Hana Kvapilová (29 November 1860 — 8 April 1907) was a Czech actress.

Early life

Johanna Kubesch (Hana Kubešová) was born in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

, the daughter of Gustav Kubeš.

Career

Kubešová became a member of the National Theatre in Prague in 1888. She was known for her Shakespearian roles, and for being the first Czech actress to play "Nora" in Ibsen's ''

A Doll's House ''A Doll's House'' (Danish and nb, Et dukkehjem; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having bee ...

''; she also played the lead in ''

Hedda Gabler ''Hedda Gabler'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage. The play has been can ...

'', "Masha" in Chekhov's '' Three Sisters'', and "Helen" in her husband's ''The Will o' the Wisp''.: Jaroslav B. Kvapil She was a friend and colleague to Czech composer

Leoš Janáček Leoš Janáček (, baptised Leo Eugen Janáček; 3 July 1854 – 12 August 1928) was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist, and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and other Slavic musics, including Eastern European fol ...

, and Czech writer

Alois Jirásek Alois Jirásek () (23 August 1851, Hronov, Kingdom of Bohemia – 12 March 1930, Prague) was a Czech writer, author of historical novels and plays. Jirásek was a high school history teacher in Litomyšl and later in Prague until his retirement in ...

, among many others. She was awarded the

Order of St. Sava The Royal Order of St. Sava is an Order of merit, first awarded by the Kingdom of Serbia in 1883 and later by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. It was awarded to nationals and foreigners for meritorious ach ...

for her stage work in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

in 1902, and was compared to Italian actress

Eleonora Duse Eleonora Giulia Amalia Duse ( , ; 3 October 185821 April 1924), often known simply as Duse, was an Italian actress, rated by many as the greatest of her time. She performed in many countries, notably in the plays of Gabriele d'Annunzio and Hen ...

: "Her grasp of character and range of expression were such as to have earned her the title of the Czech Duse."

Personal life

Hana Kubešová married writer and director

Jaroslav Kvapil Jaroslav Kvapil (25 September 1868 in Chudenice, Kingdom of Bohemia – 10 January 1950 in Prague) was a Czech poet, theatre director, translator, playwright, and librettist. From 1900 he was a director and Dramaturg at the National Theatre ...

in 1894. She died in 1907, from complications related to

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

; she had performed five days earlier, in Shakespeare's ''Much Ado About Nothing''. She was 46 years old. After her death, Jaroslav Kvapil published her memoirs. Her ashes were buried in a park in Prague, and the site was marked with a statue of Kvapilová by

Jan Štursa Jan Josef Štursa (15 May 1880 in Nové Město na Moravě – 2 May 1925 in Prague) was a Czech sculptor, one of founders of modern Czech sculpture. Birth and studies Štursa was born in mountainous area of Vysočina Region. He studied masonry ...

. She was featured on a Czech postage stamp in 1960.Hana Kvapilová (1866-1907), actress
stamp catalog, Colnect.com.

References

External links

* Jaroslava Gregorová
"Hana Kubesova-Kvapilova"
''Radio Praha'' (April 5, 2001). (in French) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kvapilová, Hana 1860 births 1907 deaths Czech stage actresses Recipients of the Order of St. Sava Actresses from Prague Actresses from Austria-Hungary