Martha Hedman
Encyclopedia
Martha Hedman was a Swedish-American stage actress popular on the Broadway stage.
, in Jämtland County
, Sweden
. She studied for the stage under the tutelage of Siri von Essen
the wife of playwright and novelist, August Strindberg
. She first appeared on the stage in February 1905 in Helsinki
, Finland in a Hans Christen Andersen fairy tale. For the next six years appeared in Sweden, Finland and Germany in plays by William Shakespeare
, Leo Tolstoy
, Gerhardt Hauptmann and Ludwig Fulda
.
In 1912 theatrical producer Charles Frohman
brought Hedman to America and she acted with such luminaries as John Drew. She appears in several of Charles Frohman's productions. In 1915, she appeared in The Trap produced by Arthur Hammerstein
. One of her more notable performance was in the 1915-1916 comedy The Boomerang, produced by David Belasco
. In 1921 she appeared in a big Shakespearean pageant on Broadway with several other top actresses of the period. She retired from the theater in 1922 but came back in 1942 for one play The First Crocus.
She appeared in one film The Cub directed by Maurice Tourneur
in 1915. Most likely she cared not for the experience and did not return to pictures. Hedman in her youth however was famous on the stage. This is more the reason modern audiences have never heard of her in contrast to fellow Swedish born actresses like Anna Q. Nilsson
and Greta Garbo
who both had lengthy film careers.
During the first year of her career as an actress, she had toured with German born actor Emile von der Osten (1848–1905). She had a daughter with von der Osten, Ella Alfrida born on August 30, 1904 in Stockholm, Sweden. Hedman was later married to Henry Arthur House with whom she co-wrote a play What's the Big Idea in 1926.
Martha Hedman wrote a book Uncle, Aunt and Jezabel (Charles Scribner's Sons, New York: 1949). The dedication reads: "To Henry Arthur -the winter of our discontent was turned into glorious summer". She subsequently wrote Mathias and Mathilda (Chapman & Hall. 1951) written under the name, Martha Hedman House.
Biography
She was born to Johan Hedman and Ingrid Kempe in ÖstersundÖstersund
Östersund is an urban area in Jämtland in the middle of Sweden. It is the seat of Östersund Municipality and the capital of Jämtland County. Östersund is located at the shores of Sweden's fifth largest lake, Storsjön, opposite the island Frösön, and is the only city in Jämtland. Östersund is the...
, in Jämtland County
Jämtland County
Jämtland County is a county or län in the middle of Sweden consisting of the provinces of Jämtland and Härjedalen, along with minor parts of Hälsingland and Ångermanland, plus two tiny uninhabited strips of Lapland and Dalarna. Jämtland County constitutes 12 percent of Sweden's total area, and is...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. She studied for the stage under the tutelage of Siri von Essen
Siri von Essen
Siri von Essen was a Swedish-speaking Finnish noblewoman and actress. She was married to Baron Carl Gustaf Wrangel between 1872–76, with whom she had a daughter, Sigrid. After their divorce, she married the Swedish dramatist and writer August Strindberg; they were married between 1877–91...
the wife of playwright and novelist, August Strindberg
August Strindberg
Johan August Strindberg was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg's career spanned four decades, during which time he wrote over 60 plays and more than 30 works of fiction, autobiography,...
. She first appeared on the stage in February 1905 in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland in a Hans Christen Andersen fairy tale. For the next six years appeared in Sweden, Finland and Germany in plays by William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
, Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy
Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist...
, Gerhardt Hauptmann and Ludwig Fulda
Ludwig Fulda
thumb|200px|Ludwig FuldaLudwig Anton Salomon Fulda was a German writer and a poet with a strong social commitment.-Biography:...
.
In 1912 theatrical producer Charles Frohman
Charles Frohman
Charles Frohman was an American theatrical producer. Frohman was producing plays by 1889 and acquired his first Broadway theatre by 1892. He discovered and promoted many stars of the American theatre....
brought Hedman to America and she acted with such luminaries as John Drew. She appears in several of Charles Frohman's productions. In 1915, she appeared in The Trap produced by Arthur Hammerstein
Arthur Hammerstein
Arthur Hammerstein , was the son of Oscar Hammerstein I and uncle of Oscar Hammerstein II, was an opera producer and one of the writers of the song "Because of You," a major hit for Tony Bennett in 1951. Hammerstein wrote the song in 1940. It was used in the film I Was an American Spy...
. One of her more notable performance was in the 1915-1916 comedy The Boomerang, produced by David Belasco
David Belasco
David Belasco was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director and playwright.-Biography:Born in San Francisco, California, where his Sephardic Jewish parents had moved from London, England, during the Gold Rush, he began working in a San Francisco theatre doing a variety of routine jobs,...
. In 1921 she appeared in a big Shakespearean pageant on Broadway with several other top actresses of the period. She retired from the theater in 1922 but came back in 1942 for one play The First Crocus.
She appeared in one film The Cub directed by Maurice Tourneur
Maurice Tourneur
Maurice Tourneur was an important international film director and screenwriter.-Life:Born Maurice Thomas in the Belleville district of Paris, France, his father was a jeweler. As a young man, Maurice Thomas first trained as a graphic designer and a magazine illustrator but was soon drawn to the...
in 1915. Most likely she cared not for the experience and did not return to pictures. Hedman in her youth however was famous on the stage. This is more the reason modern audiences have never heard of her in contrast to fellow Swedish born actresses like Anna Q. Nilsson
Anna Q. Nilsson
Anna Quirentia Nilsson was a Swedish born American actress who achieved success in American silent movies.-Background:...
and Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo , born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, was a Swedish film actress. Garbo was an international star and icon during Hollywood's silent and classic periods. Many of Garbo's films were sensational hits, and all but three were profitable...
who both had lengthy film careers.
During the first year of her career as an actress, she had toured with German born actor Emile von der Osten (1848–1905). She had a daughter with von der Osten, Ella Alfrida born on August 30, 1904 in Stockholm, Sweden. Hedman was later married to Henry Arthur House with whom she co-wrote a play What's the Big Idea in 1926.
Martha Hedman wrote a book Uncle, Aunt and Jezabel (Charles Scribner's Sons, New York: 1949). The dedication reads: "To Henry Arthur -the winter of our discontent was turned into glorious summer". She subsequently wrote Mathias and Mathilda (Chapman & Hall. 1951) written under the name, Martha Hedman House.
