Fanny Mickey
Encyclopedia
Fanny Elisa Mikey Orlanszky (c. 1930 - 16 August 2008), was an Argentine
-born Colombian
actress, theatre
producer and entrepreneur. She lived and worked in Colombia
from 1959 until her death and was the creator and organizer of the Bogotá Iberoamerican Theater Festival
, known as the biggest theatre festival in the world.
In 1976, she moved to Bogotá, when she created the Fundación Teatro Nacional, an organization that promoted culture all over Colombia, featuring adaptations of famous plays ("Doña Flor y sus dos maridos", "The Vagina Monologues" and "Closer") among many others.
family who emigrated to Argentina
following czarist anti-Semitism
sentiment in the Russian Empire
, Fanny Elisa was the eldest of six children of José Mikeaj (or Mikey, as the immigration officials changed it to upon arrival to Argentina) and Celia Orlanszky.. She married at a young age to Gastón Dijan, a young man with a Sephardic Jewish background, but the fruitless relation soon ended because of their cultural differences, and her husband's inability to accept her acting career. In 1958, she left Argentina to follow the man she loved, Pedro I. Martínez, arriving in Buenaventura by ferry and settling in Santiago de Cali
; but once again this relation did not work out given religious differences. In 1976, Mikey and her then love partner Enrique Álvarez adopted a newborn whom they would call Daniel.
on Saturday 16 August 2008 in Cali, Colombia where she had travelled to earlier that month to present her latest play, "Perfume de arrabal y tango". Her body was transported to Bogotá that same day and taken to the National Theatre where she laid in repose
to a gathering of family, friends, and colleagues. The next morning, her casket was transported in a motorcade to the National Capitol and draped with the Flag of Colombia
, it was then placed in the Elliptical Chamber of the Capitol where she laid in state for a public viewing. Outside the Capitol, on the iconic Bolívar Square
, the Bogotá Philharmonic
performed Ástor Piazzolla
's Tangazo and Ludwig van Beethoven
's Symphony No. 3
as she had requested, followed by a cappella performances by her friends the Bass
Valeriano Lanchas, and singers César Mora
, Yuri Buenaventura, and Lety Santamaría. Thousands of people went in droves to say their final goodbyes, the event was attended by many celebrities and had the participation of Bogotá's Mayor Samuel Moreno Rojas
and Minister of the Interior and Justice
, Fabio Valencia Cossio
, present on behalf of President Álvaro Uribe Vélez who was overseas at the time; President Uribe in turn, upon his arrival passed a Presidential Decree honouring her memory and legacy, exalting her as a model citizen and her great contribution to the country.
The next day, her body was taken to Chapinero Cemetery where her remained were cremated, in fulfilment of her wishes, half were send to Argentina to be given to her family for safekeeping, the other half was scattered at the Islas del Rosario
where she owned an island and had a house.
Argentine people
Argentines are the citizens of Argentina, or their descendants abroad. Argentina is a multiethnic society, which means that it is home to people of many different ethnic backgrounds. According to the , Argentina had a population of 36,260,130 inhabitants, of which 1,527,320, or 4.2%, were born...
-born Colombian
Colombian people
Colombian people are from a multiethnic Spanish speaking nation in South America called Colombia. Colombians are predominantly Roman Catholic and are a mixture of Europeans, Africans, and Amerindians.-Demography:...
actress, theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
producer and entrepreneur. She lived and worked in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
from 1959 until her death and was the creator and organizer of the Bogotá Iberoamerican Theater Festival
Iberoamerican Theater Festival
Theater in Colombia was introduced during the Spanish colonization in 1550 through zarzuela companies. Colombian theater in Colombia is currently supported by the Ministry of Culture and a number of private and state owned organizations...
, known as the biggest theatre festival in the world.
In 1976, she moved to Bogotá, when she created the Fundación Teatro Nacional, an organization that promoted culture all over Colombia, featuring adaptations of famous plays ("Doña Flor y sus dos maridos", "The Vagina Monologues" and "Closer") among many others.
Personal life
Born to a Lithuanian JewishLithuanian Jews
Lithuanian Jews or Litvaks are Jews with roots in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania:...
family who emigrated to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
following czarist anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
sentiment in the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, Fanny Elisa was the eldest of six children of José Mikeaj (or Mikey, as the immigration officials changed it to upon arrival to Argentina) and Celia Orlanszky.. She married at a young age to Gastón Dijan, a young man with a Sephardic Jewish background, but the fruitless relation soon ended because of their cultural differences, and her husband's inability to accept her acting career. In 1958, she left Argentina to follow the man she loved, Pedro I. Martínez, arriving in Buenaventura by ferry and settling in Santiago de Cali
Santiago de Cali
Santiago de Cali , simply referred to as Cali, is a city in western Colombia and the capital of the Valle del Cauca Department. With a population of 2.5 million, Cali is the third largest city in the country. It has one of the fastest growing economies and infrastructure in the country because...
