Hedwiga Reicher (Born Hedwig Reicher; 12 June 1884 – 2 September 1971) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

actress. Her performances on Broadway were credited with the original spelling of her first name. Reicher was christened Hedwig, but she altered the spelling after she came to the United States because some people called her "Mr. Hedwig". She was half-sister of actor

Frank Reicher Frank Reicher (born Franz Reicher; December 2, 1875 – January 19, 1965) was a German-born American actor, director and producer. He is best known for playing Captain Englehorn in the 1933 film ''King Kong''. Early life Reicher was born in Mu ...

, sister of actor and screenwriter

Ernst Reicher Ernst Reicher (19 September 1885 – 1 May 1936) was a German-Jewish actor, screenwriter, film producer and film director of the silent era. Biography His father was the actor Emanuel Reicher, born in Galicia, then part of the Kingdom of ...

, and daughter of actor

Emanuel Reicher Emanuel Reicher (18 June 1849 – 15 May 1924) was a German actor. He was father to actors Ernst Reicher and Frank Reicher and actress Hedwiga Reicher. After his successful acting debut in Munich in 1873 he obtained a contract with the Resi ...

.''Who Was Who On the Screen'' by Evelyn Truitt page 607, c.1983; RR Bowker Company Another brother, Hans Reicher, was a sculptor, and her sister, Elly, was an actress. Reicher's film debut came in ''The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam'', produced by Ferdinand Earle. In addition to acting, Reicher produced two plays with her father and in 1921 had a solo production of ''Monna Vanna'' at Los Angeles's Little Theater. She also acted in all three. On February 2, 1934, Reicher married concert pianist and music teacher Maurice Zam in Hollywood, California. Suffrage pageant Washington 1913

Selected filmography

* ''

A Lover's Oath ''A Lover's Oath'' is a lost 1925 American silent fantasy film directed by Ferdinand P. Earle, jun. and featuring Ramon Novarro. The film is based upon the ''Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam'', as translated by Edward Fitzgerald, and included quotes o ...

'' (1925) – Hassan's wife * '' The King of Kings'' (1927) – (uncredited) * ''

The Leopard Lady ''The Leopard Lady'' is a 1928 American silent horror film directed by Rupert Julian, written by Beulah Marie Dix, and starring Jacqueline Logan, Alan Hale and Robert Armstrong. The film, based on a play by Edward Childs Carpenter, is about a ...

'' (1928) – Fran Holweg * ''

True Heaven ''True Heaven'' is a 1929 American drama film directed by James Tinling, written by Malcolm Stuart Boylan and Dwight Cummins, and starring George O'Brien, Lois Moran, Phillips Smalley, Oscar Apfel, Duke Martin, and André Cheron. It was releas ...

'' (1929) – Madame Grenot * ''

The Godless Girl ''The Godless Girl'' (1928) is an American dramatic silent film directed by Cecil B. DeMille, shown for years as his last completely silent film. The cast features Lina Basquette, Marie Prevost, Tom Keene and Noah Beery. Plot This drama featu ...

'' (1929) – Prison Matron * ''

Lucky Star Lucky Star, The Lucky Star or Lucky Starr may refer to: Art, entertainment, and media Anime and manga * ''Lucky Star'' (manga), a manga, anime, and video game series * "Lucky Star", one of the Angel Frames from the anime and manga series ''Galaxy ...

'' (1929) – Mrs. Tucker * '' Mordprozeß Mary Dugan'' (1931) – Mrs. Rice * ''

Beyond Victory ''Beyond Victory'' is a 1931 American pre-Code war film starring Bill Boyd, James Gleason, Lew Cody, and ZaSu Pitts. While John Robertson received directing credit, Edward H. Griffith supposedly took extensive re-takes after production ended an ...

'' (1931) – German Nurse (uncredited) * '' Sporting Chance'' (1931) – Aunt Hetty * '' The Dragon Murder Case'' (1934) – Mrs. Schwartz (uncredited) * '' Rendezvous'' (1935) – De Segroff's Associate (uncredited) * ''

The House of a Thousand Candles ''The House of a Thousand Candles'' is a 1936 American thriller film directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Phillips Holmes, Mae Clarke and Irving Pichel. It is based on the 1906 novel by Meredith Nicholson. The novel had been filmed twice before, ...

'' (1936) – Maria * ''

I Married a Doctor ''I Married a Doctor'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by Archie Mayo and written by Casey Robinson. It is an adaptation of Sinclair Lewis’s novel Main Street. The film stars Pat O'Brien, Josephine Hutchinson, Ross Alexander, Guy Kibb ...

'' (1936) – Bessie Valborg * ''

Dracula's Daughter ''Dracula's Daughter'' is a 1936 American vampire horror film produced by Universal Pictures as a sequel to the 1931 film '' Dracula''. Directed by Lambert Hillyer from a screenplay by Garrett Fort, the film stars Otto Kruger, Gloria Holden in ...

'' (1936) – the innkeeper's wife (uncredited) * '' It Could Happen to You'' (1937) – German Woman at Boardinghouse (uncredited) * ''

Confessions of a Nazi Spy ''Confessions of a Nazi Spy'' is a 1939 American spy political thriller film directed by Anatole Litvak for Warner Bros. It was the first explicitly anti-Nazi film to be produced by a major Hollywood studio, being released in May 1939, several m ...

'' (1939) – Lisa Kassel * '' Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet'' (1940) – Nurse (uncredited, Last appearance)

Broadway roles

* ''On the Eve'' (1909), her

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

debut * ''The Next of Kin'' (1909) *

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

's ''

The Lady from the Sea ''The Lady from the Sea'' ( no, Fruen fra havet, link=no) is a play written in 1888 by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen inspired by the ballad '' Agnete og Havmanden''. The drama introduces the character of Hilde Wangel who is again portrayed i ...

'' (1911) – Ellida * ''The Thunderbolt'' (1911) * ''June Madness'' (1912) – Mrs. Thornborough * ''The Stronger'' (1913) * ''When the Young Vine Blooms'' (1915) * ''Caliban of the Yellow Sands'' (1916) – Cleopatra --Source: Internet Broadway Database

Other

Reicher was hired to portray the mythological figure Columbia for the

Woman Suffrage Procession The Woman Suffrage Procession on 3 March 1913 was the first suffragist parade in Washington, D.C. It was also the first large, organized march on Washington for political purposes. The procession was organized by the suffragists Alice Paul and L ...

, a suffrage parade on March 3, 1913, in Washington, DC. According to news reports at the time, the group, which included 5000 to 8000 suffragists, marched from the US Capitol to the Treasury Building, and was watched by a crowd of 500,000 (mostly men). Their intent was to upstage

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

's inauguration, due to take place the following day.

References

External links

* *
Portrait
NY Public Library, Billy Rose collection

(gutenberg.org) {{DEFAULTSORT:Reicher, Hedwiga German film actresses 1884 births 1971 deaths German emigrants to the United States American stage actresses German stage actresses American film actresses American silent film actresses German silent film actresses People from Oldenburg (city) 20th-century German actresses 20th-century American actresses