DUSE, doo'sa, Eleanore, Italian actress: b. Vigevano, Italy, 3 Oct. 1859. Her childhood and early youth were filled with sorrow, aris ing from poverty, hardships, the loss of friends and an unworthily bestowed affection. Hers was a lineage of actors, and her early environ ment destined her for the stage. Her grand father founded the Garibaldi Theatre in Padua. She was dragged about the minor theatres of Italy in her father's companies, playing Cosette in 'Les at 7, and star of the little troop at 13 in da When she was 14 she played Juliet at Verona, in an open-air theatre, her performance compelling recognition as most extraordinarily brilliant. Still she had to wait for general recognition until 1879, when she played Zola's Raquin' in Naples in 1887. She appeared in Venice in 1892, and later in all the chief Euro pean cities, making her debut at the Fifth Ave nue Theatre in New York as Camille in Dumas' play of that name, January 1893. Among the roles which she has triumphantly essayed are Marguerite, Magda, Paula, La Femme de Claude, La Locandiera. She was married to an Italian actor-journalist, Signor Chechi, before she was 20, but they soon separated. Duse has remarkable emotional power and the ability to represent suffering and to make the most of tragic situations, at the same time possessing such versatility that she can play parts of oppo site character the same evening. She pays little
attention to the meretricious accessories of the stage makeup. Great simplicity and natural ness, coupled with striking intensity, character ize her acting. She has great excellence in dic tion and in facial expression, the latter being continuous and minute. Her repertory is enor mous, her art including theplays of Dumas, Scribe, Verga, Prega, Ibsen Sudermann, d'An nunzio, and Shakespeare. Her association with D'Annunzio lasted for many years, and it was for her that a number of his plays were written. Her splendid interpretation made them great successes on the stage, and added to the fame of the author. After 1899, a disagreement arose between them, and although she often starred in his dramas, they ceased to be friends. Her tours in the United. States, 1893, 1896, 1902 03, were very successful from the artistic and managerial point of view. After this she acted at intervals in Italy, but her health was such that she was compelled for the most part to live in retirement.