Mathilde Cottrelly (February 7, 1851 in Hamburg, Germany – June 15, 1933 in

Tuckerton, New Jersey Tuckerton is a borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States, named for founder Ebenezer Tucker (1758–1845), and was a port of entry, but not the third Port of Entry in the United States, as is often described.Stemmer, Peter H"The Port of ...

) (''née Meyer'') was a German born stage actress, singer, producer and theatre manager. She was popular on Broadway in the 1880s until the 1920s. 1920s audiences saw her as the hypochondriac Mrs. Cohen in the long running play ''

Abie's Irish Rose ''Abie's Irish Rose'' is a popular comedy by Anne Nichols, which premiered in 1922. Initially a Broadway play, it has become familiar through repeated stage productions, films and radio programs. The basic premise involves an Irish Catholic girl ...

''. Cottrelly's father was an opera conductor in her native Hamburg, Germany. She was on the stage acting at an early age and by 16 she was married and singing roles in light opera presentations. Her husband died in 1871 and she continued to act and sing before coming to America in 1875. After starring in German theatres around the United States she joined McCaull's Comic Opera Company in New York. Though English was her second language Mathilde was never hampered by her German accent. In reviewing her first Broadway performance in English (Oct. 1882) The New York Times stated "Her mastery of the adopted tongue is complete," and a reviewer for the New York Sun (Dec. 1882) wrote "considering her nationality ottrellytalks amazingly good English." She became McCaull's leading comedian and wore many hats while with his company being a stage director, costume designer and, at times, handled the company's finances. McCaull made her a partner in the organization and musical comedy became her forte in the 1880s. In the 1890s and reaching her forties, Cottrelly settled into being a character actress which she remained for the rest of her career. Her talent and versatility kept her in demand (more than 30 productions between 1895 and 1926) and while many of her roles called for German or Yiddish accents she also won critical praise for portrayals of French, Spanish, and Swedish characters. Mathilde Cottrelly was married four times, first to George Cottrelly (1866-71 his death), third to Leopold A. Weste (his fourth marriage, 1881-1885), and last to Thomas J. Wilson (1893-1923 his death). She and Cottrelly had one child, a son Alfred, who died in 1903. She died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

on June 15, 1933, at her home in

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"Mathilde Cottrelly"
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Brooklyn Daily Eagle :''This article covers both the historical newspaper (1841–1955, 1960–1963), as well as an unrelated new Brooklyn Daily Eagle starting 1996 published currently'' The ''Brooklyn Eagle'' (originally joint name ''The Brooklyn Eagle'' and ''King ...

'', June 17, 1933. Accessed January 3, 2015. "Mme. Mathilde Cottrelly, retired stage and light opera star, who began her career at the age of 8 and once was a European circus rider, died Thursday at her home in Tuckerton, N. J. of a heart attack."

References

External links

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portrait gallery
NY Public Library, Billy Rose Theatre collection)

University of South Carolina) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cottrelly, Mathilde 1851 births 1933 deaths Actresses from Hamburg People from Tuckerton, New Jersey German stage actresses 19th-century American women singers 19th-century American singers 19th-century German actresses Emigrants from the German Empire to the United States