Stella Arbenina, Baroness Meyendorff (Стелла Арбенина) (27 September 1884 – 26 April 1976) was a Russian-born English actress. She was born Stella Zoe Whishaw in

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

t
Robert Cattley Whishaw and Mary (née Gisiko)
Her father was British and her mother hailed from an

Anglo-Russian The Anglo-Russians were an English expatriate business community centred in St Petersburg, then also Moscow, from the 1730s till the 1920s. This community was established against the background of Peter I's recruitment of foreign engineers for his ...

family who had made their home in Russia for several generations. Stella's brother was Montague Law Whishaw. Another relative, James Whishaw, was a British businessman in St Petersburg, who published his memoirs, ''A history of the Whishaw family'', in London in 1935.Thomas C. Owen. ''The Corporation under Russian Law, 1800–1917: A Study in Tsarist ...'', pg. 121 (2002); "A vivid example of his use of intimidation appears in the memoirs of a prominent British merchant in Petersburg, James Whishaw, who managed the Russian affairs of numerous London businessmen. Whishaw earned a sizable income leasing land for petroleum drilling operations carried out in Baku by English companies. Since he had taken Russian citizenship, the onerous restrictions on foreigners, especially the need to obtain permission from the Ministry.." She was married in 1907 to Baron Paul Meyendorff, Captain in the Horse Guards and Aides-de-camp to

Tsar Nicholas II Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Polan ...

in 1907 and then later Colonel in his Military Secretariat. Arbenina and Meyendorff had three children, Georgi, Helena and Irina.Whishaw Meyendorff, Stella Zoe: ''Through terror to freedom: The dramatic story of an English woman's life and adventures in Russia before, during & after the revolution''. Hutchinson & Co. Ltd. 1929. During the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...

the family suffered greatly under the Bolsheviks. Their possessions were seized and they were imprisoned. Through efforts by the

Baltic Germans Baltic Germans (german: Deutsch-Balten or , later ) were ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their coerced resettlement in 1939, Baltic Germans have markedly declin ...

Committee they were released from prison and finally permitted to leave Russia at end of 1918. They settled briefly in

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

where they lived on a remnant of the family estates. Arbenina acted in theatres in

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ' ...

and

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after the Northern European country's political and financial capital, Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 91,407 (as of 2021). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of ...

, and also in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, from 1921 to 1922. In 1923 she arrived with children in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, where she permanently settled, appearing in English stage and film roles. In 1930, she released her memoirs, ''Through Terror to Freedom'', which describes her experiences during the Russian Revolution.

Selected filmography

* ''

The Burning Soil ''The Burning Soil'' (german: Der brennende Acker) is a 1922 German silent film directed by F.W. Murnau. It was made the same year as Murnau's ''Nosferatu'' and released in Germany around the same time. The film follows the struggle over a plot ...

'' (1922) * ''

The Flight into Marriage ''The Flight into Marriage'' (german: Die Flucht in die Ehe) is a 1922 German silent film directed by Artur Retzbach and starring Gunnar Tolnæs, Carola Toelle and Albert Steinrück.Krautz p. 397 The film's sets were designed by the art direct ...

'' (1922) * ''

Miss Rockefeller Is Filming ''Miss Rockefeller Is Filming'' (german: Miss Rockefeller filmt) is a 1922 German silent comedy film directed by Erich Schönfelder and starring Paul Otto, Stella Arbenina and Georg Alexander.Hake, Sabine. ''The Cinema's Third Machine: Writing ...

'' (1922) * ''

King of Women ''King of Women'' (german: Der Frauenkönig) is a 1923 German silent comedy film directed by Jaap Speyer and starring Georg Alexander, Stella Arbenina, and Ralph Arthur Roberts. The film's sets were designed by the art director Rudi Feld Ru ...

'' (1923) * ''

The Money Devil ''The Money Devil'' (German: ''Der Geldteufel'') is a 1923 German silent drama film directed by Heinz Goldberg and starring Stella Arbenina, Karl Forest and Otto Gebühr.Bock & Bergfelder p.150 Cast In alphabetical order * Stella Arbenina a ...

'' (1923) * ''

The Secret of the Duchess ''The Secret of the Duchess'' (german: Das Geheimnis der Herzogin) is a 1923 German silent drama film directed by Klaus Albrecht and starring Nils Asther, Stella Arbenina and Arnold Korff.Wollstein p. 37 Cast * Nils Asther * Stella Arbenina * A ...

'' (1923) * '' The Last Witness'' (1925) * ''

The Secret Kingdom ''The Secret Kingdom'' is a 1925 British silent fantasy and science fiction film directed by Sinclair Hill and starring Matheson Lang, Stella Arbenina and Eric Bransby Williams. It is an adaptation of the novel ''The Hidden Fire'' by Bertram A ...

'' (1925) * ''

A Woman Redeemed ''A Woman Redeemed'' is a 1927 British crime film directed by Sinclair Hill and starring Joan Lockton, Brian Aherne and James Carew. The screenplay concerns a secret society that tries to steal sensitive information. The film was based on the ...

'' (1927) * ''

Bracelets A bracelet is an article of jewellery that is worn around the wrist. Bracelets may serve different uses, such as being worn as an ornament. When worn as ornaments, bracelets may have a wikt:supportive, supportive function to hold other items of ...

'' (1931) * ''

Stamboul The city of Istanbul has been known by a number of different names. The most notable names besides the modern Turkish name are Byzantium, Constantinople, and Stamboul. Different names are associated with different phases of its history, with diff ...

'' (1931) * ''

Colonel Blood Colonel Thomas Blood (1618 – 24 August 1680) was an Anglo-Irish officer and self-styled colonel best known for his attempt to steal the Crown Jewels of England from the Tower of London in 1671. Described in an American source as a "no ...

'' (1934) * ''

What Happened Then? ''What Happened Then?'' is a 1934 British crime film directed by Walter Summers and starring Richard Bird, Lorna Hubbard and Geoffrey Wardwell. It was made at Welwyn Studios.Wood p.84 Cast * Richard Bird as Peter Bromley * Lorna Hubbard as ...

'' (1934) * '' Fine Feathers'' (1937) * ''

Merry Comes to Town ''Merry Comes to Town'' is a 1937 British comedy film directed by George King and starring Zasu Pitts, Guy Newall and Betty Ann Davies. It was made at Shepperton Studios.Wood p.95 Cast * Zasu Pitts as Winnie Oatfield * Guy Newall as Prof. Joh ...

'' (1937) * '' Stolen Life'' (1939)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Arbenina, Stella 1885 births 1976 deaths Actresses from Saint Petersburg White Russian emigrants to the United Kingdom English film actresses English silent film actresses 20th-century English actresses Russian nobility Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United Kingdom People who emigrated to escape Bolshevism