Anna Held

• Name — Anna Held • Birth Name — Helene Anna Held • Born — 19 March 1872 • Birthplace — Warsaw, Congress Poland • Died — 12 August 1918 • Place of death — New York City, U.S. • Resting Place — Gate of Heaven Cemetery • Occupation — * Actress • singer • Children — Liane Held Carrera (1895–1988) Actress/Producer

• Illustration — Anna Held at the Scala (Paris), poster by Alfred Choubrac (1890). Born in Warsaw, Held was named Helene Anna Held, daughter of a German Jewish glove maker, Shimmle (aka Maurice) Held, and his French-Jewish wife, Yvonne Pierre. Sources list a variety of birth years, ranging from 1865 to 1873, but 1872 has been accepted in general. In 1881, anti-Semitic pogroms forced the family to flee to Paris. When her father's glove manufacturing business failed, he found work as a janitor, while her mother operated a kosher restaurant. Held began working in the garment industry, then found work as a singer in Jewish theatres in Paris and, later, after her father's death, London, where her roles included the title role in a production by Jacob Adler of Abraham Goldfaden's Shulamith; she was also in Goldfaden's ill-fated Paris troupe, whose cashier stole their money before they ever played publicly. As a young woman in France, Held converted to Roman Catholicism.

• Illustration — Portrait of Held c. 1908, by Léopold-Émile Reutlinger • Illustration — Held and her daughter, Lianne Her vivacious and animated personality proved popular and her career as a stage performer gained momentum as she became known for her risqué songs, flirtatious nature and willingness to show her legs on stage. In 1894, she married the much-older Uruguayan playboy Maximo Carrera, with whom she had a daughter, Lianne (1895–1988), who was also an actress and producer, sometimes billed as Anna Held Jr. Touring through Europe, Held was appearing in London in 1896, when she met Florenz Ziegfeld, who asked her to return to New York City with him. He set about creating a wave of public interest in her, feeding stories to the American press, such as her having had ribs surgically removed. By the time Held and Ziegfeld arrived in New York, she was already the subject of intense public speculation. When she finally performed in a revival of A Parlor Match, the critics were dismissive, but the public approved. • Illustration — Photo of Anna Held as seen in the Black and White Budget, 15 December 1900.

David Monod of Wilfrid Laurier University has suggested that Held succeeded more on image than talent, the illusion she presented to post-Victorian era audiences who were beginning to explore new social freedoms. From 1896, Held enjoyed several successes on Broadway, including The Little Duchess (1901) and A Parisian Model (1906–1907). These, apart from bolstering Ziegfeld's fortune, made her a millionaire in her own right. Ziegfeld's talent for creating publicity stunts ensured that Held's name remained well known. Held influenced the format for what would eventually become the famous Ziegfeld Follies in 1907, and she helped Ziegfeld establish the most lucrative phase of his career. Held could not perform in the first Follies when she became pregnant by Ziegfeld in late 1908. Held's daughter Lianne later claimed in her unpublished memoirs that Ziegfeld forced Held to have an abortion because he did not want her pregnancy interfering with Miss Innocence, a show in which she would star in 1908–09. The claim was repeated in an autobiography by Held entitled Anna Held and Flo Ziegfeld, however, Richard and Paulette Ziegfeld, (authors of The Ziegfeld Touch) concluded that Held never wrote her memoirs, and Lianne was the real author of the autobiography. Eve Golden, Held's biographer, wrote that Lianne's abortion claim was likely a lie designed to demonize Ziegfeld, whom Lianne loathed. In 1909, Ziegfeld began an affair with the actress Lillian Lorraine; Held remained hopeful that his fascination would pass, and he would return to her, but instead he turned his attentions to another actress, Billie Burke, whom he married in 1914.

After Miss Innocence, Held left Broadway. She spent the years of World War I working in vaudeville and touring France, performing for French soldiers and raising money for the war effort. She was considered a war heroine for her contributions, and was highly regarded for the courage she displayed in traveling to the front lines, to be where she could do the most good. The year 1917 was one of constant touring for Held; she toured the United States in a production of Follow Me until ill health caused her to close the show in January 1918. She then checked into the Hotel Savoy in New York City where her health continued to decline. Held had been battling multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells, for a year. News coverage began reporting that it had been caused by her practice of excessive lacing of her corsets to give her a tiny waist. According to the Washington Times, Held had been in and out of consciousness for about a week. On 12 August 1918, her doctor pronounced her dead, and the media was alerted. Approximately two hours later, Held revived, and the media notified she was still alive, only to have Held finally die shortly thereafter. Held's funeral was held at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan on 14 August. Florenz Ziegfeld did not attend; he had a phobia about death and never attended funerals. Held is interred at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York.

Broadway credits of Anna Held • Year — Title — Role — Theatre — Produced by — Ref(s) Reference(s) • 1896 — A Parlor Match — — — Herald Square Theatre — Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. • 1897 — The French Maid — Suzette — Herald Square Theatre — Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. and Charles E. Evans • 1897 — La poupée — Alesia — Olympia Theatre — Oscar Hammerstein I • 1899–1900 — Papa's Wife — Anna — Manhattan Theatre — Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. • 1901–02 — The Little Duchess — The Little Duchess — Casino Theatre Grand Opera House — Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. • 1903–04 — Mam'selle Napoleon — Mademoiselle Mars — Knickerbocker Theatre — Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. • 1904–05 — Higgledy-Piggledy — Mimi de Chartreuse — Weber's Music Hall — Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. and Joseph M. Weber • 1907–08 — A Parisian Model — Anna — Broadway Theatre — Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. and Frank McKee • 1908–09 — Miss Innocence — Anna, Miss Innocence — New York Theatre — Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. • 1913–14 — Anna Held's All Star Variete Jubilee — Self — Casino Theatre — John Cort • 1916–17 — Follow Me — Claire LaTour — Casino Theatre — Lee Shubert and Jacob J. Shubert

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1901 — Anna Held — Herself — Close-up version Short subject • 1901 — Anna Held — Herself — Full-length version Short subject • 1910 — The Comet — Short subject • 1913 — Elevating an Elephant — Herself — Short subject • 1913 — Popular Players Off the Stage — Herself — Short subject • 1916 — Madame la Presidente — Mademoiselle Gobette