DUSE, ELEONORA ( 1859—). An Ital ian actress, born at Vigevano. on the border of Piedmont and Lombardy. Hers was a family of actors, her grandfather having founded the Garibilldi Theatre in Padua, and she appeared on the stage when thirteen years old. Her early stage life in itinerant companies was a succes sion of privations and hardships, which seriously impaired her health, hut she was soon recognized at Naples, and a little later at Milan (1885), as the greatest actress of Italy and one of the greatest of her time. ITer career has since been one of extraordinary success.
She won an international reputation at Vienna in 1892, and elicited successively enthusiastic responses in the principal cities of Europe. Iler American debut she made in January, 1893, as Camille. at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City, and she appeared in London for the first time the sante year. In 1S97 she went to Paris, where she was regarded as the great rival of Sarah Bernhardt. Among her most noted presentations have been those of Juliet. Fran cesea (la Rimini. Marguerite, Camille, l'ernande,
Magda. and Paula in The Second Mrs. 'langur ray. To show her unusual versatility, she some times plays on the same such con trasted rriles as Santuzza in Carr/Hey-fa usti cana and the rollicking heroine of La Loran diera. Several of Gabriele d'Annunzio's (q.v.) plays were written for her, which she has tried, not with uniform success, to render popular. Her art is distinguished for its simplicity, )et subtle intensity of expression. Discarding many of the customary mannerisms of the stage, she gained her extraordinary dramatic power by the abandonment of much that is conventional but unreal in modern acting. In private life site is noted for her dislike of personal publicity. Iler marriage did not prove happy, and she sepa rated from Signor Checchi. in I902 she reap peared in America. Consult, Bracco, Lift.• of it Fainous Actress, with American press notices New York, 1893) ; Mapes, flaw and the Frcnelt. (New York. 1898).