; but once again this relation did not work out given religious differences. In 1976, Mikey and her then love partner Enrique Álvarez adopted a newborn whom they would call Daniel.
Death
At the age of 78 Fanny Mikey died due to complications of renal failureRenal failure
Renal failure or kidney failure describes a medical condition in which the kidneys fail to adequately filter toxins and waste products from the blood...
on Saturday 16 August 2008 in Cali, Colombia where she had travelled to earlier that month to present her latest play, "Perfume de arrabal y tango". Her body was transported to Bogotá that same day and taken to the National Theatre where she laid in repose
Lying in repose
Lying in repose is a term used to describe when a deceased person, often of some stature, is available for public viewing. "Lying in repose" is different from the formal honor of "lying in state", which is generally held at the principal government building of the country and often accompanied by...
to a gathering of family, friends, and colleagues. The next morning, her casket was transported in a motorcade to the National Capitol and draped with the Flag of Colombia
Flag of Colombia
After Miranda later designed his flag based on this conversation, he happily recalled seeing a fresco by Lazzaro Tavarone in the Palazzo Belimbau in Genoa that depicted Christopher Columbus unfurling a similar-coloured flag in Veragua during his fourth voyage....
, it was then placed in the Elliptical Chamber of the Capitol where she laid in state for a public viewing. Outside the Capitol, on the iconic Bolívar Square
Bolívar Square
The Bolívar Square is located in the heart of the historical area of Bogotá. It has a statue of Simón Bolívar sculpted in 1846 by the Italian Pietro Tenerani, which was the first ever public monument in the city...
, the Bogotá Philharmonic
Bogota Philharmonic
The Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra, or Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá, is the most important Symphony Orchestra in Colombia. It is a project maintained by the city of Bogotá and its Secretary Office of Culture, Recreation and Sport. Founded in 1967, it regularly performs at the Jorge Eliécer Gaitán...
performed Ástor Piazzolla
Ástor Piazzolla
Ástor Pantaleón Piazzolla was an Argentine tango composer and bandoneón player. His oeuvre revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music...
's Tangazo and Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
's Symphony No. 3
Symphony No. 3 (Beethoven)
Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 in E flat major , also known as the Eroica , is a landmark musical work marking the full arrival of the composer's "middle-period," a series of unprecedented large scale works of emotional depth and structural rigor.The symphony is widely regarded as a mature...
as she had requested, followed by a cappella performances by her friends the Bass
Bass (voice type)
A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
Valeriano Lanchas, and singers César Mora
Cesar Mora
Cesar Mora is a leading musician and actor in Colombia. He was born in Cali, and later spent fourteen years as part of the famed Son Del Pueblo band....
, Yuri Buenaventura, and Lety Santamaría. Thousands of people went in droves to say their final goodbyes, the event was attended by many celebrities and had the participation of Bogotá's Mayor Samuel Moreno Rojas
Samuel Moreno Rojas
Samuel Gustavo Moreno Rojas is a Colombian lawyer and politician, son of former congressman Samuel Moreno Díaz and former presidential candidate María Eugenia Rojas Correa, grandson of former Colombian political-military authoritarian leader and ex-president Gustavo Rojas Pinilla. His brother Iván...
and Minister of the Interior and Justice
Ministry of the Interior and Justice
The Ministry of the Interior and Justice , is the national executive ministry of the Government of Colombia responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice and interior ministries of other countries....
, Fabio Valencia Cossio
Fabio Valencia Cossio
Fabio Valencia Cossio is a Colombian lawyer and politician. A Conservative party leader and politician, Valencia was first elected to Congress in 1982 as Representative for the department of Antioquia, continuing to be re-elected until 1991 when he successfully ran for Senate, where he rose to...
, present on behalf of President Álvaro Uribe Vélez who was overseas at the time; President Uribe in turn, upon his arrival passed a Presidential Decree honouring her memory and legacy, exalting her as a model citizen and her great contribution to the country.
The next day, her body was taken to Chapinero Cemetery where her remained were cremated, in fulfilment of her wishes, half were send to Argentina to be given to her family for safekeeping, the other half was scattered at the Islas del Rosario
Islas del Rosario
The Islas del Rosario is one of the 46 Natural National Parks of Colombia, created in order to protect one of the most important coral reefs of the Colombian Caribbean coast.-Characteristics:...
where she owned an island and had a house.