Sara Biala (born Sara D. Blotcky; March 7, 1881 – 1963) was a Polish-born American actress active on

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 ...

Early life

Sara D. Blotcky was born in Poland, the daughter of Jacob Blotcky and Miriam (Mary) Werblofsky Blotcky. In early childhood, she moved to the United States with her family."Many Compliments over 'War Brides'"
''Houston Post'' (April 11, 1916): 7. via

Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. In November 2018, ...

She was raised in Iowa, and studied oratory at

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, law, and pharmacy. Drake's law school is among the 25 oldest in the United States. Hi ...

. She also studied music in Chicago.

Career

Sara Blotcky performed as a "dramatic reciter" in the midwest before going to New York. Sara Biala's first Broadway show was ''A Citizen's Home'' (1909). She continued to appear on Broadway, with roles in '' Baby Mine'' (1910), ''The Clouds'' (1911), '' The Ghost Breaker'' (1913), ''Pilate's Daughter'' (1914), ''Some Baby!'' (1915), ''Paganini'' (1916), ''The Torches'' (1917), and ''The Broken Chain'' (1929). During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

she appeared in two topical dramas: ''War Brides'' (1916), and ''The Weaker One'' (1918). She also appeared in ''Mary Magdalene'' and ''The Snow Storm'' at the Hackett Theatre in New York, and in ''Three Spoonfuls'' in London in 1915. She appeared in several silent films, including ''The Heart of a Gypsy'' (1919), ''

The Fear Market ''The Fear Market'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Kenneth Webb and written by Clara Beranger. The film stars Alice Brady, Frank Losee, Harry Mortimer, Richard Hatteras, Edith Stockton, and Bradley Barker. The film was release ...

'' (1920), and ''

The Law of the Yukon ''The Law of the Yukon'' is a 1920 American silent drama film inspired by the poem, ''The Law of The Yukon'', by Robert W. Service. The film was directed by Charles Miller, and stars June Elvidge and Edward Earle. Portions of the movie were fil ...

'' (1920). Biala was described as having "deep, tragic eyes". In 1910, she was refused membership in the Three Arts Club because she was Jewish. In 1934 she returned to New York to study acting with Frances Duff-Robinson.

Personal life

Sara Biala married Harry D. Cohen in 1920, in Chicago. They lived in Iowa, where she sometimes gave dramatic readings."Club Will Hear Fantasy Reading"
''Des Moines Tribune'' (March 9, 1933): 14. via

She died in 1963, aged 82 years. Her remains were buried in the Jewish cemetery in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

References

External links

*
Sara Biala's listing on IBDB.

Sara Biala Cohen's gravesite
on Find a Grave. {{DEFAULTSORT:Biala, Sara 1881 births 1963 deaths Polish actresses American women in World War I Actors from Des Moines, Iowa Polish emigrants to the United States