Fernanda Eliscu (April 24, 1880 – September 27, 1968) was a Romanian-born actress in the United States, in English and Yiddish productions on stage and screen.

Early life

Fernanda Eliscu was born in Iași, Romania (some sources say

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

). She moved to the United States as a girl with her parents. She trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and at

Cooper Union The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (Cooper Union) is a private college at Cooper Square in New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-supported École Polytechnique in ...

Career

Early in her acting career, Eliscu was associated with

Minnie Maddern Fiske Minnie Maddern Fiske (born Marie Augusta Davey; December 19, 1865 – February 15, 1932), but often billed simply as Mrs. Fiske, was one of the leading American actresses of the late 19th and early 20th century. She also spearheaded the fig ...

and

Maude Adams Maude Ewing Adams Kiskadden (November 11, 1872 – July 17, 1953), known professionally as Maude Adams, was an American actress who achieved her greatest success as the character Peter Pan, first playing the role in the 1905 Broadway production ...

. On stage, Eliscu acted in ''The Little Minister'', ''

Cyrano de Bergerac Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist. A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th cen ...

'' (1899), ''Beau Brummel'' (1899), ''Her Majesty'' (1900), ''Don Caesar's Return'' (1901), ''The Smoldering Flame'', ''Pickpockets'', ''Jacque Duval'', ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'' (1903), ''

Marta of the Lowlands ''Marta of the Lowlands'' is a 1914 American drama film directed by J. Searle Dawley and written by Àngel Guimerà. The film stars Bertha Kalich, Wellington A. Playter, Hal Clarendon, Frank Holland and Lillian Kalich. The film was released on ...

'' (1903), ''The Light from Saint Agnes'' (1906), ''Ruth'' (1907), '' The Third Degree'' (1909-1910), ''The Outsider'' (1924, 1928), ''If I Were You'' (1931), ''Triplets'' (1932), ''Creeping Fire'' (1935), and '' Winterset'' (1936). Her extensive collection of hair ornaments, combs, pins, and clasps, was considered remarkable. In 1909, the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' theatre critic raved about Eliscu, assuring readers that "If the name of Fernanda Eliscu is not inscribed high in the records of dramatic accomplishment during the next ten years, it will be because either dramatic accomplishment or Fernanda Eliscu has ceased to exist." Eliscu also appeared in films, including '' Winterset'' (1936), ''

Background to Danger ''Background to Danger'' is a 1943 World War II spy film starring George Raft and featuring Brenda Marshall, Sydney Greenstreet, and Peter Lorre. Based on the 1937 novel ''Uncommon Danger'' by Eric Ambler and set in politically neutral Turkey, ...

'' (1943), ''

Berlin Express ''Berlin Express'' is a 1948 American drama film starring Robert Ryan, Merle Oberon and Paul Lukas, and directed by Jacques Tourneur. Thrown together by chance, a group of people search a city for a kidnapped peace activist. Set in Allied-occupi ...

'' (1948), ''

Harbor of Missing Men ''Harbor of Missing Men'' is a 1950 American action film directed by R. G. Springsteen and written by John K. Butler. The film stars Richard Denning, Barbra Fuller, Steven Geray, Aline Towne, Percy Helton and George Zucco. The film was releas ...

'' (1950), and ''

Charge of the Lancers ''Charge of the Lancers'' is a 1954 American adventure film directed by William Castle and starring Paulette Goddard, Jean-Pierre Aumont and Karin Booth. Plot As the Crimean War rages, British Capt. Eric Evoir (Jean-Pierre Aumont) and Maj. Bruce ...

'' (1954).

Personal life

Fernanda Eliscu married actor Carl Anthony Pfeil. They had three children before Pfeil died in 1930."Carl Anthony, Actor, Dies at 52"
''New York Times'' (July 29, 1930): 15. Fernanda Eliscu died in 1968, in Los Angeles, California, aged 88 years.

Filmography

References

External links

* *A photograph of Fernanda Eliscu, circa 1931, in the New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1880 births 1968 deaths American actresses Actors from Iași Romanian emigrants to the United States American people of Romanian-Jewish descent {{authority control