S. Gilbert (1836-1911) and composer Sir Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900) defined operettas or comic operas in Victorian England with a series of their internationally successful and timeless works known as the Savoy Operas. ... Operetta (literally, little opera) is a performance art-form similar to opera, though it generally deals with less serious topics. ... H.M.S. Pinafore, or The Lass that Loved a Sailor, is a comic Gilbert and Sullivan operetta in two acts, with music by composer Arthur S. Sullivan and libretto by William S. Gilbert. ...

In 1879, under the new guise of "Lillian Russell", Helen made her first appearance on the august stage at Tony Pastor's Theater. Tony Pastor, known as the father of vaudeville, was responsible for some of the biggest stars in show business. Russell's appearance caused such a stir that she stayed on with Pastor and starred in some of his comic operas. 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Interior of the 1928 B. F. Keith Memorial Theatre, Boston, Massachusetts. ... For Tony Pastor the saxophonist and bandleader, see Tony Pastor (bandleader). ... For other usages see Theatre (disambiguation) Theater (American English) or Theatre (British English and widespread usage among theatre professionals in the US) is that branch of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories in front of an audience using combinations of speech, gesture, music, dance, sound and spectacle — indeed... Vaudeville is a style of multi-act theatre which flourished in North America from the 1880s through the 1920s. ... Comic opera is a subcategory of opera, and denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature. ...

Not only was her voice celebrated but her beauty caused quite a stir among the men and the women of the audience. Since her first appearance at Tony Pastor's she was also the subject of a great deal fanfare in the news media. For forty years, she was the companion of businessman "Diamond Jim" Brady who showered her with extravagant gifts of diamonds and gemstones. News media satellite up-link trucks and photojournalists gathered outside the Prudential Financial headquarters in Newark, New Jersey in August, 2004 following the announcement of evidence of a terrorist threat to it and to buildings in New York City. ... James Buchanan Brady, also known as Diamond Jim Brady, (1856–1917) was an American businessman, financier, and philanthropist of the Gilded Age. ... For other uses, see Diamond (disambiguation). ... GEM is an acronym for: Gas Electron Multiplier Gender Empowerment Measure Generalized Empirical Method — from Bernard Lonergan, also known as critical realism Genetically Engineered Microorganism Global Electric Motorcars Globally Executable MHP Goddard Earth Model — a model of the Earths gravity field Graphical Environment Manager — a windowing system created by...

For years, Russell was the foremost singer of operettas in the U.S. Among her most well-known roles were in Gilbert and Sullivan's Patience and The Sorcerer as well as Jacques Offenbach's The Princess of Trebizonde, The Brigands, and The Grand Duchess. She performed with a variety of opera companies including the company of the Casino Theater in New York and the company of Weber and Fields. Wikisource has original text related to this article: Patience (operetta) This article refers to the operetta. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: The Sorcerer The Sorcerer is the earliest surviving two-act Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. ... Jacques Offenbach (20 June 1819 – 5 October 1880), composer and cellist, was one of the originators of the operetta form, a precursor of the modern musical comedy. ...

A very wealthy woman, during the Actors' Equity strike of 1919, Russell made a major donation of money to sponsor the formation of the Chorus Equity Association by the chorus girls at the Ziegfeld Follies. The Actors Equity Association, commonly referred to as Actors Equity, is an American labor union formed in New York City in 1913 by 112 actors working in the professional theatre. ... Marie Dressler, Ethel Barrymore & others during the 1919 strike The Chorus Equity Association was created on August 12, 1919 in New York City, New York during the strike by the Actors Equity Association. ... The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. ...

Lillian Russell died June 6, 1922 shortly after a completing a fact-finding mission to Europe on behalf of President Harding. She was buried with full military honors.

Russell is interred in a private mausoleum in the Allegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Allegheny Cemetery is one of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvanias largest, oldest, and most picturesque cemeteries. ... Pittsburgh as viewed from Mount Washington Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. ...

References

Lillian Russell

External links

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