MODJESKA, HELENA (1844— ). A noted actress, of Polish origin. since 1876 a resi dent of the United States. She was the daughter of Michael Opido. a nuisieian, and was born in Cracow, October 12, 1844. Married in 1860 to a manager named 3Iodrzejewski, from the contrac tion of whose name comes that by which she is known, she became in 1865 the leading actress in the theatre of her native city. Three years later she was married to her second husband, Count Bozenta Chlepowski, and became the star of the Imperial Theatre of Warsaw. Political difficulties and ill health led her with her hus band to go in 1876 to California, where they established a Polish colony. This did not suc ceed. and after only a few months' study of Eng fish the Polish Countess made her debut in San Francisco (July, 1877) as Adrienne Lecouvreur. She won a surprising success, and was soon seen in New York in the same play. In 1880 she made her London debut in the part of Camille. In I8s9 and 1890 she starred with Edwin Booth, with whom she had already in 188:3 appeared in Runic° and Juliet. The list of her roles is a
long one, but her greatest devotion has been to Shakespeare, from whom are many of her most notable impersonations, among them Ophelia, Rosalind, Viola, Imogen, Cleopatra, and Lady Macbeth. Iler great natural gifts, always or dered by high ideals and the most eareful study of her art, have gained her as a tragic actress a foremost rank upon the American stage. Con sult: Strang, Famous Actresses of the Day in A merica (Boston, 1899) ; McKay and Wingate, Famous A merican Actors of To-day (New York, 1896) ; Gilder, in Actors and Actresses of Great Britain and the fulled States, ed. by Matthews and Dutton (New York, 1880).
MoDLING, .\ town of Lower Aus tria, situated at the foot of the \Vienerwald, ten miles south-southwest of Vienna. The manufac tures consist of iron products, railway supplies, footwear. etc. Population, in 1890, 10,956: in 1900, 15,304.