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Anna RussellEnglish-Canadian singer and comedian
Date of Birth: 27.12.1911
Country:  Australia |
Content:
Biography of Anna Russell
Early Life and CareerAnna Russell was an Anglo-Canadian singer and comedian who regularly performed concerts featuring musical comedy sketches on the piano. She was born in Maida Vale, London, England (although some sources claim she was born in London, Ontario). After completing school in Suffolk, she attended college and later studied in Paris, Brussels, and the Royal Academy of Music.
Rise to Fame
Russell's childhood was challenging, particularly her relationship with her mother, who often sent her to live with various relatives for periods of time. As an adult, Anna was married and divorced twice, with her first husband being John Denison and her second husband being Charles Goldhammer. In the early stages of her career, Russell worked in opera, and she gained notoriety for a disastrous performance as Santuzza in the British production of "Cavalleria Rusticana," where she tripped over a set piece and dropped it on stage. She later incorporated this mishap into her comedic performances. Additionally, Anna worked as a folk singer on BBC radio.
In 1939, after her father's death, Russell's family returned to Toronto, Canada. Anna began performing on local radio stations and gained some fame with her solo performances by 1940. In 1942, her show was sponsored by the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire in Toronto. However, it was her meeting with Canadian conductor Ernest MacMillan that truly launched her international career. He invited her to participate in his annual Christmas Symphony Concert in 1944.
International Success
Anna made her New York debut in 1948 as part of a concert tour across North America, Britain, Australia, and other English-speaking countries. Her career reached its peak during the successful seasons of 1952 and 1953, where she performed in thirty-seven cities in the United States and Canada, attracting approximately one hundred thousand attendees to her concerts. Her recording "Anna Russell Sings?" became a bestseller. She also wrote the music and lyrics for the production "Anna Russell's Little Snow" and provided the voice for the Witch in the 1954 animated film "Hansel and Gretel." Anna performed in the New York Opera in the same year and captured the attention of the San Francisco Cosmopolitan Opera in 1957.
In 1953, her production "Anna Russell's Little Show" reached Broadway, and she returned seven years later with the play "All by Myself." In 1963, Russell co-founded the company "Grow Productions Inc." with Robert Payne-Groez and Joan White. The company presented "Lady Audley's Secret" at the World's Fair in New York in 1964. Anna also starred as the lead in Noel Coward's comedy "Blithe Spirit." Among her other stage experiments, she performed in the 1965 production of "Quality Street" in Pennsylvania.
Later Life and Legacy
Anna Russell made appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and various television series and plays. She performed her concerts at Carnegie Hall in New York and the Royal Albert Hall in London. In 1977, she played the Duchess of Krakenthorp in the Canadian Opera Company's production of "Daughter of the Regiment." Russell later reprised this role in the Tulsa Opera's production by Eric Mills and Giorgio Tozzi.
Known for her stone-faced delivery, Russell infused her performances with absurdity, satirizing well-known works and mocking human pretentiousness. For example, in her legendary analysis of Wagner's "Ring Cycle," she pointed out that the first scene takes place in the Rhine River, emphasizing that it is, in fact, a river. She also reminded the audience that in the story, Siegfried finally meets a woman who is not his aunt.
In her later years, Anna Russell moved to Unionville, Ontario, Canada, where she lived on a street named after her. She eventually relocated to Australia to live with her adopted daughter, Deirdre Prussak, and it was there that Russell passed away.
